Mr Paton, a director at Ray White Marion in Adelaide, has struggled with mental health issues including low moods, stress and anxiety, since he was in his 20s and said running helped him cope.
On 13 July, Mr Paton will embark on a 85km run from Middleton to Glenelg, which is set to be his “biggest ever physical challenge”.
He is doing the run to promote mental health awareness and to raise funds for the Black Dog Institute, a mental health organisation.
“I had my first bout of depression in my mid-20s and it was around this time that I really dove into running, using it as a regular tool to remain positive and stay on top of my challenges,” Mr Paton said.
With the busy life he leads with work and four children under the age of five, including a set of twins born last year, Mr Paton said most of his training was done at night or very early in the morning.
“This run represents the long road that so many walk everyday, often quietly and often alone,” Mr Paton said.
“It’s tough, it’s isolating, and it takes everything you’ve got.
“By donating you will be supporting the Black Dog Institute’s incredible work in research, early intervention, education and support services, helping to improve the lives of people living with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and suicide risk.”
When I first started in real estate, I worked 80 hours per week, Mr Paton said.
“I was hungry and worked as much as I could. This ensured I had a reasonable level of success quite quickly, but it also meant that I danced with burnout.
“When my daughter Poppy was born, we were doing between 95-110 deals per year and this provided a really comfortable level of income for us.
“I decided at that point in time that I didn’t really need to earn more money but I did need more time to spend helping out at home, and spending time with my kids.”
He said: “Over the past five to six years, all the tweaks and improvements I have made in my business have allowed me to sell the same number of homes each year, provide the same level of excellent service, and have more time to spend with my family”.
“I’ve been fortunate to work with some extremely caring people during my time at Ray White,” said Mr Paton, who has become one of South Australia’s top agents.
After a high achieving eight-year career in the Royal Australian Navy, Mr Paton has worked at Ray White since 2016, and felt proud to open his own business (Ray White Marion) last year.
“The navy was challenging because of the time away from home, the management style of supervisors, the lack of freedom and control I had,” Mr Paton said.
“But there was a lot of good stuff as well. The friendships I formed, the life experience, the travel, the discipline and structure I learned.”
Mr Paton is encouraging others to be vulnerable and open about what they are going through in life.
“Trying to cope by yourself is far more difficult than if you have support around you,” he said.
Mr Paton said it wasn’t just running that made him feel positive.
“My wife Kate and kids Poppy, Max, Fred and Darcy, give me the greatest purpose and motivation in life and running,” he said.
“I talk to friends and family, I eat sweet treats, I do online shopping, lego, colouring in and journaling too.”
He said he was excited for his upcoming run, having already clocked more than 1500km this year, thanks to his running coach Ben Groth from Run The North and nutritionist Kate Feeley from Fitness With Food.
