Edmonton man laces up for 2 marathons Sunday in support of mental health
An Edmonton man spent his birthday Sunday pushing himself to the limit to try and help others.
Tyler Cantos will run the length of two marathons over the day to raise money and awareness for men's mental health.
"It's something that with men, we tend to try to mask and not share with others. And that's my goal here, is to help men realize that it's OK to talk about it," Cantos said.
The newly 29-year-old will run, jog and walk more than 84 kilometres. That's around seven kilometres more than the length of Anthony Henday Drive.
Cantos isn't a runner, but he enjoys pushing himself.
"I know that I've done challenges in the past where I've pushed myself through, so I just take that on into my mindset," he said. "I know I can do it, it will just take time."
The furthest Cantos had run before Sunday was 15 miles (24 kilometres). He tried to take on a 42 kilometre marathon run last weekend, but had to walk the last 25.
But Cantos said he's determined to push through – not set records.
"If it takes me 18 hours to do it, it takes me 18 hours," he added.
Jackie Vizza was one of several well-wishers who stopped by to cheer Cantos on. She said she wasn't surprised by his choice of challenge.
"He always just goes for it, dreams big," Vizza said. "Once he said he was doing it, I was like, 'Yup, this is just another day in the life."
Cantos is hoping to raise $40,000, which would help 100 men access therapy for a month with a BetterHelp subscription.
Sunday his GoFundMe had raised just $376, but he wasn't deterred.
He is extending his fundraising over the next year, with challenges every few months leading up to an even more ambitious fundraiser for his thirtieth birthday.
"I'm thinking of doubling it next year, doing 100 miles," Cantos said.
"I have no doubts that if he wants to do it, he'll do it," Vizza said. "It's going to be a lot of work … It'll be interesting to see how that goes over the next year."
According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, one in five Canadians will experience a mental illness.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Miriam Valdes-Carletti
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Most of the city is evacuating': Gridlock on Alberta highway after evacuation order in Fort McMurray
Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday as a wildfire gets closer to the city.
Sask. police seize 1.5M pieces of evidence, lay 60 more charges in child exploitation case
Saskatchewan RCMP have revealed that a historic sexual assault investigation has led to the discovery of alleged crimes against children dating back to 2005.
'Inappropriate' behaviour shuts down Dublin to New York City portal
Less than a week after two public sculptures featuring a livestream between Dublin, Ireland, and New York City debuted, 'inappropriate behaviour' in real-time interactions between people in the two cities has prompted a temporary shutdown.
Bouchard scores late to lift Oilers over Canucks, tie series
After a final frame that saw the visiting Vancouver Canucks claw their way back and tie the game late, a point shot by Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard with 38 seconds left (until what seemed like certain overtime) iced the 3-2 victory for Edmonton to knot the series.
Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker rails against Pride month, working women in commencement speech
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker railed against Pride month, working women, President Biden's leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and abortion during a commencement address at Benedictine College last weekend.
King Charles III unveils his first official portrait since his coronation
King Charles III has unveiled the first portrait of the monarch completed since he assumed the throne, a vivid image that depicts him in the bright red uniform of the Welsh Guards against a background of similar hues.
Full List Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Alberta announces the 4 health agencies that will replace AHS later this year
The province has released more information on its plan to break up Alberta Health Services and replace it with four sector-based health agencies.
Biden administration moving ahead on US$1 billion arms package for Israel, AP sources say
The Biden administration has told key lawmakers it is sending a new package of more than US$1 billion in arms and ammunition to Israel, two congressional aides said Tuesday.