ONE man set to run the Taunton marathon this weekend is Elliott Collett.

The Wellington-born 26-year-old is taking on a challenge called 15FOUR15 in which he has ran 15 running races in the last 15 months to raise funds for and awareness of mental health.

The Taunton Marathon is Elliott’s final race, and he is hoping to raise as much awareness as he can before he finishes the challenge.

Before this, he had never taken part in a running race before, but found that running was a great help in his own mental health journey.

“Once I read the stat that one in four people suffer at some point in their life with mental health I knew I wanted to do my bit and help highlight what I personally feel has always been grossly overlooked which is mental health in the modern world,” he said.

“I have suffered with mental health myself for eight years with GAD, Generalised Anxiety Disorder. It has always felt like a taboo topic and something that shouldn’t be spoke about.

“We as a society are improving at talking about it, but we still have a long way to go so raising more awareness and helping even one person to feel less alone and to speak out makes everything I’m doing it worth it.

“My last race for the marathon is this Sunday, in the hometown of Taunton. In my previous 14 races I have completed two 5K’s 10K’s, two 10 Milers and two half marathons! I am super excited and can’t wait to cross the finishing line. It’s been a long journey but one I wouldn’t change for the world.”

To support Elliott, follow his journey on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by searching for 15FOUR15.