Goya Dmytryshchak
Did you miss this story? Here’s your chance to read (or reread) on one of our favourite stories from 2021!
An Altona North man fundraising for White Ribbon Day aims to become the third known person in the world to do a 500 pound (226 kilogram) squat, sub 5-minute mile and marathon within 24 hours.
Aaron Struhs said he was taking on the challenge of strength and endurance to raise awareness of family violence, an issue close to his heart.
“As a grown man and an adult, I’ve had friends that have been affected by it.
“We all know the statistics … one woman on average a week dying at the hands of somebody who supposedly loves them.
“I don’t feel there’s enough talk about it.
“I thought this is a really good opportunity to get the conversation going and continue it.“
Mr Struhs said lifting heavy weights was typically male dominated, which was another reason he chose White Ribbon as the beneficiary.
“I thought, this is really good to get amongst men because it’s men that need to change their mentality,“ he said.
“It’s men that need to be talking about it, it’s men that need to be calling each other out on it, that need to be saying, ’Hey, you know what, that behaviour’s not OK’.“
The other two people known to have completed the same challenge are Fergus Crawley from Scotland and Adam Klink from the US.
“The squat is my first physical task of the 24-hour challenge and is my strongest event,“ Mr Struh said.
“For context, squatting 226 kilograms is like me lifting three average-sized friends on my back.
“With a 4:58 mile already under my belt, I am close to achieving this part of the challenge and yet only two seconds off from missing it altogether.
“This is one part of the challenge which will truly come right down to the wire.
“Having not run a marathon in over a decade and weighing almost 20 kilograms heavier, this final leg of the challenge will be as much mental as it will be physical.“
White Ribbon Day is on November 19.
To donate, visit events.whiteribbon.org.au
