BROOKE MCINTOSH NEARS PILBARA HOMECOMING IN NATIONWIDE RUN FOR MENTAL HEALTH
BY TANGIORA HIANKI AND ASAD KHAN
Back Where It Started
Ultra-runner Brooke McIntosh is closing in on the Pilbara after nearly six months on the road to spark “just one more” conversation about mental health.
Speaking on Wednesday morning about 20 kilometres from Port Hedland, Ms McIntosh said she expects to reach Roebourne on Friday, returning to the region where her long-distance advocacy began with a Dampier-to-Perth run in 2023.
The Support That Keeps Her Moving
Ms McIntosh said brief roadside connections have mattered most.
“The truckies out here are what keep me going, their honks, their radio chatter in the middle of nowhere,” she said.
“The ones who don’t say much but see me and say, ‘Thank you for running for mental health,’ impact me the most. Sometimes you don’t have to say much — it’s those ones that need it the most.”
Across the Country, One Conversation at a Time
Her route has taken her from Perth through South Australia, Victoria, Canberra and New South Wales, up to Queensland, across the Northern Territory and the Top End of WA, before turning back to the Pilbara.
“This is all about just one more conversation,” Ms McIntosh said.
A Six-Month Test of Body and Mind
She said the distance was not the most challenging part.
“Definitely being away from family,” she said.
“I’ve missed 11 family birthdays while being out here.”
Physically, she said the first two months were “in agony every single day,” but her body is now conditioned for the workload.
Home Stretch Emotions
Ms McIntosh said that returning to the Pilbara has brought a surge of feeling.
“As soon as I get back into Karratha this weekend, I can officially say I’ve run around Australia — that sounds so surreal,”
“Have we really just impacted our nation? Yeah, we have. We’ve had thousands of conversations along the way.”
She thanked the Karratha and Dampier community for rallying behind the run and organising events.
What’s Next for “Just One More”
For Ms McIntosh, first up is the rest.
“I’ll be Netflix-and-chilling on the couch for a good two weeks and catching up on sleep,” she said.
She said this is not the end and that ways will be found to create more ways of engagement and awareness.
“This has amplified my mission so much more. The Just One More movement is here to stay — we’ll keep finding ways every year to get people talking and having just one more conversation about our mental health.”
Listen to Ngaarda Media’s Tangiora Hinaki speak with Brooke McIntosh: