Running for mental health

The champagne was flowing as Warragul residents Paul Pratt and Jack Symes crossed the finish line after a 100km run in just over 11 hours. Paul said about 50 people ran alongside the duo on their 250th lap of Geoff Watt Track in Warragul which was “pretty cool and emotional”. Having started the run at 6am, the two exhausted runners were met by a big crowd of supporters and champagne bottles being popped and sprayed upon the finish line just before 5.30pm. The incredible effort was made more special by raising more than $10,000 for mental health charity Mindfull Aus – double their initial fundraising target. “The first half was easy and the second half certainly wasn’t,” Paul said. “The last 30km was the most challenging.” For Jack, whose previous longest run was 40km, it was a colossal effort. “I was very impressed with Jack and how strong he was to push himself to do what he did,” Paul said. “He was in a fair bit of pain towards the end. It was phenomenal what he actually did.” Paul said family and friends running alongside them or cheering them on made the difference. More than 100 people came to run laps across the day, leaving the duo on the track by themselves for only three of the 250 laps. Of those who joined, 10 people ran at least 20km. “That was very special. That made it a bit easier.”