Outrun Your Mental Demons | Men's Health Magazine Australia

Outrun Your Mental Demons

Patrick Bowring is personally familiar with the redemptive power of running. A lifetime working in the hospitality business had culminated in him managing three Melbourne restaurants. Mentally frazzled from the long hours, Patrick was also exposed to the hard-living vices that surround an industry built on late nights and boozy excess. “I was around it a lot longer than most,” he admits.

The turning point came five year ago when Patrick discovered that his wife was pregnant with his first child. “I literally woke up one day and decided that I didn’t want a life filled with regret” he said.

That’s when Patrick decided to lace up his running shoes.

He’s now a dedicated trail runner who’s harnessed the power of exercise to safeguard his mental health. Now he’s taking on a new challenge. Patrick is part of Sub Three Run, a team of six people running an 800 kilometre relay from Adelaide to Melbourne to raise money for Movember and drive awareness of the mental health issues afflicting Australian men.

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The team will set off from Rundle Mall in Adelaide on July 13 and (assuming all goes well!) will run into Melbourne on Sunday July 16.

The boys have completed a 10-week program to prepare themselves for the event. Andy Sargent of the track team shared the secret to achieving this. “It’s about shorter regular runs,” he explained. “The total kilometres are built in blocks over time. Our biggest training week was 120 kilometres.”

Sub Three Run’s cause is more relevant than ever. One in two Australian men will experience a mental health problem at some stage in their life and one in eight will experience depression.

Completing this mammoth run will, of course, represent its own unique mental challenge. But as Andy explains, “You never really understand the depths of your ability or your strength until it’s tested.”                                           

You can make a donation to Sub Three Run by CLICKING HERE and follow their run via their Instagram account @subthree.run

RELATED: Study Reveals the Activity That Can Reduce Symptoms of Depression by 50%

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