Ethan passes half-way mark

TORQUAY surfer turned elite runner Ethan Harbison is over halfway through his bid to run 12 marathons in 12 months with all proceeds going towards Beyond Blue.

Beyond Blue’s mission is to equip everyone in Australia with the knowledge and skills to achieve their best possible mental health, whatever their age and wherever they live.

Harbison believed that because of lockdowns and the pandemic taking over and playing havoc with the mental health of the world, there was never a better time to get out of his comfort zone and get the legs ticking over for the greater good.

“Through the pandemic I knew of multiple people struggling with mental health and keeping afloat with their financial and work life,” Harbison said.

“Also coming off six months of being out of the surf due to an MCL injury, it took away in essence one of my happy places, motivating me to raise some awareness and funds for mental health.

“To go out of my comfort zone and run a marathon a month, it’s given me the opportunity to support Beyond Blue as well as address my mental demons of trying to get through that agonising 42km as someone who is definitely not an elite runner or athlete.”

Currently seven marathons down, with five to go, Harbison is just as motivated to assist the foundation by giving people the confidence to support those around them.

He said the community was really rallying around him in his bid to complete the 12-month feat.

“There’s been multiple times where my body has just wanted to stop, however I’ve just tried to fight through those barriers because I know that it does matter, and it is important,” Harbison said.

“I’ve had some amazing support from local running and fitness professionals like Mac Fox and Carlos Becker who have assisted me with trying to get my body right for each marathon.

“It’s certainly a mental game and it’s been amazing to have some family and friends run with me in several events like the Great Ocean Road Marathon, Surf Coast Trail and Melbourne Marathon.”

Outside of the marathon events, the 29-year-old has been running several trails between Ocean Grove and the Ironbark Basin to reach that illustrious 42km number.

At the start of the campaign, Harbison set out to raise $1000 for Beyond Blue, however just over halfway through he has hit the $1500 mark.

A limited edition run of hats are also set to come out with each $50 donation, courtesy of Fractel.

Surfing Victoria are also set to donate some items to support the cause.

“In the end I hope that I’ve raised some much-needed funds for Beyond Blue so they can continue their amazing work in the mental health field and hopefully my body can get through the rest of the marathon campaign.

“My last run will be the Surf Coast Century Ultra Marathon which will be a 50km course in September.”

To support Ethan and Beyond Blue, you can go to https://bit.ly/3wNbUCJ