AFTER racking up 500 kilometres throughout Ballarat during September, local walker Alan Thorpe has been stepping out of his comfort zone again this month to raise funds for men\u2019s mental health.<\/p>\n
With all proceeds to go towards non-profit Beyond Blue, Mr Thorpe has been taking his cause out of Ballarat and into the surrounding regions, aiming to reach a total goal of $40,000 for the organisation.<\/p>\n
Having upped last year\u2019s daily goal from 25 to 30 kilometres per day for his April trek, Mr Thorpe said it\u2019s been great to spread his message outside the city.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve done Castlemaine, Beaufort, Skipton, Avoca, pretty much the whole top end of Ballarat so now I\u2019m starting to do the bottom with a three-day walk to Geelong,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBallarat\u2019s been getting out of control. I\u2019ve heard of eight kids committing suicide since January, so I want to help and let everyone know they\u2019re not weak if they speak up about their issues.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Thorpe\u2019s walking endeavours were borne out of a spontaneous trek to Adelaide when he travelled nearly 350 kilometres before collapsing at the South Australian border.<\/p>\n
He said he\u2019ll have passed through nearly 100 towns by the end of his journey and that the greatest challenges have been navigating unfamiliar terrain and unruly drivers.<\/p>\n
Between being shouted pub meals at each town visited and sponsorships from local businesses, Mr Thorpe said everyone\u2019s been throwing their support behind his campaign.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been getting responses from all over the world. This has gotten further than I ever thought it would,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe messages I get from people has just blown me away. The inspiration I\u2019m having on people to change their life is incredible.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt just pushes me to keep going even harder. If I can do 900 kilometres around the region, I can do the 630 to Adelaide.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter this I\u2019ll have done 3850 kilometres in 205 days which is the equivalent of more than Victoria to Darwin.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Thorpe aims to re-attempt his Adelaide trip in later in September, and said he\u2019s considering a trek to Canberra to take his mental health message to Parliament.<\/p>\n
A celebration will be held at the D2E Gym in Delacombe for the campaign\u2019s final day and Mr Thorpe can be followed on social media at Iwalkformensmentalhealth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
AFTER racking up 500 kilometres throughout Ballarat during September, local walker Alan Thorpe has been stepping out of his comfort zone again this month to raise funds for men\u2019s mental health. With all proceeds to go towards non-profit Beyond Blue, Mr Thorpe has been taking his cause out of Ballarat and into the surrounding regions, […]<\/p>\n