ALL that stood between Wentworth’s Kurtis Kinsey and Brian Fell last year was the 42km stretch from Umhlanga to the Engen garage on Tara Road – this year it’s not just the distance for the two of them but a cohort of 10 people. 

In honour of October being mental health awareness month, the group will undergo a 42km ruck march, carrying a weighted backpack over long distance. 

Also read: Ruck march: 38km of love, loss and legacy

Kinsey said the initiative, now in its second year, is about creating awareness around mental health and breaking stigmas around it, more specifically men’s mental health.

“Men’s mental health is vital, as we have a huge God given responsibility, and it is evident that men are struggling daily. We are never encouraged as men to get together and allow ourselves to feel every emotion with whatever we were going through and knowing it is okay to not have everything figured out. It is when we are in a group can we find the strength to get back up and continue. Suffering in silence is something that should not be an option anymore, together we stand but divided we fall,” he said.

Kinsey and the group of participants will do their ruck march on October 24, starting at Marine Drive in Umhlanga and ending at the Engen garage on Tara Road. The community is encouraged to support the group as they make a bold gesture in the name of creating awareness and breaking stigmas. 

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