100km for Mental Health

Amy Hewitt knows all too well the struggles veterinarians face from their careers.

Four years ago, she quit for first veterinarian job in the Northern Territory after only two weeks due to a lack of support.

Combined with a tense work environment and immense personal struggles, Amy then spiralled into a dark place, questioning her career choice and having suicidal ideations.

Fortunately, she was able to get through the challenging time and she moved across the country to work at Devoted Vets Warragul, where she had a great mentorship.

She has since formed friendships with locals including members at her gym. She also adopted a border collie named Molly and, with her, discovered a new love of trail running.

This Thursday 12 September on R U Okay Day, Amy will be combining her love of running and her passion for mental health to run 100km on the treadmill at Voyage Fitness to raise much needed funds for Sophie’s Legacy.

‘As a veterinarian and ultrarunner, running 100 km on the treadmill in scrubs felt like something I just had to do to raise money for Sophie’s Legacy,’ Amy told Unwind.

‘This charity champions veterinary mental health. I do a lot of long runs on treadmills, especially in winter in Gippsland, when I am on call.

‘Running allows me to gain clarity and sanity so what better way to raise money for a veterinary mental health charity.’

Sophie’s Legacy was established to make the veterinarian industry safer after Melbourne vet Sophie took her own life at age 33 on September 4th, 2021. She was working in a profession she loved and was passionate about, but the stress that came with it took its toll.

Over the last three decades the rate of suicide in this profession has steadily increased with research confirming that veterinarians are four times more likely to die by suicide than the general population, and two times more likely than any other health professional.

Amy said she knew firsthand the pressures veterinarians face on a daily basis, including long working hours without a great renumeration, guilt regarding client expenses, isolation from friends and family- especially in rural settings, a lack of support and financial constraints.

‘Veterinarians attract high achieving people with perfectionist tendencies who want to provide the best quality care for their patients, but they are often constrained by client finances,’ Amy said.

While Amy is in a much better space mentally than when she first began her career in NT, she still has days where the pressure mounts. Now, running helps her get through those tough days.

‘I started running at uni, but it tapered off in my final year as it was super hectic. I then resumed running in 2020 and in 2021 I found trail running with my rescue border collie molly.

‘I did my first 68 km ultra in 2022 at Wilsons prom – it took me 12 hours and it hailed. I did my first 100 km this year in March – I did it in 26 hours,’ she said.

‘Ultra running is chosen pain. We choose to do the hard things so it puts certain aspects of life into perspective. It makes the harder things in life easier.’

Voyage Fitness gym manager Ijay said Amy’s efforts were an inspiration to not only other members of the gym, but to the wider community.

‘Not many people would be brave enough to put their hand up to do such an epic challenge,’ Ijay said. ‘Talking to her throughout the process of organizing the event, I am blown away at how casual she is about the monumental task of the run itself. She is a machine in every sense!’

Ijay said many of the staff and members at the gym will be jumping on a treadmill during the day to support Amy’s run.

Anyone wanting to support Amy or donate to Sophie’s Legacy can do so by jumping on sophieslegacy.com

Lifeline: 13 11 14