After 154 games for the ACT Brumbies and 72 caps for the Wallabies, prop Ben Alexander called time on his rugby career in 2018.
In search of a new way to stay fit, he swapped the footy field for running, finding more than just a way to be healthy, but a sense of community.
Fast forward a couple years, and Running for Resilience was born, a Canberra-based run club, with a mission to not only provide a space for people to come and run, but also raise awareness about mental health and create access to support.
"It's not about the running, that's the number one thing, you can walk, it's not timed, it's about doing some exercise and then hanging out with friends," Alexander said. [It's about] bringing people together through movement."
What started as a small group of 25 people has now grown to as many as 500 participants on a Wednesday night, and while running is the vehicle, the goal for Running for Resilience is to eliminate suicide in the ACT.
"We've had all these messages from people, saying this has helped save their life, so let's have a crack at trying to get rid of suicide in Canberra altogether," Alexander said.
"The suicide rates have dropped abvout 40% since the pandemic, so long way to go, but some good signs."
Watch the full episode of Runners High in the video above.