General News
30 April, 2025
McElligott prepared for epic 300km mental health trek
The local business owner is running from Mount Isa to Gregory, starting Thursday.
It's been about four weeks since the birth of his first daughter, but that hasn’t stopped Travis McElligott from tackling his biggest marathon challenge yet.
The Custom Steel Fab owner drew headlines around the North West last year when he dashed up and down Mount Isa’s Telstra Hill for 24 hours straight in an effort to raise awareness for mental health.
Now, Travis has set himself the daunting task of running the 300km that separates Mount Isa and Gregory to coincide with the famed races this weekend.
To put that distance in perspective, Travis clocked up about 108km in total distance along elevating terrain during his 24-hour Telstra Hill challenge.
And while he has managed to reach his 130km weekly training quotas leading up to this week’s Gregory dash, Travis admits it hasn’t been without its challenges.
“There have been a lot of nights without a lot of sleep, I’m going be honest,” the new father explained.
“Trying to manage a new baby along with running a business has been a bit interesting at times, but it hasn’t stopped my training.”
At this stage, Travis plans to depart Mount Isa on Thursday and break the journey into three stages over three days.
He will run 120km on day one and day two, which he thinks will take about 15 hours per day, followed by a 60km run that he hopes will allow him to enter Gregory just as the horses are on the racecourse on Saturday.
Custom Steel Fab sponsors the annual “Kevin from Heaven” race at Gregory, in honour of Travis’ late grandfather, and he said it would be very special to make it in time for that event.
A few other intrepid North West locals have put up their hand to run alongside Travis for the full 300km, and he will also have a fully stocked support vehicle at the rear.
To top it off, Travis has also signed up for the team canoe race challenge at Gregory River Canoe Marathon on Sunday.
“The road to Gregory is a special track for most people up here in the North West,” Travis said.
“We lived on Gregory Station when I was a kid, and my grandfather lived in Gregory town for a long time – we have a lot of family and friends on the cattle properties up that way – so it means a lot to head in that direction.”
Travis has dubbed his challenge “Stride for Strength” which he says aims to raise some funds for mental health awareness and will hopefully spark a few conversations about what is possible if you set your mind to it.
“We want to encourage people who might be out there struggling with mental health,” he said.
“We have some ideas about what we will do with the money raised – mostly around getting people up and active, which is good for your mental health.
“We just have to take it one step at a time.”
If you would like to donate to Stride for Strength, visit Travis McElligott’s Facebook page for details.