Luke Ambler and Jonny Mason are the guys who want you to find your ‘Mission Possible’, to make small changes that ultimately lead to big wins. While participating in IRONMAN demonstrates the boy’s dedication to endurance sports, and is an impressive undertaking in itself, the ‘why’ behind their tenacity runs deep. Luke has always found comfort in the fact that being active is a great way to find clarity, but when his brother-in-law took his own life, he launched ‘Andy’s Man Club’ to provide support through self-help and peer-to-peer interactions. Luke’s close friend, Jonny Mason, has also lost loved ones to suicide and experiences the highs and lows of every IRONMAN journey. Both men hope their efforts will raise awareness of the issues surrounding suicide – one of the leading causes of death in men under 50 – and prevent further tragedies by building a caring community.
Luke and Jonny are both 35 and born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. In 2025, the good friends set out to complete five British IRONMAN events in one season, but achieved more success than they ever thought possible. The boys completed IRONMAN 70.3 events in Bolton, England and Swansea, Wales, along with full IRONMAN events in Leeds, England and Tenby, Wales. “But the momentum and inspiration generated by our ‘Mission Possible’ campaign caught the attention of IRONMAN itself,” Luke explains. “They offered us ambassador places at the IRONMAN World Championship in Nice and that turned our challenge into something extraordinary, with two full IRONMAN races within seven days, in two of the toughest locations on the circuit: Nice and Wales.”
The road to the finish was not always smooth. Luke was a professional rugby player before turning to endurance sports. Being active has always given him purpose: it helps cope with bullying, family separation and his mother’s traumatic brain injury as a child. He was scouted by Leeds Rhinos, but when they let him go, Luke’s mental health suffered again. He then founded Andy’s Man Club in 2016, following the tragic suicide of his brother-in-law Andy Roberts, to support like-minded men struggling with mental health. Luke’s close friend, Jonny Mason, a proud father of three and passionate triathlete, also found healing during IRONMAN races after losing loved ones to suicide.
Andy’s Man Club proves that ordinary people can take on extraordinary challenges
Speaking about their continued efforts in IRONMAN, Luke says: “It was never just about crossing the finish line. It was about using the IRONMAN stage to show that ordinary people can take on extraordinary challenges, while at the same time raising awareness for something much bigger.”
Like Luke, Jonny Mason has developed a love for endurance sports thanks to the positive effects they have on his mental health. “The hope is that along our journey, people will see what we’re doing and feel inspired to pursue their own ‘possibility,’” he explains. “And as we do, we’re raising the all-important awareness for Andy’s Man Club and getting the message out loud and clear: ‘It’s OK to talk!’”
This is reported by the Office for National Statistics in Great Britain that men were responsible for around three-quarters of all recorded suicide deaths in 2023. That same year, data showed that suicide was the eleventh leading cause of death in the United Stateswhich killed more than 49,000 people. Suicide is a global problem.
To date, Andy’s Man Club supports over 6,000 men every week with hundreds of peer-to-peer support groups and public speaking events. “Our mission is to prevent male suicide and break the stigma around men’s mental health,” Luke explains. “Challenges like ‘Mission Possible’ are not about medals or personal glory – they are about inspiring men to speak out, to find their own ‘possible’ and realize they are not alone. By taking on these races in front of a global audience, we are taking that message further than ever before.”
And that’s the point of Mission Possible: you don’t have to be a top athlete to participate.
“I wouldn’t say I was particularly sporty before I started this journey in triathlon as an adult,” says Jonny. “But like most people, family, business and life became the priority as I got older, and the sport stopped. Once you stop, your lifestyle changes quickly. Drinking more, eating poorly and generally not taking care of yourself. So after years I realized I had to make a change.” Jonny tells M&F that he started out with “a little bit” of running, and that small change led to him taking on endurance sports challenges with Luke. “Crossing the finish line, running down the red carpet, it’s surreal,” he says. “But for me it’s never just about the moment, it’s about everything behind it. It represents the hours of training, the discipline, the sacrifices… not just mine, but my family’s too. It’s proof that with the right mindset you can tackle difficult things and come out stronger. The truth is, the hardest part isn’t the race day; it’s the weeks and months leading up to it, balancing training with work, family life and all the others that matter. That’s the real battle.” So, when I finally reach that finish line, the overriding feeling is gratitude.
says Lucas M&F why pushing himself out of his comfort zone has been so good for his own mental health. “An IRONMAN is the ultimate test of endurance,” he says. “It combines swimming, cycling and running in one continuous battle, requiring not only physical strength, but also mental toughness, patience and resilience. Coming from a rugby background, I was used to explosive power, but IRONMAN requires a completely different kind of discipline. That challenge immediately captivated me. Sport also stands for community, inspiration and transformation. In every race you see people from all walks of life bringing their own overcoming struggles to reach the finish line. That message fits perfectly with our work in mental health and with the values of Andy’s Man Club.”
For more information about Andy’s Man Club, click here.
To find an IRONMAN event near you, click here.
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