Kurtis Winda and Tyler Krushen are using a marathon and an online platform to encourage men in Alberta’s oil and gas industry to speak openly about mental health. The two oilfield workers created Run the Patch, where men can share their experiences, and will run the 2027 Calgary Marathon on May 30 to raise awareness.

Winda worked in the oilfield for 15 years and said he loves the industry, which he described as tough. Long hours and isolation from friends and family can add pressure, he said, and he has seen those conditions contribute to mental health struggles and addiction among men, including himself.

“They think that they’ve got to hold everything in, and when you’re placed with a bunch of men on one rig or or one job site or whatever, it gets worse,” Winda said. He said seeing men share vulnerable experiences can encourage others to do the same and challenge the expectation that men must keep their difficulties private.

A 2021 report found that fly-in, fly-out workers in Alberta’s oilsands had poorer mental health than the general population. Workers reported more work-related stress, relationship strain and loneliness.

Krushen entered the oilfield 12 years ago as a young man. He described the change as a “shock to the system” and said the work and expectations affected him early in his career.

“I went from being a kid to having to be a man right away,” Krushen said. “It was very demanding and I started to struggle with drugs and alcohol at a young age.” He said he had been taught to “man up” and keep his struggles to himself, adding: “There’s that alpha male mentality on site … and sometimes it gets to you.”

The pair launched Run the Patch to counter that stigma through a social media account and blog. They began by sharing their own experiences, hoping other oilfield workers would feel able to open up. The project is on Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok.

“It’s a tough pill to swallow when you put yourself out there, but it’s been pretty cool to have people reach out and thank us for what we’re doing,” Krushen said. “I struggled for years and maybe someone younger doesn’t have to go through that because they can learn from my mistakes.”

Winda said their example could help others speak up. “It raises awareness that if he’s talking about vulnerable things then there’s no reason why I can’t talk about this sort of stuff,” he said. “It’s breaking that view on men having to hold everything in. And seeing other guys do it, I think, it’s going to open up a lot of doors.”

The running partners recently spoke with Ken Kidder, a former rig hand who founded the counselling clinic Chris’s Place after a friend died by suicide in 2021. In an interview posted Friday, Kidder described the consequences he witnessed among oilfield workers. “People really pushed it to the f***, fight and trip pipe to the extreme,” he said. “I did watch a lot of people go down the bad road.”

Krushen credits endurance sports and running with helping him change his life for the better. Winda said he is less enthusiastic about the 42.2-kilometre race. “I don’t enjoy running,” Winda said. Krushen joked, “I’m excited to watch Curtis suffer,” before explaining that he wants the pair to show other workers that ordinary people from the oilfield care and want their message to be heard. CTV News Edmonton’s Curtis Goodrum contributed to the report.

Based on reporting by CTV News Edmonton.