“I was sitting in bed one night and I said I can only just imagine what other men who feel like they can’t go out and talk to people because they don’t know where to find the resources or who they can talk are feeling.”
Heke teamed up with his former social studies teacher Anna Follett and together they put a plan in place to raise funds for One Voice, a local community group offering mental health support.
“They are an organisation that heals people to bring out the bigger and greatest version of them.”
His efforts as of 12.15pm on Monday had managed to raise $2225.
He said the decision to run in heels was twofold, the first being that heels were most commonly associated with women, and the second for the representation of the pain caused by mental health.
“The body is feeling it but for me, that represents the pain men are feeling.”
He started his run at 7am at Flaxmere College and ran along York Rd, turned left onto Maraekakaho Rd, before running along Pakowhai Rd and going through the Pakowhai Regional Park along the bike track, and finally onto Marine Parade to his destination finishing by 11.15am.
Heke previously challenged himself in March to run to the top of Te Mata Peak in stilettos dressed as his drag persona Miss Coulee as a fundraiser for the Cancer Society.
“I found it way harder than Te Mata Peak, maybe it was because of the heels I had worn - I had different heels this time.”
He said he completed this run as himself rather than as Miss Coulee, something he felt was more appropriate for the cause he was fundraising for.
“This is only just the beginning, and we are only just starting to break society’s expectations of what a man is supposed to be and breaking this toxic masculinity - it’s okay to be seen as vulnerable and it’s okay to cry.”
Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and loves sharing stories about farming and rural communities.
