By Dori Modney (@Dori_Modney on Twitter)

Ian Runs Alberta in Support of Physical and Mental Wellness

Jul 22, 2016 | 4:45 PM

LETHBRIDGE:  If someone told you they wanted to run across the province to draw attention to an issue, you would probably consider it very ‘do-able’. That’s what a man from Airdrie is doing, to be a positive influence on Albertans and spur conversations on mental wellness. 

However, Ian Aman isn’t running east to west.  He began his run on July 1st on the Alberta border with the Northwest Territories, and will take 62-days to run 1600-kilomeres, finishing at Coutts on August 29th.

Ian partnered with the Canadian Mental Health Association of Alberta, and says the personal element is a challenge to test his own limits but he is also going across the province to share stories from those who struggle with mental wellness.

“In our province right now, there are a lot of people who struggle and most people, either directly or indirectly, have a connection to mental wellness of one sort or the other, and I think about the economic times we’re going through, some things like the fires and all that’s been going on in our province for the last while – there’s a lot of stress and there are a lot of people that suffer with their mental wellbeing.”

Along the run, Ian will work to engage people and communities to begin a dialogue on mental health. He has also sent the modest goal of raising $20,000 for the Canadian Mental Health Association in Alberta. 

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“The bigger message and the fund-raising element is around mental wellness – we want people to feel comfortable to talk about it – we want to open up the conversation and while we’re doing it we’re raising funds, as we go across the province.”

Ian says many people have a connection with someone struggling with mental illness and most of those people suffer in silence. He wants to be an inspiration to people and is running to raise awareness of the issue.

“I don’t want people to connect with me and go – man, look at  this crazy guy running 1600 kilometres – good for him. I want to challenge people to take themselves to another level – push themselves out of their comfort zone and have conversations around what is going on in their lives.” he explained, “Because in our culture, their is this sense of fitting into cultural norms – and if you’re not well or if you struggle, people are afraid to talk about it.”

 Ian says he wants to be a positive influence on the province, to look at it (mental wellness) differently and have a good conversation with people.

So far along his run, as soon as people hear what he is doing, they tend to open up about the struggles and Ian says he wants to see that become the catalyst to keep that conversation going.

Ian is sharing the stories he hears on his facebook page and he is also filming a documentary as he runs, so that at the conclusion he hopes to share the compilation through a film that is being created.

There are several places the public can go to check out the cross province adventure, including Ian’s website or Ian’s facebook page which is LegacyEndurance.

Ian is on his facebook every day, sharing posts and updates and he would like to see others sharing his experiences and information.  There are also links on the pages to CanadaHelps donation page, which isdirectly connected to the Canadian Mental Health Association in Alberta. Those who donate will be issued a taxable receipt.

Also, for those in an around the Calgary area Ian and CMHA of Alberta will be hosting an event on August 18th at 6:00-pm in Priddis.  As he runs through that area, there will be a big Dinner fundraiser with silent auction. There are tickets still available for this event.

Ian is expected to be in Lethbridge on August 24th.