Grief to Grit: How a sister's loss sparked Coast's boldest 100km run for mental health

One morning at dawn in September, as the coastal sun rose over the Indian Ocean, a solitary woman stood at the start line, surrounded by a hundred men.

Her name is Alividzah Favour, an ultra-runner, humanitarian, mother and, now, the most unlikely champion for men's mental health in Kenya. Alividzah has turned her pain into a powerful movement of men racing to create awareness of men's mental health.

It is not just a race. It is a gruelling, soul-stirring 100-kilometre endurance run across Kwale, Mombasa and Kilifi counties. A 10- to 14-hour physical and emotional pilgrimage designed to force Kenya to talk about its silent crisis of broken men.

A preventive health expert who has served for over 15 years in health programmes across East and Southern Africa and is currently a PhD student in Leadership and Strategic Management at the Management University of Africa, Favour understands pain both professionally and intimately.

A few months ago, she lost her younger brother, aged only 29, to suicide linked to mental health struggles.

"I lost my baby brother. He suffered in silence. And I knew I could not just mourn. I had to move. I had to run for him, and for thousands of other brothers, fathers and sons who are dying quietly," she says softly.

The statistics are chilling, and according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, men account for 56.9 per cent of mental health-related cases in the country and are three times more likely to die by suicide than women, while behind every number is a family shattered, a chair left empty and a story never told.

Driven by the African Ubuntu philosophy of ‘I am because we are ', Favour dared to dream big.

As founder of the vibrant Pwani Running Tribe, a community uniting recreational runners across Mombasa, Kilifi and the wider Coast region, she mobilised 100 men and women for an extreme trial where every painful step would mirror life's struggles and every kilometre conquered would prove that no burden should be carried alone.

The concept was simple yet revolutionary: run together until exhaustion, talk while running, and show visually that men's emotional and psychological loads were never meant to be borne in isolation.

Carrying placards and shouting messages of hope, the team snaked through coastal highways and village roads, drawing curious crowds, boda boda riders and market women who stopped to cheer.

With each kilometre, the message grew louder: ‘It is okay for a man to not be okay. It is strength to speak out.’

This was no ordinary fun run, as medical teams from Premier Hospital, the official medical partner, conducted continuous screening.

Physiotherapists from Good Life Orphanage stood ready for massages and recovery as the route marshals from STEMAC Kenya Ltd managed logistics, while REDLEAF kept runners hydrated under the punishing coastal heat, and Kilifi Pearl Beach Resort served as the hospitality and event host, offering a haven at the finish.

"Exhaustion set in, muscles screamed, feet blistered, but we were fuelled, we were medically rebooted, and we kept going. We wanted men to see that just like in a race, in life you do not have to quit when it hurts. You refuel, you lean on your tribe, you keep moving," Favour recalls with a triumphant smile.

At the finish line, sweaty, limping but elated, the runners did not just celebrate; they sat in a reflective circle, and then, the miracle Favour had prayed for happened: ‘Men began to talk.’

One by one, hardened men shared what the 100 km symbolised in their own lives: job losses, marital breakdowns, financial pressure, loneliness, the crushing cultural expectation to ‘be a man’ and never cry.

Tears mixed with sweat, strangers became brothers, and suffering transformed into an unbreakable bond of hope and healing.

"That circle at the end was worth more than all the kilometres. We proved that when we choose to be vulnerable together and our deepest pain can become our greatest strength," Favour says.

The inaugural ‘One Woman, 100 Men, 100 KM' Endurance Run for Men's Mental Health would not have been possible without immense community support.

Partners included Ivory Homes Services Ltd, Intertown Running Group and Cianti for branding, mobilisation and community support.

But Favour insists the finish line on the day was only the starting line for a bigger marathon for her. The call to action is bold: 'She is inviting corporates, mental health organisations and well-wishers to become Partners for Change.’

Funds raised will go directly to mental health hotlines, medical outreach camps, safe therapy spaces and scaling the athletic advocacy across Pwani, Kenya and East Africa.

"While the inaugural run is done, the ultramarathon to save men's lives continues. We want to build a corporate alliance that puts human life above metrics, helping our brothers turn their heaviest shadows into a dawn of hope," said Favour.

And she is already lacing up for more, as the Pwani Running Tribe has officially announced the second edition will be held on June 26, 2027, deliberately aligned with June, the internationally recognised Men's Mental Health Awareness Month.

The vision is to secure a permanent annual platform for advocacy, unity and healing across East Africa.

From a grieving sister to a national movement leader, Alividzah Kituku (Favour) has proven what one determined woman with a wounded heart and unbreakable legs can do. She ran 100 kilometres so that men can finally find the courage to take the first step, ‘speaking out.”