It took 12 pairs of shoes, 14,000km and 200 days for Brooke McIntosh to become the youngest and fastest woman to run around Australia.
Ms McIntosh finished her epic run around Australia to raise funds for WA mental health charity the Blue Tree Project on Sunday, greeted by a crowd of supporters at the finish line at City Beach.
It took her almost seven months to complete the feat, raising more than $200,000.
Ms McIntosh started running back in August 2022 after struggling with her own mental health and later being involved in a high-speed car accident. She did the run in a bid to break the stigma surrounding mental health.
“I honestly feel like superwoman,” she said at the finish line.
“It’s very surreal but its just proof that with perseverance, resilience and determination you can achieve anything.”
Ms McIntosh’s commitment to the cause is not only evident in the 200 days spent on the road but by the fact that she sold her house to do it.
She faced many obstacles on her journey, including jumping over snakes, being chased by a baby calf and suffering through extreme weather, exhaustion and isolation.
“To put my life on pause for almost seven months to come out and do this, to sacrifice time with family, that was the hardest part about this mission,” she said.
Ms McIntosh said she recited a daily mantra as a way to cope with life on the road.
“One more step, breath and day and I can overcome and achieve anything,” she said.
The Blue Tree Project is a charity that raises awareness around mental health by painting blue trees across the country.
Charity founder Kendall Whyte said there are 1500 blue trees across Australia acting as visual conversation starters, encouraging people to check in with one another.
“We’re trying to change the way that we talk about mental health and Brooke is one of the champions helping us do that,” she said.
The tree is symbolic of Ms Whyte’s brother who passed away in 2018, years prior he painted a tree blue in the Australian Wheatbelt as a practical joke.
Ms McIntosh described the various people she met along the way and the discussions they had around mental health and personal struggles.
“For me this run has been about the conversations over the kilometres and I feel like I’m living proof...you can overcome the darkest days,” she said.
When asked what she planned to do next, Ms McIntosh simply replied: “I’m going home to sleep, recover and take a nice stroll.”
