704km Joburg-Durban run puts male suicide rate in focus

Fitness advocate Taariq Stokes and a group of committed men have completed a grueling 704km run from Johannesburg to Durban to raise awareness about men's mental health.

- Lineo Lesemane

The initiative, organised in partnership with the Men's Mental Health Group, aimed to raise R50,000 to support mental health organisations and establish community workshops focused on men's wellbeing.

Starting on 20 November in Eldorado Park, Johannesburg, the team battled intense heat, thunderstorms and fatigue as they ran day and night over three days.

According to the South African Society of Psychiatrists, South Africa ranks 10th globally for suicide rates, with 10,861 of the 13,774 suicides in 2022 being men.

Stokes said he hoped the run would give a voice to men suffering in silence.

"As a man, I feel as if we do not have a voice when it comes to our mental health."