Breaking a Sweat, Breaking the Stigma: 100 Days to Raise Awareness for Mental Health

Run a mile. Do 100 pullups. Then 200 pushups. Follow that with 300 squats. Finally, run another mile. Do this entire sequence while wearing a 20-pound vest or body armor. Now, do it again. And again. One hundred times.

Sounds impossible, doesn’t it? But that’s exactly what 24-year-old Coast Guardsman Jake Prusha is doing — 100 days of Murph for Mental Health.

For as long as Jake can remember, he’s always had a passion and purpose for helping people. That’s what drove him to become a 911 operator after high school, to volunteer with the fire department, get an EMS certification, and ultimately, enlist in the Coast Guard. It’s what now sparks the fire to do 100 days straight of this excruciating workout, raising awareness for mental health and funds for Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP).

“There are pictures from when I was like 2 years old, dressed up in a fireman or policeman uniform,” Jake said. “And I remember having toy firetrucks, and in the winter, I would bring them to the fireplace and try to put out the fires.”

After enlisting in the Coast Guard and finding a love for the search-and-rescue mission, Jake went to health service technician school, trying to find even more ways to help people, and began working at a clinic. That’s when he realized he wasn’t alone in his mental health challenges.

“It really hit home for me,” Jake said. “I would see people even younger than me come in, but also admirals come in, struggling with mental health. I had struggled, and I still deal with anxiety and depression, throughout my life. But I didn’t really put a name to it until I got into the world of medicine myself, so I dealt with it on my own. I didn’t really know what was happening. I felt like I was the only person in the world going through this.”

He found confidence and courage in the patients he served. They helped him realize he wasn’t alone and that he could ask for help, too. Jake made it his mission to let others know they aren’t alone and never need to feel the way he had.

Jake is sharing his own journey with mental health, one day at a time, for 100 consecutive days, to embark on that mission. Taking to social media to document every workout and share his story and encouragement with others, Jake is pushing himself to maximum limits.

Fitness has always been a big part of his life, from wrestling in high school to doing an Ironman alongside a cop he had worked with, and a few Murph Challenges to honor Memorial Day. But 100 days of this grueling workout was a challenge he never imagined he’d experience.

“It’s brutal, but it’s something you can’t ignore,” Jake said. “I’m giving a small piece of myself – sweat, tears, and blood – in memory of those military members who have lost their lives, but it’s an honor to do that.”

The workout is traditionally done on Memorial Day and first began to honor Navy Lt. Michael P. Murphy, who lost his life in Afghanistan. Jake had done the Murph for about five years but decided to take it to the next level in 2025 by doing it for 100 consecutive days, documenting his journey along the way, to spread awareness for mental health.

This mission is personal, and he’s not stopping until it’s completed.

“The wear and tear on my body … it’s intense. I’m definitely at risk for overuse injuries,” said Jake. “But I keep thinking, God forbid, I break an ankle or something, you’d still see me doing pullups on the side of the hospital bed and doing the miles on crutches – there’s no way I’m not completing 100 days.”

To make the most of this challenge, Jake has decided to extend its impact beyond the 100 days by fundraising for WWP. He chose WWP because of his shared personal mission of mental health awareness and support, particularly for veterans and service members.

So far, Jake has raised over $15,000 of his $20,000 goal and knows that the money raised will profoundly impact the lives of warriors and their families.

“This challenge is just the beginning,” Jake said.

Follow along on Jake’s journey, or donate to the 100 Days of Murph for Mental Health.

Or, create your own fundraiser by clicking here or emailing wwpfundraise@woundedwarriorproject.org

Contact: Kaitlyn McCue, Public Relations, kmccue@woundedwarriorproject.org, 904.870.1964