A HARLECH man is taking part in one of the world’s toughest mountain races in memory of a relative who took her own life.

Ed Bailey, a volunteer with The Farming Community Network charity (FCN), will take part in the Montane Dragon’s Back Race in memory of his wife Helen’s cousin Elizabeth Mackenzie, who died in June.

Ed, who turned 42 on Monday, 6 September - the date of the first day of the race – has teamed up with friend Gwion Llwyd, of Dyffryn Ardudwy, to take on the challenge. The race takes place over six days. Spanning from Conwy Castle to Cardiff Castle, it has a total distance of 380km, and a total of 17,400m of height gain across its duration – twice the height of Everest.

Planning for the challenge started over a year ago. Ed had an operation in June, which left him unable to train for six weeks. During that time, he learned Elizabeth had taken her own life.

“It was a bolt out of the blue. Having seemingly not found a way out of the dark place that Elizabeth had found herself in, a very sad time ensued as the family tried to rally around to support and to heal,” Ed said.

“Elizabeth was a very special lady, somebody that meant so much to so many of us – taken far too soon from an invisible but very real enemy. We will get there together as the family is strong – but it will take time and it won’t be easy and it won’t be the same again.”

He added: “I am not as ready as I wanted to be for the start of this race. I feel scared of the unknown; I know this is going to hurt, and my brain says that if I am not going to be able to finish this race, I may be best not starting at all. I recognise that this must be how many people seeking help from FCN may feel just before they pick up the phone and make that extraordinary first step on the starting line of getting better – one step at a time.

“So this is what Gwion and I intend to do in memory of Elizabeth. We shall start this race despite our fear, and we shall not worry how far we get - it’s a case of one step, and one mountain, at a time.”

Ed volunteers with FCN - a voluntary organisation and charity with volunteers in England and Wales that supports farmers and families within the farming community through difficult times with a wide range of issues, including mental health, family disputes, animal disease and financial concerns.

Ed said: “I am very proud to call myself one of the 400 volunteers of FCN. I recognise first-hand the impressive work FCN does and the amazing people we meet along the way that reach out seeking help. As alone as we all feel from time to time, there are others in the same place feeling the same so help is at hand.”

For more about the race, visit www.dragonsbackrace.com/. To donate to FCN visit www.fcn.org.uk/#support