THE drive from Canberra to Queensland is a long one. There’s usually overnight stops and endless questions on how much further there is to go.

So when 23-year-old Brad Carron-Arthur set off from his home in Duffy to the tip of Cape York, in Far North Queensland, he expected a long trip.
Slightly longer, though, given that he would be running the distance.

With no support crew or vehicle, the ANU graduate set off by foot – with his iPod and backpack – to run the solo, almost-5000-kilometre journey.
It took Brad 131 days to reach Cape York from January, running on average 60 kilometres a day, five days a week.

His track was a mix of bushland, beaches, dirt roads and long stretches of barren land – and each night he relied on kind strangers for a bed or accommodation at local pubs.

But he never thought about giving up – the run was to raise awareness and funds in support of mental health, spurred on by personal experience.
“I wanted to do something after my dad was diagnosed with depression,” he says.

“For years, no one knew anything about it. When he started seeking treatment and I could see his recovery, that inspired me to do something.
“He is such an adventurous guy, so I wanted to do the same and just run to a ridiculous place.”

Expecting to raise $4000 at the time, Brad eclipsed that by almost $30,000 with just over $33,000 in donations coming through, going towards the Australian Foundation for Mental Health Research.

He celebrated reaching his finish line quietly – “I was pretty sore at that stage” – before making the trip back home by plane and celebrating with family and friends.

“It was pretty surreal once I’d finished, very explosive in terms of emotions,” he says.

Last month, Brad was named the 2012 Young Canberra Citizen of the Year for his efforts.

“It was such an honour, I was pretty stoked – Dad was really proud,” he says.

Brad says he will use the win to further advocate mental health.

“I think awareness and stigma about mental health is improving, but there’s still a lot of work to be done, particularly with mental health literacy; people knowing what to say,” he says.

“Despite all this publicity surrounding what I did, especially for my family and friends, I think only two or three people approached him to talk about it. It’s not that they don’t care – it’s just that they don’t have the words to say how they feel, and I hope to change that.”

Now working as a research assistant in the mental health unit at the ANU after completing a degree in psychology last year, Brad hopes to eventually work as a clinical psychologist.

Donations can still be made to Brad’s cause, by visiting affirm.org.au