Rob served in the military for 25 years until he was medically discharged with depression and PTSD in 2016. While his father was fighting cancer, Rob started running ultra-marathons. Unfortunately, his father passed away but not before Rob made one simple vow, that every time he got breathless, like those suffering with lung cancer do, he would make it count and raise money for charity. He set himself a challenge of running what are reputed to be the toughest, highest,and coldest foot races in the world.
The battle with depression has been one big constant struggle for Rob. The dark places his mind takes him has ultimately cost him many things: from relationships to a job he wanted to do since he was 8 years old. As a result, he hit his lowest point in 2013 and ended up in a mental hospital, after attempting to end his own life.
However, throughout all this Rob continued on his running challenge. In 2011, Rob went and completed the Marathon des Sables, added the Everest Marathon in 2013, and finished in April 2018 quite literally on top of the world with the North Pole Marathon.
Rob is a high functioning depressive who has used what he has learnt from running in the extremes to help him cope with his depression. He applies the same basic principles of preparing for an extreme running event as he does to managing his life. In 2018, he started track running; he finds running 1,500m in a respectable time as much as a challenge as running an ultra-marathon. Rob now runs every single day. He just loves to be able to run, as it has given him so much.