Being dragged along the beach for more than two kilometres doesn't sound like much fun, but it was a bonding experience for 50 men on the Gold Coast over the weekend.
There were smiles, grimaces and plenty of abrasions from the Grow a Mow, Drag a Bro challenge held on Burleigh Heads Beach on Saturday.
Its organiser Guy Andersons said the aim of the challenge was to reduce the suicide rate in Australian men.
"Last year we lost 2,384 men tragically to suicide," he said.
"We expect it to grow each year in terms of participation."
Mr Anderson said the inaugural event was held over a 2,384 metre distance which represents the number of male deaths by suicide.
"Each year we hope that we don't have to drag 2,300 metres, and each year it can decline with the suicide rate," he said.
"Shared suffering like this within a group, within a tribe of brothers, is truly powerful."
Mr Anderson is the co-founder of Brotherhood, a men's wholeness group that meets four times a week.
"We train physically for 30 minutes … a lot of military-styled exercises," he said.
"We train not only our physical dimension, but also our mental, social, spiritual, and emotional [dimensions] through modalities such as breath work, meditation, and social interaction through group and tribe.
The personal trainer said he believed the COVID-19 pandemic, and associated restrictions, have impacted the mental health of many people.
"Three out of four people that took their lives last year were men," he said.
"There's a lot of guys out there that have no community.
"That's why community is so powerful, because if you've got someone there to help and lend a hand then they wouldn't have to go through all of that trauma themselves."
Suicide is the leading cause of death for Australians aged 15 to 49 years, according to the federal Department of Health.
