Six weeks ago, Sachin (Sach) Latti embarked upon a journey like no other, setting off from Mile Zero at Victoria’s Terry Fox Memorial to run across Canada with an ambitious goal of raising $1 million toward mental health initiatives.
Sach-In-Motion is Canada’s longest run for mental health and one that is deeply personal to Sachin Latti. When he wraps up his 7,500-kilometre trek on the east coast in early September, Sachin will be the first person of colour to have run across Canada.
But this run isn’t about titles, nor Sachin himself. It’s about connection and breaking down the barriers preventing honest conversations around mental illness.
From pain to a challenge much bigger than himself
Six years ago, Sachin was in a very different place in his life. He’d hit rock bottom: his marriage was falling apart; he was struggling financially and battling depression from the basement of his home.
In March 2020, the pandemic hit, making Sachin feel only more anxious and isolated. With so many thoughts and emotions bottled up deep inside, he was yearning for an outlet to build his confidence and feel good about himself once again.
That outlet became running during a global pandemic. A sport he used to hate.
In 2021, Sachin ran 100 kilometres from Chilliwack to Vancouver, raising $21,000 for veterans and first responders with PTSD. This run represented a personal and professional breakthrough for Sachin. It might sound cliché, but the experience showed the 47-year-old man that he could channel his pain and adversity toward a cause much bigger than himself.
Although he didn’t realize it in the moment, Sachin’s 2021 run paved the way towards the cross-country ultramarathon he’s on right now.
“It has been life-changing,” he says, now on Day # 52 of a more than 75-day journey across Canada. “I’ve definitely learned a lot about myself, who I am and what I want to do in the future.”
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The conversations – not the distance – are the real journey
While Sachin is running across the second largest country in the world by geography, what stands out most to him isn’t the distance but the raw, unscripted conversations he’s having with complete strangers from one community to another.
“Conversations about the everyday mental health struggles Canadians are facing have become the heart and soul of this trip,” he says.
The former law enforcement officer—turned ultra-endurance athlete originally planned to run across Canada at a fast pace, but quickly slowed down in the run’s early days so that he could connect with people in communities big and small to hear their stories.
“Canadians from all walks of life and identities have been opening up to us: men, women, trans folks, Indigenous people, unhoused people, the wealthy, first responders, youth and parents,” says Glen Ivan, Managing Director of Sach-In Motion.
As the only person accompanying Sachin on this special journey from coast to coast, Glen is the guy behind the scenes making it all happen. He’s been driving the RV, devising the route and documenting Sachin’s moving conversations with Canadians in real time.
Connection is the medicine
Sachin and Glen are creating space, literally and emotionally, one step at a time, as Sachin runs 50-60 kilometres a day in the dead heat of summer.
“It’s an overwhelming feeling in a positive way,” says Sachin. “Hearing all the different types of stories and engaging with all the different types of people…I don’t know that we can actually articulate what we’re feeling and the impact we’re experiencing throughout this journey.”
Glen says that he and Sachin often joke that they’re like two Mormons crisscrossing the country to spread the gospel of mental health and to remind Canadians that no one should have to face mental health challenges alone.
He says their RV has become like a mobile sanctuary that people are flocking to as if it’s something they’ve been yearning for for years. “There is a pent-up desire to engage: people are sharing deeply personal struggles with Sachin and me that they’ve never uttered aloud.”
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The magic of “just a conversation”
Dr. David Kuhl is a professor, clinician, researcher, author, and speaker on men’s health. He’s also the CEO at Blueprint, a non-profit organization focused on men’s health and well-being.
Dr. Kuhl says that Sachin and Glen’s journey across Canada isn’t only giving people permission to speak openly about mental health, it’s inviting them to do so. He says the fact that Sachin and Glen are simply “two dudes” speaking out about mental illness goes a long way toward normalizing these conversations in society.
“There is still so much shame around mental illness. As soon as there is shame, it locks us into isolation and separation,” he says.
Dr. Kuhl says that by being open, vulnerable and relatable, Sachin and Glen are giving license to the people they interact with to return that energy. He says that “normal guy energy” breaks mental health stigma better than any slogan.
“Sachin and Glen are making the unspeakable speakable, and that’s a huge gift to this country. It’s a huge gift to everyone they meet on their journey.”
A deeply moving moment
In Saskatoon, a woman recognized a police officer visiting Sachin and Glen’s RV. The police officer had arrested the woman and her boyfriend six years ago when they were homeless, living in an alleyway and overdosing. The arrest actually led to a string of positive events, eventually leading to the couple’s recovery.
The woman thanked the officer profusely for saving their lives and confided that she’s been thinking about him every single day for the past six years. Following Sachin and Glen’s interaction with the woman, her boyfriend came to their RV the next day to share his story of mental illness, substance use and recovery.
“He was vulnerable: he shared his story in front of us and the police officers for the first time,” says Glen. “We often only hear about the negatives when it comes to mental illness – but this was a positive story that will inspire those who continue to struggle.”
The ripple effect is real
Even though Sachin’s journey isn’t yet complete, over the past couple of months, he and Glen have already connected with dozens and dozens of everyday Canadians struggling with their mental health.
One step at a time, the duo have forged an emotional connection with people from vastly different communities and backgrounds – parents, young people, police officers, survivors — to build local support systems long after they leave. The journey is sparking a network of community champions from one side of this vast country to the other.
Sachin and Glen are on the Toronto-area leg of their journey this week, securing media coverage from major TV networks like CP24 and Global News. On August 7, Sachin and Glen appeared on CP24 Breakfast, a popular morning program broadcast to millions of Ontarians, to share their moving story (watch here).
As Sachin embarks on the last three weeks of his ultramarathon, he reminds us that he’s doing this for our veterans and first responders, for our youth trying to find their way and for the men like him who were taught to stay silent.
And for those in recovery fighting for another chance. Every step is for them. Every conversation is a reminder that no one should face mental health alone.
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Get involved
It’s not too late! You can still be part of Sachin’s mission to help Canadians take charge of their mental health.
Donate, share his story and run with Sachin in your community in the final weeks of his journey across Canada. Every action makes a difference.
Find out where he’ll be next on @sach.in.motion
Do you like running? What’s your favourite thing about it? Share in the comments below.
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