In late 2019, the Dutch DJ and producer Iason Chronis, known to a global audience of more than 600 million streams as Mason, collapsed without warning. Within days he could no longer walk. He could not open a bottle. The man who had played clubs and festivals in over 50 countries was suddenly bed-ridden, his nervous system attacking itself.
On Saturday, 23 May, he will run 100 kilometres from London to Brighton.
The route, roughly 62 miles, is the equivalent of two and a half back-to-back marathons. Mason will set off in the morning and aims to finish in the evening at the Brighton Music Conference, the annual gathering of the global electronic music industry. He is running to raise money for Inflammatory Neuropathies UK, the charity that supports people living with Guillain-Barré Syndrome and related conditions.
A diagnosis that took 18 months to recover from
Guillain-Barré Syndrome, or GBS, is a rare disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks the peripheral nerves. It can begin with tingling in the hands and feet and progress to full paralysis within hours or days. In severe cases, patients lose the ability to breathe or swallow on their own.
Mason’s case was on the milder end of the spectrum, though the recovery still took 18 months of treatment and rehabilitation. He rebuilt his strength slowly, producing music from home through the period when touring was impossible. Much of his Toolroom album “Frisky Biscuits” was completed while he was recovering.
He has not spoken publicly about the illness before now.
“I count my blessings that I had a relatively mild version, with ‘just’ damaged arm and leg nerves,” Mason said in a statement released by his publicist. “Some GBS victims can’t breathe or swallow on their own and are hospitalised for years, while being 100% mentally sharp. It’s horrific.”
“I’m raising money for research, but also to give a bit of awareness to those silently lying in rooms with the curtains drawn for years. People you don’t hear about, but they’re there. Maybe my effort can also give a bit of hope to them, knowing that full recovery is possible and that you can be physically strong again.”
Mason
From “Exceeder” to ultra distance
Mason’s name has been in the charts on and off since 2007, when his single “Exceeder” became a breakout hit. The track found a second life in 2024 when “Perfect Exceeder,” his collaboration with Princess Superstar, appeared in the film “Saltburn.” TikTok did the rest, and remixes by David Guetta, Oliver Heldens and 1991 pushed the track back into the UK charts, generating hundreds of millions of new streams.
Born into a family of artists in the Netherlands (an actress mother, a sculptor father, a sister working in stage, film and television), Mason has released four artist albums, the most recent being 2023’s “Chroma Panorama.” He runs his own label, Animal Language, and has collaborated with Roisin Murphy, Dragonette, Jack Garratt, Stefflon Don, Alex Clare and the hip-hop pioneer Daryl “DMC” McDaniels, among others.
His production philosophy, as he once put it, leaves little room for half-measures: “I could make club music fodder all day, but that would just bore me shitless. I like to challenge myself and my audience a bit more than that!”
The ultramarathon fits that pattern. A 100km road run is a significant undertaking for any experienced endurance athlete, and most first-time 100k runners describe it as one of the hardest days of their lives. For someone who, six years ago, could not stand without help, the distance carries a different weight.
Mason joins a growing list of musicians and public figures who have turned to endurance running, and he is far from the only person taking on extreme distance for a cause. Earlier this year, a 12-year-old with an incurable disease set out to cross the Sahara to raise awareness for his condition.
Why the finish line matters
Brighton Music Conference, the event Mason will finish at, draws producers, DJs, label heads and industry figures from across the world each May. Brighton is no stranger to surprise running stories, but finishing a 100km run at an industry event places the cause directly in front of his peers and the audience that knows him best.
Inflammatory Neuropathies UK funds research and provides support, information and peer counselling for people affected by GBS, CIDP, MMN and related conditions. Charity running has become one of the most common entry points into endurance events, and donations to Mason’s run can be made through his JustGiving page at justgiving.com/page/masonsultra.
Mason has not disclosed his training mileage or his target finishing time. What he has said, in effect, is that the run itself is the message: full recovery from a disease that takes years from people is possible, and worth talking about.
