Brooke McIntosh
Athlete and mentor Brooke McIntosh wore her Akubra on a 14,200 km run around Australia, connecting with communities, sharing stories, and raising awareness for mental health. From sunbaked plains to bustling cities, her hat wasn’t just for protection, it was part of every step of her journey.
On 2 March I set out from City Beach, Perth, not knowing just how much Australia would change me. Over 204 days and 14,200 km, I ran a full lap of this country, south to Esperance and Albany, across to Norseman and the wide-open Nullarbor, through Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane, up to Rockhampton and Mount Isa, where we missed the biggest rodeo in the Southern Hemisphere by just a week.
From there it was on through Katherine, Darwin, Kununurra, Broome, Port Hedland, Karratha and finally back down the coast to finish right where it all began, City Beach.
At every stop, people came out to run alongside me. Some for 5 km, some for 50 km. Others just to say hello, to share their story, or to be part of something bigger than themselves. Along the way, my Akubra came with me, worn proudly across the outback and especially on “Pants Off Fridays,” where we injected more fun and joy into our mission. Those Fridays weren’t just about laughter; they helped break down walls, bringing lightness to a heavy subject and sparking more conversations about mental health and suicide prevention.
This run has always been about courage and resilience, qualities Australia’s farmers know all too well. Out on the sidelines of the road, I spoke to families who have lived through both droughts and floods, who carry the weight of uncertainty on their shoulders every single day. Their stories were raw and real; conversations about mental health that too often remain hidden. Yet in the smallest towns, I found the biggest hearts. Communities who opened their doors, their kitchens, and their lives to us.
For me, this run was never about medals or records. It was about sparking Just One More Conversation, the kind that can change, or even save, a life. We partnered with The Blue Tree Project and have currently raised over $270,000 for the charity.
If you’d like to support Brooke’s mission and help spark more life-changing conversations, you can donate here: Just One More
An Akubra has long been a symbol of Australia’s spirit, of hard work, grit, and standing tall against the elements. For me, wearing it on this journey became a reminder of that same spirit within every kilometre I ran. This wasn’t just a run. It was a movement to remind Australians that no one has to face the darkness alone, and to prove that courage, conversations, and resilience in life are an absolute necessity.
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