Tom Dunn is on a mission.
The 27-year-old from Horsham is about to tackle a 9000km triathlon across Australia with the hope of raising $100,000 for mental health awareness.
“I really enjoy taking on personal challenges, I’ve done similar journeys like this in the past and this is just the next one,” Mr Dunn said.
The trip, which starts on Monday, February 20, is fully self-funded.
The journey will take Mr Dunn from Australia's westernmost point (Steep Point, Western Australia) to the easternmost point (Byron Bay, NSW) and comprises a 6700km cycle, a 300km swim and a 2000km run.
The planned trip will be the longest triathlon ever completed in Australia and the second largest triathlon ever completed in the world.
Mr Dunn aims to cover 170km each day on the bike, 12km each day swimming, and 42km each day running.
It is estimated the trip will take about four months to complete.
Mr Dunn’s journey will take him through Numurkah and Nathalia in March before travelling to Cobram in early April.
He said completing the journey for mental health awareness was inspired by seeing people struggle during the past couple of years, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The trip though large in its physical aspect, is much more a mental challenge than a physical challenge,” he said.
Mr Dunn hopes that his journey will inspire others to overcome mental challenges they face.
“The hope for me is to show through this journey that you can overcome some pretty challenging times mentally and achieve your own goals,” he said.
You can follow Mr Dunn and donate via his social media page at whattomhasdunn.com