Sachin Latti doesn鈥檛 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 鈥� 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鈥檚 鈥渕odern-day cancer鈥�: the mental health crisis.
The day before, on June 15, he鈥檚 inviting the community to Victoria's Clover Point Park for a Father鈥檚 Day kickoff event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It鈥檚 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.
鈥淚t all started around 2020,鈥� Latti said. 鈥淚 was going through a divorce, a pandemic started kicking off, and then 18 years in law enforcement 鈥� all three of those things were a perfect storm to basically affect my mental health.鈥�
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.
鈥淚t was really more to help me and manage my own mental health,鈥� Latti said. 鈥淚f I鈥檓 feeling good 鈥� or not good, but let鈥檚 say, feeling a little bit better 鈥� let鈥檚 see if I can leverage what I鈥檓 doing to help some other people.鈥�
Running, it turned out, worked.
But this next chapter 鈥� a cross-country run from Victoria to St. John鈥檚 鈥� is about more than therapy.
鈥淚 know firsthand what it feels like to really struggle with mental health,鈥� Latti said. 鈥淲hat I鈥檓 trying to do as one individual is galvanize the country around a common goal.鈥�
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.
鈥淚鈥檓 an aggressive, goal-chasing, high performer,鈥� he said. 鈥淲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?鈥�
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鈥檚 run is the organizations that will benefit from the funds he raises 鈥� one of them being the Canadian Men鈥檚 Health Foundation (CMHF).
The non-profit organization is one of several that will receive support through Sachin鈥檚 journey.
Kenton Boston, president and CEO of CMFH, says the run will give men across the country a reason to open up.
鈥淗e is literally and figuratively proving that you don鈥檛 need to do things alone,鈥� Boston said. 鈥淲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.鈥�
Outside of organizations, there will also be plenty of community engagement 鈥� from inviting Canadians to run alongside him, to connecting with small towns along the way.
鈥淭hose are the people I want to talk to,鈥� Latti said. 鈥淚n smaller towns, people just tend to be more engaged 鈥� they show up.鈥�
This isn鈥檛 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 鈥� a moment that affirmed he was on the right path.
Still, this run is on another level entirely.
He鈥檒l average ultramarathon distances daily 鈥� up to 100 kilometres a day, with only a handful of rest days 鈥� until he hits Newfoundland.
He鈥檚 not sure what the road will throw at him, but quitting isn鈥檛 on the table.
鈥淚鈥檒l make it to St. John鈥檚 鈥� that鈥檚 happening. The question is how I get there,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hat kind of message would I be sending if I鈥檓 running across the country, letting people know we don鈥檛 quit things鈥� and then halfway across, I just say it鈥檚 a bit too hard? That鈥檚 a terrible message to send.鈥�
Latti doesn鈥檛 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鈥檙e not alone.
鈥淚f I could just play a 1 per cent role and raise 1 per cent of what Terry Fox did 鈥� man, that鈥檚 a win.鈥�
The 7,500 kilometre run chasing $1 million in fundraising efforts can be followed throughout its entirety from .
