A 29-Year-Old Auckland man has become the first person to run and hike the length of Aotearoa and back via the Te Araroa Trail all in the name of men’s mental health.
Stefan Ozich, set out on October 1st 2024 to raise funds and awareness for men’s mental health for the charity, The Last Chance Project.
It was personal for Ozich as he unfortunately lost his brother and a close friend to suicide in recent years.
Ozich said it felt “surreal” to have achieved his goal.
“Relieved, grateful and very, very overwhelmed, it was definitely an emotional explosion, let’s put it that way.” he said as he was greeted by friends and family at the Cape Reinga lighthouse as he finished.
“But also just thinking about Jerome and just knowing that he’s not there. But he was there, in a way. And I’ve done it, bro.”
Ozich has previously completed Ironman, half-Ironman, and 100-mile ultra marathons but he said after crossing the finish line it was the most relieved he’s ever felt.
After battling unrelenting winds, torrential rain, freezing cold and thinking that he was going to die his plans now include plenty of food, good food, and a contrast of physical therapies to stop his muscles from seizing.
Ozich is already looking forward to his next challenge which includes a race in March then another later in the year.
He has managed to hit just $222,867 of his $1m fundraising goal, Ozich was awed by the generosity of those who donated.
“It’s amazing. It goes to show that when people care for something that’s bigger than them, they give what they can and that’s all I ask of them.”
For Ozich, the goal wasn’t just to raise money but to start conversations around mental health.
“This is where the Last Chance Project comes in, we can foster that and allow that in a safe environment where other men are feeling the same way, and it’s like, ‘Oh, it’s okay to have these emotions, feelings, thoughts and it’s all good, and I’ve got something to offer, and this is a valuable thing’.”
Photo Credit: Croatia Week