As an endurance runner, Stefan Ozich has completed several Ironman and half Ironman runs. Photo / Supplied
As an endurance runner, Stefan Ozich has completed several Ironman and half Ironman runs. Photo / Supplied
Warning: This story references mental health issues and suicide. Please take care.
Endurance athlete Stefan Ozich, 29, has completed Ironman, half Ironman and 100-mile ultra-marathons over the past four years. Next month, he will embark on his biggest challenge yet - running the length of Aotearoa on the Te Araroa Trail and back, a total of 6000km, to raise funds for men’s mental health charity the Last Chance Project. Here, he tells the Herald how two heartbreaking losses inspired him to attempt the record-breaking run.
Auckland-based endurance runner Stefan Ozich is setting out to accomplish something that’s never been done before - running and hiking the length of New Zealand and back on the rugged Te Araroa trail.
He’s aiming to raise $1m on Givealittle for the charity the Last Chance Project for men’s mental health. It’s a cause that hits close to home for Ozich - his brother took his own life last year, and prior to that, Ozich also lost a good friend to suicide.
“I started thinking about it around 2022 [when] one of my close friends actually took his life,” he tells the Herald.
In New Zealand, men are more than twice as likely to take their own lives as women, according to the Ministry of Health, and are less likely to ask for help with their mental health, according to the Mental Health Foundation.
“There’s the idea that it may come across as a form of weakness,” Ozich says.
“But I think it also comes from this kind of unsaid responsibility that’s placed upon men in this day and age.”
Even in 2024, men face the pressures and expectations of being successful, self-reliant, and providing for their families, he says.
“You’ve got to be a good father, and in the case of having a partner, being a good partner ... there’s that degree of stoicism in a sense where they’re unable to articulate themselves.”
Stefan Ozich will run the length of the Te Araroa trail twice to raise awareness and funds for men's mental health. Photo / Supplied
Being able to talk about it isn’t enough - while his own brother was able to share openly about his struggles, “he still felt there was that burden and that there wasn’t any more support,” he says.
“I think there’s this confusion and misconception that men develop because we’re actually more sensitive than we like to believe.”
At the same time, traditionally “masculine” characteristics are often seen as a negative thing - which can leave men feeling that they have no way of expressing themselves, Ozich says.
“This is where 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’,” he explains.
The Last Chance Project aims to offer mental health help and support to men of all ages, in personal, school or workplace settings.
To raise funds for the charity, Ozich is set to embark on the challenge on October 1, running from Cape Reinga to Bluff and back over the course of 100 days or so.
To prepare, he’s undertaken a higher volume of training, including strength training, biking, and hiking with a weighted backpack. The Te Araroa trail involves running some of the country’s roughest terrain and kayaking down the Whanganui River on the southbound trail.
But the toughest part won’t be the physical toll or the exhaustion, he says.
“I think the mind can get very impatient. The physical component, that’s inevitable, that’s kind of a no-brainer. I’m acutely aware of that. But I think the one that will get me is just looking too far ahead. You just gotta be present in the moment, that will be the hard part.”
That’s where his crew will come in - a group of people who have “lovingly gifted their life for the next three and a half months”, which he adds is “pretty amazing”.
Ozich will share updates on social media along the way to encourage people to support the cause. He’s expecting to reach Auckland by Christmas Day and is planning for him and his crew to stop and spend the holiday with their families.
He doesn’t have a specific date in mind for completing the run but expects it will be in early January. How will it feel to cross the finish line and achieve his funding goal?
“The gratitude will be massive,” he says, adding that it will be just the beginning.
“Let’s start using this money now to make a difference. Let’s really start to get into the communities. I think with that sort of money, things could start happening. It’s the optimism to see things start to change.”
Ozich wants to encourage Kiwi men to take stock of their lives and their own mental health and ask themselves how they’re really doing.
“The next question would be, ‘Am I willing to make this change?’ and that’s where things start to get very deep. Start to seek out the help and find your peers, speak to your friends.
“We’re stronger than we think. You’re strong and you choose your own hard,” he says.
“That’s a big part of my path as well, is choosing your own hard. It’s inevitable, but if you choose it yourself, you’re willingly going into that place of discomfort, and that’s a form of strength and accountability that no one can give you.”
According to the Mental Health Foundation, men can struggle to recognise their own symptoms of depression as it can present differently than in women. It can manifest as fatigue, restlessness, feelings of isolation, difficulty sleeping, or changes in appetite and weight.
A family history of depression, health or relationship problems, work or financial stress, and major life changes can all be factors.
If you or someone you know is experiencing difficulties with their mental health, talk to your GP and reach out to your friends and family for help.
