Tom Harding has struggled with anxiety and depression for the majority of his life, it wasn’t until he found himself staring down the bottom of a long drop that he decided to open up about his mental health and take a different route.
The Brookvale local, now a husband and father of two, is embarking on a near-impossible challenge in hopes of inspiring other struggling men to open up and pursue a path of support. He will attempt 14 marathons in 14 days.
“I’m ultimately doing 14 marathons in 14 days in the hopes to raise $10,000 for men and their mental health through the charity, Talk2MeBro,” Tom said.
“As someone who suffered quite severely with my own mental health, you know, suffering depression and anxiety for most of my teenage years, I know just how many men are doing the same, and I want to sort of make a change and lower the male suicide statistics in Australia.”
Tom will run the marathons in circuits around Manly, Narrabeen Lake and Centennial Park.
The 590 km effort was dubbed ‘Dante’s First Circle’ by Tom’s dad, representing a part of Hell, Limbo, in the Divine Comedy, Dante’s Inferno – which tells a fictional tale of a journey through hell.
He wasn’t sure why his father chose that name. Still, fittingly, it not only represents the tribulations of running 14 marathons, but it also reflects overcoming a horrifying personal battle during a state of uncertainty in his life.
“In 2019, I had a brief moment where I wanted to take my own life, and I was actually at Mona Vale Headland, willing and ready to do it. I’m not sure what stopped me from doing it, but from that point onwards, I just sort of had this underlying feeling that there had to be more men out there that felt the exact same way,” Tom shared.
What he did next shifted the trajectory of his mindset towards mental health. He shared his experience online.
“I opened up on social media, which was a huge thing for me, as my anxiety went through the roof, sort of waiting for the judgement and the shame to come from people who saw the post,” he recalled.
“But the overwhelming support of messages that I received sort of backed up my point that there were men out there that were feeling the same, but they didn’t want to voice it.”
Tom decided to be a leading voice within the men’s mental health space, so others would reveal their own. He hosted community walks and ran workshops, focusing on releasing trauma through breathwork.
Ultimately, the goal was to create an open environment where men could relearn and handle their emotions more efficiently and integrate comfortably into society once more, therefore, creating better communities and families.
However, Tom shared that the first step in achieving this is opening up.
“You don’t have to do it the hard way. You don’t have to sit on a headland and contemplate whether or not your existence is a burden,” he said.
“There are people that are willing to listen. And although it is terrifying, one of the most freeing things you can do is speak to someone. And it doesn’t necessarily have to be in a professional space. It can be just someone like your parents or your sister or you know, one of your best mates, if you genuinely have something to talk about, I’m sure that they’ll be willing to listen.”
The leading cause of death in Australia between 15 and 44 year-olds is suicide, according to data from The Australian Institute of Health and Wealthfare. In 2022, 3249 people died by suicide, 75.9 per cent of those deaths were men.
The mental health advocate’s run will be incredibly physically demanding, but, he intends to shine a light on mental battles, using this near-impossible feat to inspire “at least one person” to open up about their hardships.
All funds raised from the serial marathons will go towards the charity Talk2MeBro, an organisation dedicated to hosting mental health workshops, organising events and meetups, and working towards reducing suicide statistics.
Tom is now happily married and a father of a three-year-old son and a one-year-old daughter, as well as an inspiring example of what one can become when reaching out for help.
“It’s kind of a bit of an emotional thought, thinking about that night in 2019 because it means that, you know, if I had gone through with it, my kids wouldn’t be here today. And I love being a dad. It’s the best job that I have,” he said.
“Another goal, I suppose, is to just show them that anything’s possible. And it doesn’t really matter if I fail spectacularly on this challenge, it’s just about putting myself out there and trying to give it a go.”
Tom will begin the gruelling run this Monday, 2 September, and will be tackling circuits of Queenscliff to Shelly, Narrabeen Lake and Centennial Park.
You can keep up to date with his location and runs via his Instagram – but, in line with his mental health theme, the ambitious runner invites anyone to join him for a few laps and a chat.
“Mental health doesn’t discriminate and neither does running. So if you’re in the area and you want to come through for a few laps, then yeah, by all means, please come along and share your story or just come and run some kilometres, it’ll be fun,” he added.
If you’d like to donate to Tom’s Talk2MeBro campaign, you can do so here.
We would also love to encourage anyone needing counselling to consider reaching out to Lifeline Northern Beaches for a counselling appointment.
Lifeline crisis line 13 11 14
