Big strides towards mental health support

WITH running shoes ready, a Buninyong man is preparing to put his best foot forward to raise funds for a cause close to his heart.

On the first Sunday each month for the past two years, Justin Thompson has been hosting barbecue get-togethers near the Lake Wendouree North Gardens rotunda as part of men’s mental health non-profit Mr Perfect.

In September, he’ll swap out his barbecue apron for a pair of running shoes to support the organisation by taking part in the Surf Coast Century’s 100-kilometre circuit.

Though he’s set a fundraising goal of $5000 for Mr Perfect, he said seeking to increase mental health awareness is his main goal.

“It’s fully funded and there’s over 30 barbecue hosts in Australia,” he said. “But in Ballarat, mental health, particularly for men, is something that really needs to be focused on more.

“With the winters we have, I think we like to talk about seasonal depression, but it’s important people are doing things like going outdoors, being fit, even coming to one of our barbecues.

“It’s a positive flow-on effect, and especially important to highlight here.”

With no prior interest in running and going through his own mental health difficulties, Mr Thompson took up the exercise during COVID lockdowns.

Since making it a part of his regular routine, he’s run in four marathons including a fundraiser for cystic fibrosis research and is set to take part in an event this weekend at You Yangs.

He said the Surf Coast Century will be a new challenge for him.

“It’s something a bit bigger where I can up the ante and do something specifically for Mr Perfect as well,” he said.

“I’m not a typical runner as such. It was more about not so much the physical benefits but the mental side of things.”

The run will start and end in Anglesea on the Great Ocean Road on Saturday 16 September.

Mr Thompson’s GoFundMe page can be found at bit.ly/43lXNm2.