Windang dad doing 'his little part' for R U OK and suicide prevention

Close friends of Mr Phillips, 31, have lost loved ones since the COVID pandemic began so he didn't think twice about lending his feet to a treadmill for the Tread As One challenge at his gym to support the R U OK suicide prevention charity.

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"Everyones been affected in it one way or another," he said, noting pandemic restrictions made it tough to offer support.

"It's hard obviously around the time when funerals happen because it's limited numbers, but it's also hard because, I guess, people put up this face at the start and it's not until a couple of months later that once everything dies down a bit they really need that help, and for people to be around them.

"That's the most important part, is to keep reaching out to people, keep talking about how you're feeling, there's definitely no shame in letting people know how you are feeling."

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Mr Phillips is part of a team at Anytime Fitness Shellharbour who are clocking up kilometres, as are others nationwide.

He's breaking up his marathon into two running sessions a day over six days but still thinks it will be physically challenging as he only does cardio exercise on Mondays, not usally marathons.

"I'm just doing my little part," he said. "It's just nice to try and break down that stigma of having mental health issues. There's no shame in being able to talk about it with people regardless of male or female, whether you're 20-years-old or 60-years-old."

According to Lifeline Australia, suicide is the leading cause of death for Australians between the ages of 15 and 44; for each life lost to suicide, the impacts are felt by up to 135 people, including family members, work colleagues, friends, first responders at the time of death; 75 per cent of those who take their own life are male; while nine Australians die each day by suicide - more than double the road toll.

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The Tread As One challenge is inviting anyone (gym membership or not) to take part and is aiming to raise $650,000 for R U OK between May 15 and 22, and aiding suicide prevention with "conversations and connections" according to organisers.

"Regular visits to the gym ... can provide an important sense of belonging," said Katherine Newton, CEO of R U OK. "We want members to look out for each other and ask, 'are you ok?' if they notice the signs that someone in their gym community might be struggling with life's ups and downs."

www.treadasone.com.au