But not this year. October 31 marks the end of a more than 1000-kilometre run from Port Augusta, in South Australia, to Bendigo Racecourse.

“It's a big honour to actually run here on Bendigo Cup Day when there's going to be about 10,000 people here,” Joel said.

Herd to Bendigo will come to an end the instant the 32-year-old Bendigo man passes the post.

The fundraising event has been inspired by the hardships endured by dairy farmers in recent years.

Joel was exposed to the heartbreak of plummeting milk prices and devastating droughts through a friend.

Laura Hough’s parents have a dairy farm in Deniliquin.

“They've back milking now but when the milk crisis hit of Murray Goulburn just completely slashing the prices Mum and Dad had to sell their whole herd,” Laura said.

“They were looking at, I think it was, losing around $70,000 in the first year if they were to continue milking the way it was going.”

Kathleen and David Johnston sold off about 200 cows, only to find they had no option but to go back to milking.

“There's just not a lot of farm work around and when they've still got family living at home you need to put food on the table so they needed an income again,” Laura said.

“So they’ve now got another herd, which is doing okay, but times are tough, especially with the drought.”

Laura said drought was the greatest challenge for dairy farmers like her parents in Deniliquin at the moment.

“There's just no water and the cost of water up there is just so expensive,” she said.

“They've looking at not being able to have much water soon because they can’t afford it, and there’s no rain in sight.”

Aussie Helpers is the Herd to Bendigo’s charity of choice. 

The Queensland-based charity exists to assist farming families.

Initiatives include the Aussie Helpers Virtual Psychologist, a 24-hour counselling service available free to drought-affected farmers via SMS, chat, email and telephone.

“They do a lot of work for farmers in regional areas that just have no water and no help,” Laura said of Aussie Helpers.

For Joel, seeing his friend of almost 10 years and her family dealing with the stress associated with the dairy crisis prompted action.

He felt a need to raise support and awareness for those who were doing it tough.

“Done it for one mate, do it for another,” Joel said.

The Bendigo man made headlines in 2015 after he embarked on a run from Sydney to Kyneton in memory of his best friend’s father, Peter Connor snr. 

Joel’s efforts raised more than $28,000 for Cancer Council Victoria.

That run was about three-quarters of the length of the 29-day run upon which Joel will embark on October 2.

“I wasn’t going to do another one but seeing Laura go through that I went, ‘Why not do it for her?’” he said.

Joel’s training regime is well underway.

”At the moment I run 100 kilometres a week,” he said.

He’s aiming to step it up to 160 kilometres a week before he embarks on Herd to Bendigo.

“My body is the best it’s ever been thanks to my team,” Joel said.

Laura said her friend had ‘done a bit of a Forrest Gump’ in the way he had taken to running.

Peter Connor snr’s death made Joel consider the state of his own health.

“I lost 40 kilograms and then started running,” Joel said.

“I just ran, ran, ran, ran, ran.”

To support Herd to Bendigo, visit the Aussie Helpers website: aussiehelpers.org.au/donations/

Remember to quote ‘Herd to Bendigo’ in the donation so it is counted in the tally for the event.