Fifty-one weeks ago, Marius Coste - Group Cleaning Manager at Elior UK and Aberdeen resident - made a promise.
Not to raise a quick sum. Not to run a single race. But to show up, every single week, for 82 consecutive weeks, in fancy dress, in all weathers, covering ground across Scotland in support of SAMH and Clan Cancer Support.
This Saturday morning, he showed up as Spiderman. At Hazlehead Park. In blazing sunshine. And the park full of people who had no idea what was coming.
It is exactly the kind of thing that stops you in your tracks.
The numbers tell part of the story. Week 51 of 82. Over 3,175 km covered. More than £4,268 raised for two vital charities. 244 cold showers. 55 cold dips. One red suit on one of the hottest mornings of the year.
But behind the statistics is something the North-east business community understands well: the discipline of showing up consistently, even when it is difficult. The understanding that culture is built not in single grand gestures, but in weekly commitments kept when no one is watching. The knowledge that the people around us — colleagues, customers, communities — are sometimes carrying battles that aren’t visible at first glance.
Miles of Smiles has been recognised by First Minister John Swinney, illuminated Marischal College green during Mental Health Awareness Week, and brought Marius to radio studios, boardrooms and community stages across Scotland to talk openly about mental health.
“Mental health doesn’t take weekends off,” says Marius. “Neither does Miles of Smiles.”
With 31 weeks still to go, his campaign continues to grow — and his message, distilled into four words that have become its heartbeat, remains as simple and as necessary as ever:
You are never alone.
DONATE & SHARE:
Mental Health: www.justgiving.com/page/frompaintopurpose
Cancer Support: www.justgiving.com/page/hopeovercancer
Follow the journey:
- Facebook/LinkedIn: Marius Coste
- Twitter/X: @SmilesRunner
- Instagram: @milesofsmilesrun
- TikTok: @smilesrunner