A dad’s Run Across Australia for mental fitness
Most of us celebrate our birthday with a cake. Not ultra-endurance athlete Jason Williamson.
He’s marking his 50th birthday by running 4,000km across Australia, from Perth to his hometown of Port Macquarie – an extraordinary effort for a man who just seven years ago had never run more than 15km.
A sweat isn’t all Jason will be raising on the challenge that will test his limits as he crosses the vast, stark Nullarbor Plain, dry, dusty desert and rugged outback on foot.
He’ll be raising awareness and funds for Gotcha4Life’s work building mental fitness across Australia with every step too.
It’s all part of the Aussie-born aviation entrepreneur’s mission to inspire people of all ages to build the mental tools we all need to push through life’s toughest challenges.
Jason, who lives in West Cork, Ireland, with Irish wife Claire and their three children, will use all of his mental fitness to keep going as he runs at least two marathons a day – 86km – for 50 days.
The Six West Aviation founder turned to long-distance running in his 40s, after years of unhealthy lifestyle habits from working around the world as a pilot and driven entrepreneur took their toll.
“I’d been so obsessed with building our business, I’d completely lost track of my own health,” Jason explained.
“So I started running, 3km, 5km. The more I ran, the better I felt - not just physically, but mentally. When I was out in nature, moving my body, I felt amazing. I was in a really good head space and it would carry through the rest of my day and other parts of my life.”
As his love for running grew, so did the distances, including in a record-setting 14-day, 1,038km solo run across Ireland in 2023.
Mind matters
As he gets set for his biggest challenge yet, Jason knows his mindset training, including mindfulness and mental endurance techniques, is just as important as his physical preparation.
“A lot of my training has been on creating a sense of being in the moment while I’m running. Being aware of where my mind is, where my thoughts are, and not letting them control the way I think and feel.
“I focus on whatever can keep me in the present moment. It might be the cars driving past, the birds, my footsteps, quite often it’s simply my breath.”
Despite downloading music and podcasts for his run across Ireland, Jason didn’t put his earphones in once.
“Being present in the moment and listening to the sounds around me was what helped me get through. It’s really calming. There's freedom in it.”
“You ride the waves. You might feel at total peace one minute, terrible the next. But with time and experience, you learn not to take that too seriously, or get anxious about it.
“You just observe it, and recognise it for what it is. It’s supposed to feel terrible, it’s normal, it will pass, let it go.”
Jason has taken those skills into life outside running too.
“It’s made me a much calmer, more patient person. In business, it’s very easy to want things now. And that’s how I operated for many years. But I’ve learnt to recognise that everything happens in its own time, to not force things, to live in the moment and not get caught up in unhelpful thoughts that aren’t reality.”
A solo run takes a village
Jason’s support team is a powerful reminder of the importance of mateship and connection in pushing through challenges too.
A small rotating crew including physios, an ultra marathon expert overseeing logistics and food supplies, and a videographer to film and share the run in real time, will follow Jason in two camper vans.
Old friends will join parts of the journey, his dad in the first week and also towards the finish.
“It takes a close group to get this done. And it’s hard for them too. It’s grueling and monotonous. Trying to keep someone’s spirits high, and keep them moving when they’re in pain, can be really draining.”
“But in amongst that, there is space to have fun, to step back and say this is really tough because it’s supposed to be tough, let’s just enjoy it.
“The message for anyone in life is look at the big picture, take a few deep breaths and know you have everything inside of you to achieve whatever it is you want to achieve. Recognise that life is a journey, and on any journey, there are going to be ups and downs – dark valleys where the sun doesn’t shine. It will seem at times like there’s no way out, but you will get out of that valley, if you just keep moving forward.
“And know you are never alone. There are always people next to you. You don’t ever have to feel like you’re on your own.”
Even in the middle of the Nullarbor Plain.
A run for a reason - and Gotcha4Life
Community fundraisers like Jason play a vital role in helping Gotcha4Life build a mentally fit future through our programs and workshops that equip people to live, for life.
“Everything Gotcha4Life stands for, and the whole concept of mental fitness, really resonates with everything I’m doing. I wanted to support a vibrant, positive charity, and Gotcha4Life is that. I want to show what’s possible – not just physically, but mentally, and raise funds for mental fitness programs that will make a real difference.”
You can support Jason’s fundraising for Gotcha4Life by donating here.
Run Across Australia begins in Perth on 7 August.
You can follow Jason’s journey on his Instagram page here.
You can help equip more people to live
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.
