Running Around Australia for Mental Health

“It ain't a small message to spread,” Brooke McIntosh tells me in a WhatsApp voice note, sent during a rare moment of internet connection. “And to be honest, when I'm alone out here, I sometimes just look around and I'm like, ‘What the hell am I doing?’”

But if there’s anything I can gather from my interview with the humble 29-year-old on a mission to become the fastest woman to run around Australia, it’s this: she’s unapologetically honest, unafraid to share her depths of darkness, and unwavering in her determination (even if the occasional moment of doubt creeps in). “All I focus on is literally one foot in front of the other,” the WA woman adds. “And the day that I’m in right now.”

It’s been more than two and a half years since Brooke’s days almost came to an end with a chilling freak accident on a Perth freeway.

“In August 2022, my life changed overnight when I was hit by a truck,” she explains. “The irony? That same week, I had been planning to take my own life.” For years, Brooke had struggled with her own mental health while working as a truck driver on the mines. It was a career she’d been brought up in.

“When I was 12, my mum started working FIFO (fly-in, fly-out) and my older brother and I took on the responsibility of looking after our younger siblings,” she says. “That shaped me early and taught me resilience, independence and how to keep going even when things got tough.”

As she got older, Brooke followed in her mum’s footsteps and started working on the mines at 22 years old. “It was a tough environment, especially as a woman, and I battled depression, PTSD, bulimia, and suicidal thoughts for years,” she describes.

“I always felt like I had to ‘toughen up’ and just get on with it because talking about mental health wasn’t really an option.” But then everything changed when Brooke’s car was struck by a triple semi trailer travelling at 100 kilometres an hour and she narrowly escaped with just whiplash and her life.

“Waking up in that hospital bed, I had a moment of absolute clarity – I didn’t want to die,” she says of her “second chance at life”. “I just wanted the pain to stop and that realisation hit me hard. I had survived for a reason. There was more in me, and I needed to find out what that was.”

Within just four months, Brooke had quit her job on the mines to “go all in” on a new goal that would change her life in ways she could never imagine. She wanted to run 1,600 kilometres from the Pilbara to Perth to support mental health charities the Blue Tree Project and 20Talk. She went on to raise more than $75,000.

“I wasn’t always a runner but it started as a way to manage my mental health,” she says. “After the accident, I needed something that would push me both physically and mentally, and running became my therapy. It gave me purpose and a way to prove to myself that I could keep going, no matter how hard things got.

“Then I realised I could use running to spread awareness about mental health, and the message that it’s not weak to speak. Once I saw the impact it was having on others, I knew I had to keep pushing.”

Since then, Brooke has dedicated her life to pushing the limits, showing others what’s possible, and proving that pain can be turned into purpose.

“[With the Pilabara to Perth run] I wanted to do something massive for mental health awareness, something that would make people stop and take notice,” she explains. “The run raised $75,000 but when I crossed the finish line I asked myself, ‘Why am I stopping here?’

“I knew I could go bigger. I could 10x the impact. So now I’m running 14,080 [kilometres] around Australia. It’s about showing people that no matter how hard things get, you can keep putting one foot in front of the other. Just one more step. Just one more conversation.”

Brooke’s journey, which began on Sunday 2 March, is set to take her 180 days to complete. That’s almost two marathons a day, every day, for six months straight. It’s a challenge that would see her topple a 14-year record from when Deborah De Williams became the first female to run continuously around Australia in 2011, covering 18,026 kilometres in 408 days. While just last year, Sean Bell became the fastest person to circumnavigate Australia on foot when he completed 13,383 kilometres in 158 days.

Brooke’s distance may be a fair bit shorter than Deborah’s but her 180 day goal is a lot more ambitious, and yet she remains wildly optimistic. “This run is a massive operation and I have an incredible team making it possible,” she explains from the road. “My support crew includes physios; a running coach; a chiropractor; a sports doctor; my run manager and allrounder, Rowan; my wing-woman, Suz; recovery specialists; and brand partners providing saunas, ice baths and massage equipment to help my body keep up with the demand.”

“I’ll go through dozens of pairs of shoes, but there’s no way to fully prepare for the toll this will take on my body. I’m just trusting the process and prioritising recovery every single day, and I know I’ll get there.”

Now more than three weeks into her mammoth mission, it’s already been a big learning curve for the 29-year-old, who got lost on her first day.

“Emotionally, it’s been a huge adjustment, especially being away from my family,” says Brooke, who’s left her partner, Matt, stepdaughter Indi (16) and stepson Ollie (13) at home in the Perth Hills. “The thought of not seeing these guys every day? That’s the hardest part of this whole journey. That’s the real challenge. But they know how much this means to me and they’re proud, but more than that, they get why I’m doing this and that means everything. Because you have to chase your dreams. You can’t keep them inside. So I just have to keep reminding myself of why I started.”

While physically, Brooke says it’s been demanding but she’s sure she’ll get used to it. “Some days it feels like the road is never-ending, but I go just one more, and before I know it, another 80 kilometres is banked,” she explains. “I know that soon both my mind and body will adapt and that this is all part of the journey. Every day brings its own challenges, but that’s exactly why I’m doing this.”

Brooke’s confidence beams through every written response and voice note (often recorded mid run) to my stream of questions about an adventure most of us would deem impossible, and I’m constantly dazzled by the sheer willpower of this young woman.

When I ask what she’s learnt about herself and the journey so far, the answer fits Brooke to a tee.

“That I’m capable of more than I ever imagined, and so is everyone else,” she says. “We all have limits we think we can’t push past but the truth is, we can. It’s all about mindset. Finding that reason to keep going.”

For the stepmum of two, it’s starting real conversations about mental health.

“The silence around it is killing people and that needs to change,” she argues. “So if this run inspires even one person to speak up, to ask for help, to check in on a mate, to have just one more conversation – then it’s worth it.

“But I’m also aiming to raise $1.4 million for the Blue Tree Project because they’re doing the work that truly matters – raising awareness and breaking the stigma around mental health, particularly in regional and rural communities where support can be harder to access.

“In these areas, mental health conversations are often pushed aside, and the expectation is to ‘just get on with it’. I know firsthand how damaging that mindset can be. The Blue Tree Project is about changing that narrative and making sure people know it’s not weak to speak and that help is always available, no matter how isolated you feel. This partnership is about reaching the people who need it most, and ensuring that no one suffers in silence.”

Until she reaches that goal, until she knocks over 14,080 kilometres, what Brooke is looking forward to the most are the moments along the way where she gets to truly connect with people.

“It’s the conversations and the stories people share about their own struggles – that’s what keeps me going,” she says. “It’s the human connection and the reminder that we are never alone in our battles.”

You can support Brooke here and follow her journey on Instagram.