By Charlotte Morritt-Jacobs - (@morrittjacobs on Twitter)

Making Strides For Mental Health in Alberta

Aug 24, 2016 | 5:13 PM

LETHBRIDGE – Southern Albertan, Ian Aman, made his way to Lethbridge today, having completed more than 1500km of a 1600km marathon to raise money and awareness of mental health challenges.

Aman began running on July 1st with the goal to raise $20,000 for the Canadian Mental Health Association in Alberta.

The tour takes the Airdrie resident from the Alberta/Northwest Territories border to Canada’s national border in Coutts in just 62 days.

Ian said that apart from being physically draining, the tour has been very successful in fulfilling his initial goal in opening a dialogue on mental health

“I think that there is stigma on two sides. On the one hand, individuals who struggle with mental illness don’t always believe that they can openly talk about it. On the other hand, for those who have not experienced depression they do not always understand how to reach out to loved ones who have mental health issues.”

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Aman spoke of one encounter he had where a father told him that a city did not want to name a skate park after his son, because they did not find it proper to title a park after a youth who took their own life.

“The father had fundraised for the park for more than six years. It just goes to show that there is a real social misunderstanding and that some communities do not know how to properly shine a positive light on mental health.”

The runner said that as the marathon has pushed him to see his personal potential; but more importantly, it has pushed him to become a stronger ambassador and champion for mental health advocacy.

Aman has been filming a documentary over the duration of the marathon and will begin work on putting together a book about his experiences.