Sachin Latti doesn乌鸦传媒檛 claim to have all the answers. What he does have is a pair of running shoes, a wrapped RV, and a plan to run more than 7,500 kilometres across Canada 乌鸦传媒� one step at a time.
Based out of the South Surrey-White Rock area, Latti will officially begin his cross-country journey early Monday morning at 6 a.m. from Victoria, heading east on a mission to raise $1 million for mental health charities and bring national attention to what he calls Canada乌鸦传媒檚 乌鸦传媒渕odern-day cancer乌鸦传媒�: the mental health crisis.
The day before, on June 15, he乌鸦传媒檚 inviting the community to Victoria's Clover Point Park for a Father乌鸦传媒檚 Day kickoff event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It乌鸦传媒檚 a chance for supporters to meet the team, sign the RV, learn about the cause, and send him off with encouragement before the miles begin.
乌鸦传媒淚t all started around 2020,乌鸦传媒� Latti said. 乌鸦传媒淚 was going through a divorce, a pandemic started kicking off, and then 18 years in law enforcement 乌鸦传媒� all three of those things were a perfect storm to basically affect my mental health.乌鸦传媒�
He was eventually diagnosed with major depressive disorder, and the fallout from that period left him searching for something to help pull himself back together. At 41, with no running background since high school, he laced up.
乌鸦传媒淚t was really more to help me and manage my own mental health,乌鸦传媒� Latti said. 乌鸦传媒淚f I乌鸦传媒檓 feeling good 乌鸦传媒� or not good, but let乌鸦传媒檚 say, feeling a little bit better 乌鸦传媒� let乌鸦传媒檚 see if I can leverage what I乌鸦传媒檓 doing to help some other people.乌鸦传媒�
Running, it turned out, worked.
But this next chapter 乌鸦传媒� a cross-country run from Victoria to St. John乌鸦传媒檚 乌鸦传媒� is about more than therapy.
乌鸦传媒淚 know firsthand what it feels like to really struggle with mental health,乌鸦传媒� Latti said. 乌鸦传媒淲hat I乌鸦传媒檓 trying to do as one individual is galvanize the country around a common goal.乌鸦传媒�
Inspired by Terry Fox, Latti said the idea of a run across Canada came naturally once he realized he was the type of person who needed a bold, impossible-seeming target to chase.
乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檓 an aggressive, goal-chasing, high performer,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淲hat got me fired up was, OK, if I can run across Canada, what do I need to do and what steps do I need to take to make that happen?乌鸦传媒�
His team, a small core group plus friends, pacers, and social media partners, will be travelling with him to document the journey and provide support.
Another key aspect of Sachin乌鸦传媒檚 run is the organizations that will benefit from the funds he raises 乌鸦传媒� one of them being the Canadian Men乌鸦传媒檚 Health Foundation (CMHF).
The non-profit organization is one of several that will receive support through Sachin乌鸦传媒檚 journey.
Kenton Boston, president and CEO of CMFH, says the run will give men across the country a reason to open up.
乌鸦传媒淗e is literally and figuratively proving that you don乌鸦传媒檛 need to do things alone,乌鸦传媒� Boston said. 乌鸦传媒淲hen he reached out to us, it was a no-brainer to join forces with him. He is doing something that will raise awareness in so many different ways. This is going to showcase a lot of resilience.乌鸦传媒�
Outside of organizations, there will also be plenty of community engagement 乌鸦传媒� from inviting Canadians to run alongside him, to connecting with small towns along the way.
乌鸦传媒淭hose are the people I want to talk to,乌鸦传媒� Latti said. 乌鸦传媒淚n smaller towns, people just tend to be more engaged 乌鸦传媒� they show up.乌鸦传媒�
This isn乌鸦传媒檛 his first time putting his body through the gauntlet for a cause.
In 2023, Latti ran 22 marathons in 22 days from Revelstoke to Victoria, finishing at the BC Law Enforcement Memorial. There, he was greeted by Chief Del Manak and members of the Victoria Police Department 乌鸦传媒� a moment that affirmed he was on the right path.
Still, this run is on another level entirely.
He乌鸦传媒檒l average ultramarathon distances daily 乌鸦传媒� up to 100 kilometres a day, with only a handful of rest days 乌鸦传媒� until he hits Newfoundland.
He乌鸦传媒檚 not sure what the road will throw at him, but quitting isn乌鸦传媒檛 on the table.
乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檒l make it to St. John乌鸦传媒檚 乌鸦传媒� that乌鸦传媒檚 happening. The question is how I get there,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淲hat kind of message would I be sending if I乌鸦传媒檓 running across the country, letting people know we don乌鸦传媒檛 quit things乌鸦传媒� and then halfway across, I just say it乌鸦传媒檚 a bit too hard? That乌鸦传媒檚 a terrible message to send.乌鸦传媒�
Latti doesn乌鸦传媒檛 expect to raise Terry Fox-level money or become a national icon. But he hopes his run gets people talking, gets people moving, and gets people to realize they乌鸦传媒檙e not alone.
乌鸦传媒淚f I could just play a 1 per cent role and raise 1 per cent of what Terry Fox did 乌鸦传媒� man, that乌鸦传媒檚 a win.乌鸦传媒�
The 7,500 kilometre run chasing $1 million in fundraising efforts can be followed throughout its entirety from .
