Top Blokes Foundation ambassadors Dr Justin Coulson and Kieran Foran will carry 10kg for 50km in a single day this World Mental Health Day, aiming to raise $50,000 together to help more boys and young men get the support, skills and connections they need early.
On Saturday 10 October, parenting expert Dr Justin Coulson and NRL legend Kieran Foran will take on a gruelling 50km walk along the NSW Central Coast as part of Top Blokes’ Lift the Load for Mental Health challenge.
The challenge is simple: 10kg. 50km. $50,000. The reason behind it is much bigger.
This isn’t an ordinary 50km walk.
Justin and Kieran will carry a 10kg weighted vest for the entire distance.
The vest makes the invisible visible. It represents what young men can carry without always saying it out loud – pressure, stress, expectations, loneliness, uncertainty, and the feeling that they should be able to handle everything themselves.
For Dr Coulson, the challenge also carries a deeply personal meaning.
“Saturday 10 October is World Mental Health Day. Right now, across Australia, countless young men are carrying a load that is simply too heavy, and the stats bear it out.
“Three years ago, my nephew died by suicide because the load that he was carrying was too high and so on World Mental Health Day, I’m walking 50km with a 10kg load on my shoulders to raise $50k for Top Blokes Foundation,” Dr Coulson said.
BACKING BOYS BEFORE CRISIS
Top Blokes Foundation believes we shouldn’t wait until a young man is struggling before we give him the tools and support to navigate life.
Funds raised through Lift the Load support Top Blokes Foundation’s long-term mentoring programs for boys and young men aged 10–24.
Led by qualified youth workers, the programs create safe, consistent spaces where young men can talk honestly about what’s going on in their lives, build resilience, strengthen relationships, develop emotional awareness and learn practical skills they can use as they grow.
It’s not a one-off conversation.
Top Blokes mentors turn up week after week, building the trust that allows young men to open up, ask questions, challenge ideas and work out the kind of person they want to become.
THE IMPACT DOESN’T STOP WITH ONE YOUNG MAN
When boys have the confidence to speak up, manage challenges, build healthy relationships and ask for help when they need it, they’re also better equipped to show up for the people around them so they can check in on a mate, contribute positively to their family, stand up for others and be a positive influence in their school, workplace and community.
Top Blokes believes in backing boys early before the pressure builds, before they feel they have to deal with everything alone and before they reach crisis.
“A lot of blokes are good at saying they’re fine and just getting on with things. But there can be a lot going on underneath that.
“This walk is about starting those conversations earlier. We want young men to know there are people in their corner and that asking for support is just part of looking after yourself and the people around you.
“If carrying this vest for 50km helps start those conversations and helps Top Blokes reach more young men, then every kilometre is worth it,” Foran said.
MAKING THE INVISIBLE VISIBLE
For Justin and Kieran, the walk is an opportunity to turn awareness into action.
Across the 50km, they’ll be joined at different points by boys who have completed a Top Blokes program, local sporting clubs, supporters and members of the Coulson family.
The 50km walk forms part of Top Blokes Lift the Load for Mental Health campaign, which challenges Australians to carry 10kg for 50km across October and raise funds to support mentoring for boys and young men.
Every vest worn makes an invisible load visible.
Every walk can start a conversation.
And every dollar raised helps Top Blokes keep turning up for boys and young men, giving them trusted people, practical tools and a place to talk and explore ideas long before things reach crisis point.
10kg. 50km. A reason bigger than the walk.
