An army veteran who was blown up TWICE in combat has run the entire 5000-mile coastline of the UK for charity after losing 14 military pals to suicide.
Paul Minter left the armed forces in November 2020 after 18 years as a soldier - completing five frontline tours of Iraq and Afghanistan.
The 36-year-old spent the last seven months running an average of 30 miles a day around the UK coast to raise money for his armed forces mental health charity Head Up after battling PTSD, anxiety and depression himself.
The former staff sergeant has lost 14 military friends to suicide over the last six years, including three since he set off in March, and is hoping to prevent others from suffering in the future.
The determined athlete completed the epic feat on Saturday October 1 - after suffering two cracked ribs, an adder bite and giant hogweed burns on the way.
Paul, who was a reconnaissance soldier, has raised more than £400,000 for the charity, which will run positive mindset retreats, and hopes to double this by the end of the year.
(Image: Kennedy News/Gareth Jones)
Paul, from Eastham, London, said: "Finishing the journey was a huge relief and I felt very proud of the amount of people who'd helped me all the way around.
"It was really nice. It was nice to finish it and finally see the area where I started seven months earlier.
"When I started the run, I had no idea how my body was going to hold up. I got myself into as much of a good condition as I possibly could.
"My feet feel good, my legs feel okay. My knees took the most pressure but my body feels good.
"I can't just stop running now because my body is so used to such high levels of dopamine and adrenaline. My body is searching for these high levels of hormones and I'm starting to feel some sort of withdrawal from that.
"I'll slowly bring myself back down over the next few weeks."
Paul set out on the challenge with the aim of raising the profile of Head Up so his charity can help military personnel and veterans overcome mental health difficulties.
Pictured: Paul Minter, now 36, while serving in the army (Image: Kennedy News/Paul Minter)
Paul said: "The challenge [was] to run 5,000 miles all around the coastlines of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Isle of White and Isle of Man in seven months.
"It was averaging 30 miles a day, six days a week, with a 10kg bag. There were no breaks to go home in between.
"I had 18 years in the army myself, I've done five frontline tours in that time and got to the rank of staff sergeant.
"I got blown up twice where I was very fortunate myself - people on both occasions didn't come out. They died or lost limbs while I was very fortunate to escape.
"I suffered a bit with paranoia and it was a confusing time for me. I wasn't quite sure what was happening, it led to quite bad anxiety and depression.
"Unfortunately, from 2015 onwards, I knew about 11 people in the armed forces that had taken their lives - veterans and still serving.
"I lost three more friends to suicide while I was on my run.
"It's an ongoing problem and it isn't going away any time soon, I wanted to do more to help people."
(Image: Kennedy News/Gareth Jones)
When Paul left the armed forces almost two years ago, he claims he saw fellow soldiers and veterans battling mental illness and struggling to adjust to everyday life outside of the army.
Paul said: "When you go to war, you have to be battle ready. You're going to see stuff that isn't normal in the society we've been brought up in.
"When you're fighting with rounds and bullets and bombs, you can't stop. You've got to keep going - even if someone gets hurt. There's no time to stop, grieve or reflect.
"When they come into normal life, many veterans get very frustrated, angry and confused a lot of the time.
"Their mind is on high alert and little things can trigger them. They don't know how to calm themselves and be at peace.
"We're also trained not to care that much - not to care that you're wet and tired and hungry. You've got to keep going.
"When you put them both together where you don't care and you're very emotionally confused, it can send people into a state where they just think 'what is the point in being here?'"
As a result of his first-hand experiences of war and suffering bereavement, Paul vowed to help make a change to the lives of his colleagues and peers.
(Image: Kennedy News/Gareth Jones)
Paul said: "I left the army with the ambition to start a charity and help people have a better understanding and awareness of how they can strengthen their mindset and mental wellbeing.
"Myself and some other veterans have now created a charity called Head Up and we're developing a seven-day positive mindset retreat to give people the understanding.
"We're starting to look at ways to develop the retreat and get it open.
"We've been working really hard and we've got a very big business plan. We have a target of £3million and we're in a two-year brand marketing and fundraising phase.
"We all decided to do these big challenges and I'm the first out of the four.
"I thought 'what better way than going all the way around the UK and talking to veterans and letting them know who we are and finding out what struggles they have about getting help?'."
Four days since he finished his final mile, Paul has reflected on the kindness he has received from strangers - many of whom opened their homes to him during his travels.
But Paul admits he faced many hurdles along the way, including snow blizzards, a sprained ankle and even a snake bite.
Pictured: Paul Minter, 36, from Eastham, London, completing 5,000 mile run of UK Coastline on Saturday, October 1, followed by supporters (Image: Kennedy News/Gareth Jones)
Paul said: "The last stretch was really nice. The shortest run I did was 18 miles and the longest was 42.
"The last day was a six mile run which was short but I was joined by about 50 people running with me. It was really nice.
"So many people had gone out of their way to help support me. They'd run with me, put me up at their houses. I made lots of news friends and networked for the charity.
"Over 700 people joined me along the way running and I had people cheering me along as I come into their town.
"It didn't come without its adversities. It was tough, tiring and fatiguing.
"I had lots of aches, pains and niggles - serious ones too. I went over sand, shingles, cliff edges.
"You put the weather in there too - high winds, snow blizzards, rain.
"I cracked two ribs quite early on on the side of a bath, I was bitten by an adder and I sprained my ankle a dozen times.
"I've also ran through giant hogweeds and my legs all blistered up. I felt like I was on fire for about 36 hours, that was the worst out of all of them.
"I use a motto - pain is temporary and pride is forever. You can be proud in the fact you've pushed through it and overcome it."
You can donate to Paul's fundraising page here
