Anton Nootenboom, known to many on social media as “The Barefoot Dutchman”, is not your typical record holder.
In 2019, he became the first and only person to hike an 80-mile round trip to Mount Everest Base Camp without wearing shoes. Two years later, he hiked 1,875 miles on the Australian coast, setting the 2021 Guinness World Record for his longest barefoot journey. He now plans to break that record by walking 3,000 miles from Los Angeles to New York City completely barefoot.
“It sounds crazy,” Nutenboom told Yahoo News on the sixth day of his eight-month journey, which began on February 17. The walk, in which he even dubbed himself the “Dutch Forrest Gump” when more than 30 people took part in the first mile, has raised awareness of men’s mental health around the world and donated money to charities. It’s an extension of the #BraveMenTalk campaign in partnership with Bearvarix Barefoot Shoes, which raises funds for .
For Nutenboom, who served 10 years in the Dutch military and completed three tours in the Middle East, this is emblematic of the psychological warfare that many men face in silence.
“The road is tough and every day is full of surprises,” he said. “I tell myself, ‘This is just a phase.’ This road will end someday, and someday the road will get a little better.” It’s the same in life. Even if you find yourself in a difficult situation, it’s not the end. It’s just a little bit of a stretch and you’ll get out of it eventually. I have a scar on my leg and it hurts, but I know the skin will grow back stronger than before. That’s what gives me hope. ”
“The pain is worth it to me.”
As it travels across America’s deserts, mountains and valleys to reach the Big Apple, Nutenboom will stop in various cities to provide educational tools and resources to local communities. He wants men of all ages to be able to “tell their stories without fear.”
“The pain is worth it to me,” he said of the mission. “I want this challenge to tell men that no matter what life throws at them physically and mentally, you can overcome it.”
It’s a lesson he learned the hard way. After retiring from the military in 2015, Nutenboom fell into a deep depression and didn’t feel comfortable talking to anyone about it. Lonely, he almost took his own life on the edge of a cliff in Australia, where he was living at the time. This incident served as a wake-up call for him to seek help.
“The military told me, ‘Don’t cry, stand up!’ I was nervous to talk about what was happening to me,” he said. “Even though there was a lot of resistance, I accepted the offer to seek help and do things that were well outside of my comfort zone, such as therapy and practicing meditation.”
Nutenboom is not alone. Data from Mental Health America shows that more than 6 million men suffer from depression each year, and most go untreated. It has serious consequences. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, men commit suicide nearly four times as often as women: 39,255 men committed suicide in 2022, compared to 9,825 women in the same year.
Experts told Yahoo News that men with depression are largely underreported because various stigmas and cultural norms discourage them from seeking help.
“Men are socialized to not express their emotions, and the only emotions that are acceptable are anger and frustration,” said Ernesto Lila de la Rosa, a psychologist at the Hope for Depression Research Foundation. says. “This makes it difficult for men to speak up about how they feel, out of fear that they are not strong enough or that there is something wrong with them.”
He added: “Encouraging other men to talk about mental health will demonstrate and normalize that mental health is part of everyone’s life, including men.” .
Nicholas Baraisis, a Toronto-based psychotherapist, praises Nutenboom for incorporating physical activity as a way to engage in discussion.
“Men like to help with solvable problems, but [but] Mental health issues are not something that can be easily solved,” Baraisis explained, noting that long-distance running can be seen as a metaphor for the trials and tribulations we all experience. This provides a template for men to talk more deeply about their “inner lives.”
“Men in particular need to develop a relationship with their inner selves: their thoughts about themselves, their impressions from relationships, their hopes, dreams, and regrets,” he says. “This happens most often with other people.”
Dutch “Forest Gump”
“After receiving the healing, I realized that I was not alone in my feelings,” Nutenboom said. “If there’s one thing I learned in the military, it’s to lead by example. I hope to create a safe space for others to say, ‘If you can do it, I can do it too.’ I wanted to share my story.”
During the day, Nutenboom walks barefoot on a trolley cart nicknamed “Bubba” after the character in the 1994 film. forest gump Starring Tom Hanks, the film depicts a man who travels around the country and gains a cult following. At night he sleeps in his one of his two campers. Both will be driven by a producer whose campaign follows in his footsteps across America.
He expects more people to take part as the trip progresses, similar to his record-setting hike in Australia in 2021.
“At some point, this will gain traction and more people will start looking for my spot and join me on walks,” he said. “I’m sure it’s going to be a long journey in a place with a lot of people. I’ll be like the ‘Dutch Forrest Gump’!”
Despite the ups and downs, Nutenboom has chosen to “look only ahead.” He wants to inspire others to “never give up when there are obstacles in your way,” even if it feels impossible.
“I’m looking at snow-capped mountains and I know I’m walking around them. At some point, I’m going to be in the Rocky Mountains, so I’m going to have to face them as well.” he explained. “It’s going to be painful and challenging, but at the end of the day, it’s going to bring you one day closer to achieving your goal.”
Follow Nootenboom (and Bubba)’s progress below. #Bravemen talk.
