Runners gather at Sandton’s Mushroom Park for Men’s Mental Health Fun Run
The Stronger Fun Run’s 5km and 8km routes became a platform for solidarity, encouraging men to confront emotional struggles and seek help without shame.
Hundreds of runners turned out for the Stronger Fun Run at Mushroom Park on October 3, combining fitness, fun and a powerful message about men’s mental health and suicide awareness.
The event featured 5km and 8km routes, attracting both male and female runners who tackled the challenging Sandton roads while showing solidarity with the campaign’s call for men to speak openly about their mental and emotional well-being.
Read more: Bryanston residents unite for community social run
The race was founded by running therapist and mental health therapist Busi Mzandolo, who said the event was created to remind men that they do not have to face their struggles alone: “It is okay not to be okay.”
According to Mzandolo, the race was about encouraging men to reclaim their place in their families and communities while recognising that asking for help is not a sign of weakness. “We have lost good men. We have lost strong men. We have lost men that are taking up their stand,” she said.
Mzandolo drew on the traditional concept of a stand in a village, where a person is given land on which to build a home and family. She said this inspired her message that men should be encouraged to find and build on their own stand in life. “I always go back to say, in the villages, they will give you a stand and say, build on that stand, create on that stand, build a family, but I feel like men have left those stands,” Mzandolo said.
Also read: Decathlon hosts social run for a better Bryanston on World Clean-up Day
She also highlighted the pressures that can arise when men struggle to express anger, pain and other emotions. “Sometimes, us as women, we will take ownership and power and build on their stands. Hence, maybe the anger, hence, maybe the drama, hence, maybe the GBV, because men are angry, men are not able to express themselves,” she said. “With this race, we are saying, let us not be pulling side by side. Let us stand side by side and support each other and stand for men.”
The participation of women alongside men also reflected the organisers’ emphasis on collective support. Runners of both genders took on the 5km and 8km courses, turning the event into a community-wide show of solidarity.
For Mzandolo, the focus extends beyond the finish line. She believes that supporting men’s mental well-being can have an impact on families and wider communities. “A healthy man, a well man, a mentally stable man is able to build a healthy family, a well-stable family and create healthy kids and families and communities,” she said.
The Stronger Fun Run brought together physical activity and mental health advocacy, using the race as a platform to encourage men to acknowledge when they are struggling and seek support.
Follow us on our WhatsApp channel, Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok for the latest updates!
