"I don't have prostate cancer, but it's Australia's leading cause of cancer, so I wanted to get involved."
Balbarrup local Mark Sewell is leading the charge to help raise awareness of prostate cancer by joining The Long Run this September.
The Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia initiative calls on Australians to run, walk or ride 72km throughout Prostate Cancer Awareness Month to raise awareness and vital funds for research and support.
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia, with one man diagnosed with the disease every 22 minutes.
"I saw The Long Run and I thought it might help motivate me to keep going in a couple of running events that I'm taking part in this year," he said.
"I also really liked the t-shirt and the mantra of 'going the distance', which is something my wife and I have tried to instill in our two daughters. It's not always about your speed, but it is always about going the distance.
"I'm not young, but my family is, and it's really important to me that I stay as fit and healthy as I can for as long as I can.
"I'm acutely aware of my responsibility to stay fit and healthy so that I can be the father and husband they need for as long as possible. So that's one of the reasons I run and see my doctor annually, and another reason is because I take prostate cancer, or the ever-present possibility of it, deadly seriously.
"When I embark on something I try, always, to see it through, and endurance running has become a big part of how I've tried to define myself, especially over the past decade or so.
"I'm planning to tackle the 72kms of the Long Run in one go with a friend, running 80kms along a section of the Bibbulmun Track overnight.
"It's one of the world's great long-distance trails, stretching 1000km from Kalamunda in the Perth Hills to Albany on the south coast. It passes not far from where I live, in the Southwest of WA.
"In terms of our history, the Bibbulmun were a regional sub-group of the First Nations Noongar people of WA, who walked vast tracts of country across the triangle of land from what is now Jurien Bay across to Esperance and down to Cape Leeuwin, an area of many hundred square miles.
"The connection to people and to country and environment is important to me and to my family, so that was another plus of taking part in The Long Run - connection to what matters most.
"I'm looking forward to ticking this off my endurance bucket list and supporting a great cause."
Australians can register to join The Long Run at www.thelongrun.org.au to help save the lives of the 1 in 5 men diagnosed in their lifetime.
Chief Executive Officer of the organisation, Anne Savage, commended Mr Sewell for his inspiring commitment.
"Community action during Prostate Cancer Awareness Month is key to raising more awareness of the disease and encouraging men to get tested," Ms Savage said.
"Only 36 percent of prostate cancers are diagnosed at stage 1 when the disease is easiest to beat.
"Guidelines recommend that men speak with their GP about getting tested from age 50 if they don't have a family history of the disease, or age 40, if they do.
"We are calling on all Australians to join Mark in taking action by signing up for The Long Run this September, to help get the message out about early detection and support.
"Mark is a role model and an inspiration - demonstrating that together we can make a difference for men and their families."
Several thousand eager runners, walkers and cyclists are expected to join The Long Run this September, with a total goal of $1 million for research, support services and awareness.
Go to www.thelongrun.org.au to register.
