It's probably the first time a beer ad has inspired someone to run from one end of the country to the other.
Duffy man Brad Carron-Arthur heads off on New Year's Day to run 4000km from Canberra to Cape York with just a tiny backpack and his iPod. There will be no support crew.
He'll have to rely on the kindness of strangers or hostels for accommodation and source his own food - a big ask seeing he gets through a fair whack of Weet-Bix, pasta and potatoes each day.
The epic journey is to raise funds for the Australian Foundation for Mental Health Research at the Australian National University.
''It was [from] growing up with someone who suffered a mental illness and, quite amazingly, they didn't know it for many years, well, none of us did, really,'' he said.
''Upon realising it and getting help for that, things really turned around, which was fantastic.''
Brad, 22, recently graduated from ANU with a Bachelor of Psychology with first-class honours, while also fitting in training and a part-time job as a labourer.
''I learnt a lot about [mental illness] and learnt how it really is the silent killer in Australia and the rest of the world,'' he said, of his studies.
''So I'm proud to support them and didn't want to pass up the opportunity to raise some funds and some awareness.''
And, now, about that beer ad.
Brad was in second-year uni when the VB ad featuring a procession of men waving various banners such as ''Blokes punching above their weight'' and ''Guys who claim to have punched a shark'' was in high-rotation. But the banner that really got to him was ''Guys who peaked in high school''.
''I thought, 'That's me for sure - that's not funny!''' he said, with a laugh.
''Back then I was just getting by, really comfortable, just living day to day. And I thought, 'Hang on, no, no, no. You've really got to keep challenging yourself'.''
The bottom line is the former Canberra Grammar School student wants to reach his potential. And if that means running 50km a day, five days a week, for at least four months, that's what he'll do.
''I'd say from a very young age, I've always dreamt of doing something like this,'' he said.
The journey should take at least four months. Brad is not going to rush it.
He'll be carrying the bare minimum - change of clothes, an emergency beacon, water purification tablets, an iPod. The trip is planned so he'll never be too far from civilisation.
''Being on my own, carrying my own gear, there's going to be so many more obstacles that I'll face. It's not a highway that I'm just running along and jumping into a caravan every time I'm tired or want something to eat. So it's really going to be a logistical journey.''
+Follow Brad's epic solo trip on his blog www.bradrunsnorth.com. Donations to the foundation can be made at www.everydayhero.com.au/bradrunsnorth
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