Becoming Yourself Again - The Story of Christopher Martin

Christopher Martin joined the British Army in October 2012 as a member of the Corps of Royal Engineers and completed his basic training in 2013 before seeing deployment all over the world.

Chris served as a Communications Engineer and was deployed to Jordan and Kenya, which he described as an “eye opener” to the poverty and harsh realities of live in incredibly deprived areas.

“I was in Jordan and then went straight to Kenya and I saw a lot, my time there was a big factor in my diagnosis with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.”

His next posts were in Canada and the United Kingdom but Chris couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t okay and didn’t know how to process his emotions and experiences.

“After coming back to the UK after so long, my mental health went downhill and I attempted suicide 4 times, I needed to get help.”

That began Chris’ journey of recovery through sport, a concept he hadn’t heard of before.

Chris was part of the trials for the UK Invictus Games Team back in 2019, while he didn’t make the team, it was there that he discovered the We Are Invictus platform and how he could be supported by the Invictus Games Foundation as part of our ‘Beyond the Games’ programme.

“I wanted to maintain my recovery through sport, I hadn’t really done sport for close to 7 years and being a part of the We Are Invictus Community, gave me the opportunities to do things I never thought I could do.”

Chris was given the opportunity to run the London Marathon through the We Are Invictus platform and while the Covid-19 pandemic delayed the event, the training process ‘relit’ the fire inside him.

His selection came at a time when he was discharged from the Army and was feeling lost.

“I have been influenced in such a positive way by the community and meeting others going through similar situations like I have, it’s amazing to be around them."

Chris completed the London Marathon in 2021 and was amazed that he was crossing the finish line and turning a corner on his recovery journey.

“I felt like the old me again, I felt like myself and the We Are Invictus Community has been a massive inspiration for me”.

The London Marathon was just the beginning for Chris, he has since gone on to run a half marathon in Rome and play golf in Wales as part of our Beyond the Games programme.

“We all have those down days and those dark periods of time. Sport reminds me of what I am capable of and how much fun I can.

"Thanks to the sporting opportunities I’ve been given I have learned that I AM capable of achieving and capable of achieving more than I thought.”