Austin Man Walked 2,500 Miles To Raise Awareness For Mental Health

What began in southeast Austin ended 2,500 miles later in Oregon City — and along the way, it became a public reckoning with grief, stigma, and survival. Austin resident Alex Bradley has returned home after completing a 2,560-mile walk to honor his best friend, AJ Johnson, and to raise awareness about suicide prevention and men’s mental health. “This isn’t just a walk,” [Bradley told](https://www.kxan.com/news/simplehealth/2500-miles-for-mental-health-austin-man-shares-emotional-journey/) KXAN before setting out. “It’s a revolution against silence, stigma, and suicide.”

For KXAN, Jose Torres reports that Bradley began the journey in late August, walking from Austin to Oregon City — the place where Johnson died by suicide. Along the way, Bradley described the physical toll and emotional weight of “so many obstacles that came forward,” adding that AJ “was with me every step of the way.” The walk unfolded against a stark national backdrop: according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one person died by suicide every 11 minutes in 2023, with suicides among men nearly four times higher than among women. In a separate FOX 7 Austin [report](https://www.fox7austin.com/news/austin-man-walking-2500-miles-raise-mental-health-awareness-honor-best-friend), Bradley said the effort grew out of years of searching for purpose after his friend’s death: “This is about more than running. It’s about being human. Showing up. And taking the next step — even when it hurts.” He now plans to continue the work locally and nationally through his Next Step Movement, using the journey as a platform to push conversations — especially among men — into the open.