At 18, Stephen Sammut Nurminen lost his mother and he never got over it.

Over time, life’s stresses piled up and he was stuck in an unhealthy and unhappy routine. This all changed when the coronavirus pandemic struck – and he took up running.

“It’s funny to think how COVID changed my life,” Sammut Nurminen, now 36, said.

“It gave me back a sense of work-life balance, and I found myself getting outdoors more often and really focusing on my fitness.

“I owe a lot to running, looking back at pictures of myself, I see how I had let go, how I had no self-care or respect for who I was.

“My mood has also changed completely. I used to snap at people and have a short temper, but now friends and family members see my outlook on life has changed for the better.”

Ultrarunner Stephen Sammut Nurminen is an advocate of sport for mental health.

While sport had always been part of his life – he had played basketball for many years – his lifestyle was a detrimental one. After his weekly work routine, come the weekend he would go out and binge drink and eat.

“Carrying these sorts of unhealthy habits affected my mental health over time.”

Now an ultrarunner, Sammut Nurminen is an advocate of sport for mental health.

Simply picking up an activity like running, walking or swimming can truly make a difference in a person’s life and mental well-being, he argues.

“You don’t have to do mammoth challenges, but even just taking some time for yourself outdoors and being active can really have long-term beneficial effects on your mental health,” he said.

Sammut Nurminen will now be putting his body and mind to the test with a 365km run across Sicily in July.

His toughest challenge to date is all for a special cause – raising funds for Dr Klown, an NGO that provides dedicated clowning services, including distraction and relief through fun and laughter, to hospitalised children in Malta and Gozo.

He hopes to raise €10,000, which will go towards providing training for the Dr Klown team and improving the hospital facilities.

Sammut Nurminen before he underwent his running transformation.

The plan is to run 60 hours without sleep and to only take short breaks to make sure his legs do not cramp up or he does not suffer any spasms.

That’s what he faced in his last challenge, a 16-hour, 132.8km Christmas run in support of Soup Kitchen OFM, in Valletta, last December.

“There is no room for error in this challenge,” he said.

“I’m training four to five hours a day in between my full-time job, and I am also working with a physiotherapist and a meal prep company who also support me and provide all the meals I need.”

Apart from physical training, he also mediates an hour every day as he prepares to be in the right mindset for the mammoth challenge.

“I’m training my mind for the challenges I will face, but right now I am super excited.”

Sammut Nurminen will be assisted by a sponsor, a gaming company, Pragmatic Play, and will be travelling to Sicily with his support team, who will be there cheering him on every step of the way.