Next month, Thomas Latty will take on his biggest challenge yet and run 64 kilometres to raise funds for Westcare.
Starting at 5am on October 22, the Penrith local will be running 10 consecutive laps of the iconic Bridge to Bridge walk.
“Basically it’s a marathon and a half,” he told the Weekender.
“The goal of the event is to raise funds, and awareness for those in need in our local community.”
According to Latty, he got the idea a few years ago, when one of his new year’s resolutions was to run a marathon.
He said after training for the Sydney Marathon and Noosa Marathon, he decided he really enjoyed running.
“Running or exercise in general has been proven to help those struggling with their mental health,” he said.
“I wanted to do some sort of charity event and I thought would be a pretty cool incentive to do something for WestCare and challenge myself.”
Director of WestCare, Andrew Paech said Latty has taken a lot of initiative.
“It’s just a tremendous example of a young man with a great idea to get people engaged, which will have an outcome of supporting some local activities,” he told the Weekender.
“At WestCare we have a particular focus on mental health outcomes, so we’ll just direct that into our Penrith Men’s Walk and Talk and just general activities in the mental health space.
“That’s got to be a win for everyone.”
Latty said he chose to partner with WestCare because he loved what Paech and his team do in the mental health space.
He said they are actively involved with the men’s and women’s walk and talks, which have created a platform for people to come together and start a conversation.
“WestCare does so much for the Penrith community and the river run is so close to most of Penrith’s heart,” he said.
“I thought it’d be cool to tie in WestCare and what they do, specifically with mental health, with one of the most iconic walks.”
According to Latty, a local business person will be sponsoring each of the 10 laps, which will give him some extra motivation.
He said he is also encouraging as many people as possible to run a lap with him on the day.
“I’m nervous but really excited,” Latty said.
“It’s going to be a really cool day.”
If you’re interested in running or donating, visit https://forms.gle/TeehmRKzT6n1xUYdA.
Formerly with the ABC, Makayla is a graduate of Western Sydney University. She covers a variety of news topics for the Weekender, including courts.
