A Marathon Effort - 13 Challenges, 10 Countries, One Year
Content warning: This blog includes mentions of suicide, which may be confronting or distressing. Please take care while reading and consider your own needs. If you need support, free 24/7 services are available: Lifeline 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636.
“I actually hate running.”
So why did 35 year old Struan Todd spend 2025 running four marathons?
And nine other mostly running based endurance events across 10 countries?
To raise funds for Gotcha4Life and get people talking about mental health to mark the 10 year anniversary of losing his dad Grant to suicide.
Struan lived with his dad after his parents divorced when he was two,
“My dad experienced periods of pretty dark depression,” Struan says.
“I was surrounded by his mental battle or anguish, from about the age of seven, all the way through school and into uni. I had to grow up a bit faster than most to help my dad through a lot of those things.”
“Ever since I was a teenager, I’ve always been very open and transparent about emotions, being there for people, and encouraging people to share their stories about the challenges that they have. I've done Movember since I was old enough to grow a moustache to raise funds and awareness for mental health.”
In 2015, a year after Struan moved to London, he got a call from an aunty. His dad had taken his life.
Six months later, Struan and his then-girlfriend (now wife) Joanna, ran the Paris Marathon, raising more funds for mental health, in memory of his dad.
“I’ve never been a runner. I keep active and play competitive sport but running for the sake of it has always been something I despised. I said I would only ever do a marathon for charity. So I did.”
“Kaki Lang is a Hokkien term meaning ‘one of us’. To me, it’s about belonging. You are not alone. Gotcha4Life just seemed right. No one should worry alone. Everyone matters - no one should feel like they don’t,” Struan says.
A Year of Challenges
Struan, now based in Singapore where he manages his insurance and cybersecurity business Blackpanda, wanted to do something ‘big’ to commemorate the tenth anniversary of his dad’s passing in 2025.
The Kaki Lang Project was born over a meal with friends Martin, Jake and Alexandre.
A year of tough endurance challenges, one every month, that others could join him on.
“It had to be really challenging so people would donate knowing I wasn’t enjoying it. We picked running because it would be a mental struggle for me.
I wanted to get other people involved because it was about more than just raising money, it was about encouraging openness and willingness to share stories and problems.”
Sydney-based best friend Rocco suggested the charity - Gotcha4Life.
“Kaki Lang is a Hokkien term meaning ‘one of us’. To me, it’s about belonging. You are not alone. Gotcha4Life just seemed right. No one should worry alone. Everyone matters - no one should feel like they don’t,” Struan says.
The ambitious list of 13 challenges took shape.
Four marathons - Osaka, Singapore, Borneo and Phuket.
A 3 Day, 100 km Trek across Hong Kong.
The Singapore Night Walk, a 65km trek from West to East (Tuas to Changi).
Ascending Bali’s Mt Batur. Endurance kayak in the Maldives.
HYROX Taipei. Sydney’s City to Surf.
And Gotcha4Life’s own 24 Hour Row, in Struan’s local Singapore neighbourhood.
Training mental muscles
Struan built his mental and physical fitness to prepare for each endurance challenge - and drew on that emotional strength to get through the toughest moments.
Training became as much about opening up conversations as it was about opening his stride.
“I tried to train with other people as much as I could. I had friends who said, ‘We know what you’re doing this for. Let’s go for a run on a Wednesday night after the kids are in bed.’
“A lot of people confided in me during those runs about their own mental challenges, the emotional battles that their friends or partners were having, or that they were having and weren’t able to share.
“That gave me the emotional drive to keep going - knowing I was doing this for a big purpose that mattered, and that it was making a difference.
“It wasn’t about doing physical activities for a year, it was getting people to talk about the stuff that I want people to be able to talk about.
“When I was going through the hardest times like the Borneo Marathon, I’d say ‘You’re not running this for yourself. You’re running this for the people around you and their ability to share their stories. You’re fighting for them’.
“That’s what got me through all of those challenges.”
A Village of Support
Struan was surrounded by a village of support joining in and cheering him, from his local neighbourhood to the other side of the world.
Martin and Alexandre completed many of the grueling challenges alongside him.
Other friends jumped on planes to support Struan when he needed it most
Like Erik, who travelled from Sydney to surprise and support him through the first challenge, the Singapore Marathon.
And Rocco, who showed up when Struan was doubting his ability to finish what he’d started.
“The Borneo Marathon was brutal. I was battling injury, not in a great place. I was pretty upset and low in the lead up to that one. And I did it on my own. The Phuket Marathon was straight after it, so I was going from one marathon to another.”
“Rocco called from Sydney and said, ‘I’m coming to run it with you.’ He did the full marathon with me with less than two weeks to prepare. And Erik didn’t tell me, but he showed up again as well, to cheer us on and help with the kids.”
An extra special challenge was Sydney’s iconic 14km City to Surf.
“My mum did that with me. She had been a big supporter of the project from afar. My parents didn’t have a great relationship after the divorce, but she came up from Melbourne and said, ‘I’m running this to support mental health. I know how much it matters. I’ve never run this far in my life, but I’m going to do it with you’.”
“We ran and mum got to the finish line. It was a very cool and emotional day.”
More than 500 people joined him across the 13 events, including many he’d never met, who heard about the project through word of mouth, friends of friends and social media.
Waiting for Struan among the friends and supporters at almost every event was wife Joanna and their two children, aged two and three.
“The kids were at the finish line wearing their Kaki Lang tops. It was a big relief getting to them at the end of each of those challenges. I could not have done this alone.”
The Kaki Lang project raised $65,000 - enough for over 1,300 people and classrooms full of school children to build mental fitness through Gotcha4Life programs.
“I look back on the year and know it has made a substantial difference. There are people who reach out to me these days, who would have never reached out to me before.
“That’s why I did it. And that’s why I live my life the way I do when it comes to being open and transparent. The project showed we can all put our hand up to support our community, and those around us.”
With his endurance ‘feat’ completed, Struan put his actual feet up to rest.
The Kaki Lang project changed lives. But did it change Struan’s mind about running?
“No, I still hate it with a passion…but it was worth it.”
It’s not too late to support Gotcha4Life by donating to Struan’s Kaki Lang project fundraiser here.
Community fundraising doesn’t have to be a marathon effort like Struan’s. Find out ways you could make a difference through raising funds and awareness for mental fitness here.
If you found any of the above content emotionally challenging, talk to a trusted friend, your doctor or mental health professional. There are free, 24/7 support services available – Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636 or Lifeline 13 11 14.
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Every donation powers Gotcha4Life to keep developing and delivering life-changing programs and initiatives to equip more people with the mental fitness skills to live.
