THE COVID-19 pandemic has thrown so many aspects of our lives into chaos. Social distancing, self-isolation and lockdowns have led to so much more than the cancellation of trail races – businesses have shut down, people have lost their jobs, and those close human connections we all need have been severely tested.
This was sadly brought home to Pat Farmer AM when he lost his dear friend and fellow runner, Steven Garamy, in 2020.
“Steve was involved in everything in our running community – parkruns, triathlons, races, everything,” Pat says. “But during COVID last year, Steve took his life. Most of us didn’t understand he had a problem, but he had been in a dark place. He struggled with the isolation, and he’d been battling depression all his life.
Steve’s passing made me realise that you never know – someone can look happy on the outside, but they could feel completely differently o n the inside. And I think that’s true of many ultra runners.”
Pat is a legend of the Australian ultra-running scene. He’s best known as the only man who has run continuously from the North Pole
