Alastair Clarkson’s amazing support for 18yo Delaney Troon’s marathon effort for her lost dad
Ongoing grief over the loss of a former schoolmate to suicide has prompted North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson to run to extraordinary lengths in a unique marathon effort.
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North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson has revealed how his ongoing grief over the suicide of a beloved schoolmate has inspired him to join a remarkable marathon mission to combat men’s mental illness.
Rising at 3am several times over the past fortnight Mr Clarkson has been driving to Ballarat to join 18-year-old Delaney Troon as she runs 21 half marathons in 21 days to raise funds in honour of her father, Michael, who died 12 years ago.
The campaign, known as 21twentyones, has inspired the wider community with local sporting clubs and celebrities including Tony Lockett and Steve Moneghetti joining Ms Troon around Lake Wendouree.
But, for Mr Clarkson, the reasons for running are incredibly personal.
His bond with the Troon family extends back four decades when a teenaged Clarkson arrived at Ballarat Clarendon College as a boarder from the tiny township of Kaniva.
“There were two families when I came down here, my immediate family was back in western Victoria, there was two families the McClure’s and the Troons. They were more or less the second family here in Ballarat,’’ Mr Clarkson said.
A tight bond grew between Mr Clarkson and Michael Troon with school footy photos showing the two sitting side by side in the front row.
“The hard part with Troony was he was such a larger than life figure that it was nearly disbelief when I found out that he was in a bad way and ended up taking his life,” Mr Clarkson said.
“When I was going through school he would have been the last person you expect. This is why I wanted to get involved in this.
“If it can happen to Troony it can happen to anyone.”
Mr Clarkson is among the hundreds of people who have joined Ms Troon every morning on the track around Lake Wendouree since she launched her effort on February 9.
By the time she completes her final half marathon on March 1, she hopes to have raised more than $250,000 for the Ballarat Health Connect initiative which is aiming to combat the scourge of men’s suicide in the regional centre.
Men in Ballarat commit suicide at a rate eight times higher than women and the suicide rate for men in almost twice the rate of Melbourne.
“It’s been ingrained in the DNA of an Australian male from our forefathers to be tough, don’t show your emotions and vulnerabilities and it’s a sign of weakness if you come to that stuff,” Mr Clarkson said.
“In actual fact we are realising the more you can actually discuss what’s going on, we’ve all got challenges in our life and we’ve all got to try to confront those challenges the best we can.”
“If you are trying to confront some of these challenges and try to overcome by yourself without the support of family and friends, sometimes you just need someone to talk to, to steer you in the right direction.”
Ms Troon said she had been amazed by the support shown for her cause.
“Alastair was a good friend of my dad, so he’s a footy legend but he’s a family friend and it means a lot to have the support of people who know us really well and went through our story with us,” she said.
“I’m very grateful. When I envisioned the first week I didn’t envision how many people I’d have.
“When I did it on (the first) Sunday we had about 100 runners with me, which is great.
“It’s shows more in the bigger picture of those supporting the cause, which means more to me than someone rocking up.
“It shows to each other we are all in it together.”
On Wednesday, as Ms Troon ticked over the half-way mark of her journey, she revealed more than $60k had been raised so far.
Mr Clarkson said that while there have been improvements in society’s approach to confronting mental illness, much more work needs to be done.
Ms Troon’s achievements have also not gone unnoticed in the running community.
Famed long distance runner Nedd Brockman shared a special message to Troon after one of her runs this week.
His documentary, Runn, which looks into his extraordinary run around Australia in 2022 raising money for the homeless has just been released on Netflix.
“Just wanted to say a massive congratulations on raising over $60,000,” he said.
“An even bigger congratulations on getting through over halfway.
“You are a weapon, keep fighting, keep showing up, you’ll smash it out of the park.
“Enjoy the ride because it will be over before you know it.”
To donate to the cause, visit here.
You can also join Ms Troon on her journey every morning at 6am at Lake Wendouree.
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