Adam Sommerville is the recepient of the 2023 Nutri-Grain IRONMAN New Zealand Tony Jackson Scholarship. Photo / Supplied
Adam Sommerville is the recepient of the 2023 Nutri-Grain IRONMAN New Zealand Tony Jackson Scholarship. Photo / Supplied
Aucklander Adam Sommerville is preparing to take on his long-term goal of completing the 2023 Nutri-Grain Ironman New Zealand on Saturday with the support of the Tony Jackson Scholarship – a goal that helped him rediscover his purpose and rebuild his life.
Two years ago, on January 7, 2021, Adam decided that he was going to take his life. He got out of bed at 2.30am, jumped in his car and drove to his favourite Auckland beach.
“I was fighting a bigger battle in my own mind than I think anybody around me could understand. It got to the point where so much had gone on and I felt like there was too much to unpack upon somebody. I didn’t want to be a burden,” said Adam.
He remembers sitting on the beach in the darkness, listening to the waves, and feeling nothing. It was at that moment that a notification on his phone popped up and pulled him away from the darkness.
“It was something silly, like someone had liked a photo. I thought, I need to try one last thing before I take this permanent decision. So I sent a text to 1737, the Help Crisis line, and I literally just said, ‘I need help’.”
Within a minute Adam received a call from a counsellor, and he sat there on the phone for two hours.
“To have that in-depth conversation and to have them ask the right questions at the right time – it saved my life. They understood the demons I was fighting and after that phone call it felt like the weight had just been pulled off my chest,” he said.
The counsellor encouraged Adam to dig into what made him happy and asked him to set realistic micro goals for the next three days to try and change his mindset and give him something to look forward to. Adam was also asked if he had any larger goals.
“That night on the beach I promised this person I would complete an Ironman. It had always been a dream of mine, but after three consecutive knee surgeries I felt like this was impossible,” he said.
Adam Sommerville is the recepient of the 2023 Nutri-Grain IRONMAN New Zealand Tony Jackson Scholarship. Photo / Supplied
“That night they said to me, ‘what if it could turn out better than you could possibly imagine?’ It all started from there, the long road that has led me to this point now.”
Between today and that night on the beach, Adam has attended many counselling sessions, worked with a life coach, and fully thrown himself into the world of Ironman.
“I’ve just really been tucking into the world of Ironman and the sport itself and trying to use that journey through my training and kind of portraying both sides of it. Showing the successes of it, doing cool stuff like being able to swim in the ocean on a nice, calm, flat day and think about when things don’t go right, life looks less terrible while you’re out there,” said Adam.
On Saturday, March 4 in Taupō, Adam will be taking part in his first Ironman with the support of the Tony Jackson Scholarship, which was created in memory of Tony Jackson, an Ironman New Zealand 28-time finisher and Hall of Fame member. The scholarship acknowledges Tony’s outstanding contribution to Ironman and continues his passion of encouraging, helping, inspiring and motivating athletes to achieve their goals regardless of their ability or background.
“Through my journey with mental health and battling back from the edge, I have tried to use it in a positive way to try and impact those around me who may be battling similar demons. To inspire conversations, to help those struggling seek help, to let them know it’s okay to not be okay - through showing that although we are in a dark place, we can work our way out to achieve anything we want,” said Adam.
“An Ironman is such a mentally challenging task and I wanted to use this as a vehicle to show how far I’ve come. I feel there sits a synergy and correlation between Tony Jackson’s values in life. That is why I have applied for this scholarship, to help add my energy to carry on this incredible movement Tony has started.”
Verna Cook-Jackson said Adam was an embodiment of the Tony Jackson Scholarship.
“Adam has had his own personal setbacks, and the bravest part of his journey has been his being upfront and talking about them to others,” said Verna. “For Adam, sport, most particularly triathlon, was a goal that gave him focus, and inspiration. Tony would have greatly admired that. He would have shaken his hand, given him a hug and asked, ‘how can I help you mate?’
“Seeing Adam at the start line of the event on 4 March, under the banner of the Tony Jackson Scholarship, with the goal of sending a message to other Kiwi males that he has battled from despair and is achieving, will mean Tony’s enduring message he was renown to quote to so many, that ‘nothing is impossible, to the willing mind’ lives on and for me, it means Tony is still doing his Ironman events, he is still competing, still inspiring.”
Adam hopes to use his training for and participation in the 2023 Nutri-Grain Ironman New Zealand as a catalyst to create conversation and change for men’s mental health.
“Every time I head out to train or post about the mayhem that is Ironman training it’s to show those that life is a rollercoaster and it’s not easy, but if we put our head down and are willing to give it a try, we will get there, step by step. We have all have our bad days, but we learn from them and help create more good days. I’ve really tried to implement this philosophy into my everyday life.
“Hopefully, with completion of the Ironman I can inspire a few more that there is a way to come from rock bottom to on top of the world,” said Adam.
The 2023 Tony Jackson Scholarship includes:
Entry into the 2023 Nutri-Grain Ironman New Zealand
Two nights’ accommodation in Taupō prior to the event for training
Safe to talk (sexual harm): Call 0800 044 334 or text 4334
All services are free and available 24/7 unless otherwise specified.
For more information and support, talk to your local doctor, hauora, community mental health team, or counselling service. The Mental Health Foundation has more helplines and service contacts on its website.
