After a decade of pounding the pavement along the Trent Severn and Rideau canals on a mission to raise awareness and funds for mental health, Clay Williams feels he has made some significant strides on his trek from Port Severn, Ontario to Parliament Hill.
More people are speaking candidly about their mental health these days, which is something Williams considers a win in an area of health care in which he’s had an abundance of personal experience. The 64-year-old runner started his Canal Pursuit for Mental Health in 2015 in honour of his wife, his daughter, and his sister, who all suffer from mood disorders, and in memory of his two older brothers who took their own lives.
From August 17 to 24, Williams will once again be running 700 kilometres along the Trent Severn and Rideau canals, passing by each of the 88 locks on the way and ending in Ottawa, as part of his quest to raise funds and awareness of depression, end the stigma of mental illness, and to encourage people to reach out for help.
This will be his 10th annual Canal Pursuit for Mental Health, which supports the Mood Disorders Society of Canada’s “Defeat Depression” campaign. The eight-day relay run will be broken into 10-kilometre segments.
Just like in his inaugural year, Williams will be running the full distance, accompanied by pace runners, running an average of 80 kilometres per day, allowing him time to talk with people along the way to keep the conversation ongoing about mental illness and health.
He’ll pass through Peterborough on Tuesday, August 20, where he is expected to be greeted in the morning by Peterborough-Kawartha MP Michelle Ferreri at the Peterborough Lift Lock.
Of the meaningful moments during the runs of the past decade, Williams said the discussions he’s had along the way rank highly when he considers the successes and impact of his venture.
“We’re bringing attention to the need for a good mental health care system in Canada,” Williams told kawarthaNOW.
“It used to be a little simpler. When I first started out nine years ago it was a mental health fundraiser. But I think I’ve learned a fair amount over the past few years about where we are. I think there is a lot less stigma now (about mental health) than there was 10 years ago.”
“People are more openly talking about mental health care and some of the difficulties in getting the care that they need — not just the care that they need, but in some cases the meds that they need,” Williams added. “So it’s still an awareness campaign for mental health, and a big goal is just to have a lot of conversations and to make people a little less uncomfortable talking about mental health.”
Williams carries with him a pocketful of postcards on which the route of the run is printed, along with information about him and links to the fundraising campaign. He hands them out as he goes.
“The conversations in the past that have resulted from that have been both discouraging and encouraging. It’s kind of affirmation that I’m doing something good and doing something that’s right, and hopefully something that’s helping people.”
Meanwhile, Williams is also one of the co-founders for Peterborough’s Monarch Ultra Relay Run to raise awareness about the plight of the threatened monarch butterfly.
Peterborough’s Carlotta James, who is also a co-founder of the Monarch Ultra and a marathon runner, will be joining Williams on the run when it comes through Peterborough.
She will be starting the run at the Lift Lock at around 8 a.m. on August 20.
Looking back, Williams earlier told kawarthaNOW the 2015 inaugural run was supposed to be a one-off “but as I learned a more about Canada’s mental health care system, both the gaps and the efficiencies, I stuck with (raising funds and awareness) for mental health.”
This year is the final event in which Williams will run the full distance and that the pursuit will be in its current format.
This year and during the first two years, he had pace runners with him. The following years were completed as relay runs.
Williams is hoping future canal pursuit endeavours will have several events on the same day in several locations along the canals, championed by runners he has come to know over the years.
He plans to continue to run the last jaunt with the Canadian flag up to Parliament Hill in the years to come.
For details about the run, including to register or donate, visit mdsc.akaraisin.com/ui/dd2024/g/42046.
