Tamworth firefighter Brent King will run 50 kilometres to raise awareness for men's mental health

The Tamworth firefighter will run 50 kilometres this October for the Top Blokes Foundation's Lift the Load Challenge, which focuses on improving the mental wellbeing of young men aged 10 to 24.

If that didn't sound tough enough, Mr King will run strapped in to a 10kg vest; representing the extra weight people suffering from mental health issues carry.

Mr King said now is an extremely difficult time for young men throughout the country, and it's important to raise awareness about the struggles they face.

"What they [the foundation] do is they offer a weekly service and three to six months of mentoring for young people going through mental health services," he said.

"Obviously with the pandemic and the lockdowns throughout the country, it's made it hard for people to connect."

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A number of Rural Fire Service personnel across the state are set to take park in the movement, and Mr King expects more will jump on board in the coming week.

He also said the run will be good for his own health, which is something he had been thinking about during his recent spell in quarantine after returning from Canada.

"I was thinking to myself while I was in hotel quarantine that I needed to start looking at my healthy attitude and that type of thing," he said.

"Getting back into workouts and get back to being active and trying to have a positive approach to things that way."

Mr King has set a target of raising $1000, and anyone who wants to help is encouraged to do so by visiting the Top Blokes Foundation website.

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