Movember Stories: Ultra-Athlete Stephen Lang on the Power of Vulnerability

MOVEMBER & SHARP

“Being a man of more words means you’re willing to actually open up and ask for help. It is okay to not be okay. I’m proud to share my life story in order to give people hope and encouragement to say, ‘I have challenges, but I can still work through these challenges in order to be successful in life.’ I don’t want anyone to suffer in silence. Asking for help and speaking up about challenges in our lives makes everything else easier. It’s not about being too proud or feeling that it’s a weakness. It’s not a weakness, it’s a strength.”

Ultra-athlete Stephen Lang has joined forces with Movember to raise awareness of the global crisis facing men’s mental health. Lang is a professional ultra-athlete and adventurer based in North Vancouver BC. He was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at age 11 but it has not slowed him down. However, in a new video with Movember, the athlete reveals that for years, he hid the toll it was taking on his mental health in order to avoid appearing what he considered at the time “weak” or “unmanly.”

It’s an unfortunate reality for many Canadian men. According to a 2019 Movember-funded research, half of young men have avoided talking about their feelings because they don’t want to appear less of a man.

“We are often too proud and want to push through everything on our own. And don’t want to admit when we are struggling or dealing with something in our lives that we actually need help with.”

This year, Stephen is taking on Movember’s Mo Your Own Way fundraising challenge, a choose-your-own adventure, raising much-needed funds and awareness for men’s physical and mental health through the month of November.

“The goal is to move 1000 km and 1,000,000 steps by the use of my feet. I want to include the use of sports that lay outside my comfort zone, so I am open to having other athletes’ team up with me to discover something new. I have built in a 10-day buffer in case of any issues with illness, diabetes, or injuries that need a rest day. So technically, I will achieve the goal in 20 days.”

Join Stephen in raising much needed funds and awareness for men’s metal health. Sign up now at movember.com and donate to or Sharp’s Mo Space.

Lead image: Noel Hendrickson