British musician running length of US in 90 days takes inspiration from Russ Cook on journey from Canada to Mexico

A British musician running more than 2,600 miles down the length of the US to champion men’s mental health has taken inspiration from Russ Cook and said the sport is “invaluable” to him.

Charles Costa, 39, from South Kilburn, west London, set off on the 2,653-mile (4,270 km) Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) on July 19, starting from north Washington at the Canadian border with aims to reach the Mexican border just south of San Diego by October 19 – the equivalent of 90 marathons in 90 days.

Averaging around 50km (31 miles) each day and often having to run further to secure rest days, Charles has battled with the scorching Californian sun, “fetid” drinking water and “rough, tricky” terrain – but said he keeps his spirits high by focusing on the beauty of nature and his charitable cause along the way.

Charles is fundraising for two charities, the Jed Foundation and James’ Place, a UK charity dedicated to suicide prevention for young men, after a skiing accident 10 years ago left him in a coma for five days with brain trauma and subsequent “horrendous” struggles with his mental health.

The singer-songwriter, who previously performed under the name King Charles with hits such as Love Lust, Lady Percy and The Brightest Lights, the latter of which features British folk rock band Mumford & Sons, said he has felt “liberated” by a recent decision to work under his full name, Charles Costa, going forward.

Charles took some inspiration for his challenge from fellow Briton Russ Cook, also known as Hardest Geezer, who completed the full length of Africa on foot in April for Sandblast and The Running Charity, which aims to support the mental health of young people through running.

Speaking from the halfway point of the trail in northern California, Charles told PA Real Life: “I followed (Russ’s) journey and he definitely showed a level of resilience… it gives you confidence that something as bonkers as running the length of Africa is actually possible if you’ve got that vision.”

Charles said the activity of running has been “invaluable” to him throughout his recovery from the skiing accident, saying it has given him “relief and remedy” from bouts of anxiety.

“There’s so much of the world to see and I feel like seeing it while running through it is just the best way to see it,” he said.

“For the last 10 years, since I was recovering from this brain trauma, I got into running as a very recuperative thing.

“Running is an immediate relief and remedy for a lot of anxiety and other conditions I felt.

“Getting your lungs heaving, your heart beating, you’re really just driving your body into a different place and your mind responds and it detangles – I’ve really experienced that and it’s been invaluable to me.”

Charles said the PCT challenge has been “intense” so far, saying it was a project he had planned “for a while” which had created a “certain amount of adrenaline” around the venture.

“That adrenaline naturally does kind of run out when you realise that you’ve got to be up at 5.30am every morning, doing more than a marathon every day, climbing thousands of metres of elevation gain over mountains and volcanoes and really rough, tricky terrain,” he said.

“But the motivation comes from within.

“It’s about processing some of the incredible places I’ve seen… I get motivated by the changing scenery, the changing horizons, the way the light changes, the animals change, the birds change.

“Nothing gets boring, it’s all new, it’s all exciting.”

Along the route, Charles has been camping out in the wilderness alone or sleeping in his support van – which he said is currently being manned by one person.

He has been averaging a distance of around 50km each day and said the only way he can take rest days is to run further to clock up his mileage.

“The other day, I did 73km (45 miles),” he said.

“The lesson you learn is that if you just keep going, you’ll get there eventually.

“The satisfaction is unbelievable when you get to the end of a long day and you can put your feet up.”

Charles added the hot Californian weather in his current location has made natural water sources appear “like this sort of holy heaven or oasis”.

“When you see a flowing river or a stream or a waterfall, it’s just genuinely the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen each time,” he said.

“When you’re parched, you hear the sounds of trickling water or the torrent of a rapid, it’s just absolutely magnificent.

“Those are so vivid it’s like coming home every time – it’s a massive highlight.”

Charles said he often finds himself “gasping” for a drink in the hot weather, using his water bottle with a built-in filter to be able to drink from different water sources.

“Sometimes you get to where it says there’s water and it’s just basically a massive cow pat puddle,” he said, laughing.

“You look at this fetid, disgusting thing, it stinks, there’s flies running around, frogs jumping around, it hasn’t moved since whenever the last rain was and you have to fill up your filter bottle and drink it.”

With the gruelling venture, Charles is fundraising for James’ Place, a charity dedicated to suicide prevention for young men, raising more than £8,000 so far.

He struggled with anxiety and depression after a skiing accident in Austria in 2013 left him in a coma for five days with brain trauma.

“I was skiing with my brother and we were messing around in the snow park, doing jumps,” he said.

He recalled there being “two massive jumps” and going off the second one, saying: “I don’t remember anything after that.

“I have had some kind of flashbacks to moments after where I was lying in the snow on my back, my brother was kneeling next to me and my parents were nearby.”

Charles was taken to hospital by helicopter and put in an induced coma to help to reduce the swelling on his brain.

He said his physical recovery was “brilliant”, saying it was “amazing how quickly I was back on my feet and functioning”, but said he has “struggled” with anxiety and depression following the accident.

“It was just this horrendousness, this dark – it’s hard to describe what dark is or what dark means but it’s just so dark,” Charles said.

“I’ve always had my family who have caught me when I needed to be held and that’s such a precious thing.

“But it’s so hard for people – whether they have supportive families or they don’t – to engage with any help.”

Of James’ Place, which has supported him emotionally, Charles said the “remarkable” charity “saves lives”.

“I really want to raise money for them and awareness because therapy is expensive but not at James’ Place – it’s free and it’s for people who are at the end of their tethers,” he said.

“In a moment of desperation, you need someone to be there to catch you.”

Alongside his ventures out in nature, Charles has enjoyed a career on the stage as a singer-songwriter, releasing three studio albums under the name of King Charles since 2012 – however, he said a recent move to produce music using his full name going forward has been “liberating”.

“I like big, fabulous things and fun and regal – now I feel like I can still be fabulous, just as Charles Costa rather than King Charles,” he said.

“I’m really enjoying it, it’s just a new way to go.

“It’s liberating because it’s starting afresh.”

Charles will be releasing new music this year, with a first single dropping in October and an album launching in January 2025.

To find out more, visit Charles’s fundraiser here

To follow Charles online, visit his Instagram here