Spencer Benjamin really put his soul into the Sydney Marathon on Sunday, racing the course in high-heeled stilettos to give back to the women in his life who have supported him through his own mental struggles and kept him \u201calive\u201d, he says. <\/p>\n
\u201cFour hours worth of suffering for decades worth of pain that people in domestic violence go through, for a couple of blisters – that was the main driver,\u201d Benjamin says after completing the iconic Sydney Marathon in high-heeled stilettos. <\/p>\n
A Sydney local and an active participant of the Black Dog Institute, Spencer was offered a last-minute ticket to represent the mental health charity at the 42.2km marathon course. <\/p>\n
But just three days before race day, he found himself compelled to visit Newtown\u2019s high heels shop, buying a pair of stilettos for another purpose. <\/p>\n
\u201cAlmost 50 women this year alone have died (because) of domestic violence and that\u2019s something that really hits home,\u201d he told news.com.au. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s something I want to advocate against and to support better education for men, and to highlight the suffering of these women\u201d. <\/p>\n
The 23-year-old from Sydney\u2019s east has since been praised by over a hundred and fifty thousand people on TikTok after a video of him blitzing through the Sydney marathon course went viral, amassing almost one and a half million views. <\/p>\n
Wearing a Black Dog Institute shirt and a pair of clear stiletto high heels, Benjamin decided to kill \u201ctwo birds with one stone\u201d, spreading awareness about mental health struggles and domestic violence against women.<\/p>\n
He paid homage to the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes charity, which highlights ending domestic and gender-based violence by challenging men to wear high heels and actively confront gender stereotypes and expectations. <\/p>\n
\u201cI was inspired by the women around me and I just felt compelled to do it. It was an amazing day; it was bloody hard, but that\u2019s alright\u201d.<\/p>\n
The marathoner has endured the loss of his father and a school friend due to mental health struggles, and said it was being in the \u201ccircle of such strong femininity\u201d by his mother, aunties and sister his whole life, which has \u201ckept him alive\u201d and supported him in his own mental health battles. <\/p>\n
\u201cBeing in this circle of such strong femininity, their strength really is something that\u2019s kept me going, kept me alive and pushing and motivated. If I could give back to that in any way, I would absolutely do that\u201d.<\/p>\n
While he called himself \u201ccrazy\u201d for wearing high heels for 42.2km, he felt people connected with the cause after seeing his race in the shoes, something he calls \u201cspecial\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn Australia, we\u2019ve been affected so much by domestic violence and I think any effort that I can make to raise awareness against that and to try and reduce those statistics in any way.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI could have never have done it without the women around me, my mum is an absolute saint, my sister, my aunties, my friends. I have gone through some really bad mental health and they\u2019ve literally kept me alive. I\u2019m so grateful for them\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe support from the crowd was unreal and I\u2019m glad that it\u2019s been able to connect with other people and to those people who are suffering, I feel for them. That\u2019s the main message: I\u2019m doing it for them and I just want to raise awareness\u201d.<\/p>\n
Benjamin crossed the finish line at 4 hours and 19 minutes, and has broken the Guinness World Record for fastest male running a marathon and wearing high heels. <\/p>\n