A 500 kilometre bike ride would seem daunting to most, but for 24 students from the Australian National University, it is all in pursuit of a good cause.
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The residents of ANU's Bruce Hall will set out on September 17 on a course from Dubbo to Canberra that will take them about three days to complete as part of their Protect Your Head campaign.
Residents committee president Jamon Shay said they hoped to raise at least $10,000 for the National Institute of Mental Health Research as well as promoting awareness of mental illness.
"It's so prevalent and it's something so many people are passionate about here that we thought it would be something people can support, that people can get behind and that people can relate to," Mr Shay said.
"[NIMHR] do wonderful work in the field of mental health … [by] supporting people with mental illnesses and finding out ways to treat and manage mental health."
Mr Shay said the 24 participants, comprising 16 riders and six support crew, have been training since early March to prepare for the demanding event, which will see them cover about 160 kilometres a day.
"A lot of people have just started out. They only bought their bikes and started training within a month of finding out they were going to be doing it, so it's been very long and stressful and arduous for some," Mr Shay said.
"The biggest question will be the mental aspect of whether they can complete it because physically, everyone is able, but being able to push themselves to get there is the challenge at this point in time."
Mr Shay hopes the event will raise the profile of mental illness among university students and the local community, educating people about what mental illness is, how to recognise it and how it can be treated.
He said the event will also give students the opportunity to "de-stress" and participate in something for a good cause.
"We're hoping it becomes a staple of the Bruce Hall community aspect, that it continues to grow and that in future years we can engage more people from the rest of ANU and the local community," Mr Shay said.
On average, one in six people will experience depression at some stage in their lives and a quarter will experience anxiety, according to Beyond Blue.
To donate, visit give.everydayhero.com/au/protect-your-head.
