A Waterloo man has created a running event to raise awareness about mental health.
Clay Williams is the organizer of the 785 kilometre Canal Pursuit for Mental Health.
For the past two years the 58-year-old has run the entire race himself but last summer he made the event a relay.
The distance was broken up into ten kilometer segments and he recruited runners for each segment.
This year, Williams plans on having 54 runners in total for the relay event.
The journey begins on Saturday along the Trent Severn Canal and finishes a week later in Ottawa.
Williams says the cause is close to his heart and he wants people to speak more openly about mental health.
He has lost two brothers by suicide and several of his immediate family members struggle with depression.
“Eleven people a day in Canada die by suicide,” says Williams. “That’s 11 families shattered, mostly because of a mental healthcare issue that nobody talks about.”
Proceeds from the event will be donated to the Mood Disorders Society of Canada.
