Simon Adams holding an image of himself and his son Jordy, who drowned in 2021. Photo / Alyssa Smith
Even the most confident swimmers can make the wrong decisions around New Zealand’s waters.
That’s the message of grieving father Simon Adams as he raises awareness about water safety in honour of his son Jordy Adams, who drowned in a river.
Adams plans to run four full marathons in May, one every Saturday, starting in Rotorua next weekend.
Adams said he decided to run the marathons to ensure people took notice of the reason behind his mission.
The Taranaki farmer said Jordy was a good swimmer.
“He was confident around the water and still made a wrong choice jumping into the river.
“I think a lot of drownings in New Zealand happen [because of] simple things, like not putting on a life jacket or not worrying about weather conditions, and jumping straight into the water.”
Jordy was 18 when he drowned on November 13, 2021 in the Waiwhakaiho River in Taranaki. Two of his friends escaped the water, but Jordy’s body was found an hour later.
Adams was at home when he received a call from the police saying Jordy was missing.
“It was a worst nightmare, really.”
The weeks after Jordy’s death were devastating for the family and a “massive shock initially”.
Adams said Jordy was outgoing, kind, thoughtful and social, with “heaps of friends”. Jordy also played for the Taranaki Coastal Rugby Club.
Swimming was among his many outdoor hobbies, including water skiing and playing a range of sports.
“We’d climbed to the top of [Mt Taranaki] twice together; we would go water skiing out on the lake.
“He lived life to the full. He really did. It was quite amazing how much he packed into 18 years, which means there are lots of memories to hang on to.
“At the same time, it’s a double-edged sword, with so much potential that he never got to live out.”
Adams has set up a Givealittle page called “Marathon May For Beach Education”, aiming to raise $10,000 for Surf Life Saving New Zealand’s Beach Education programme teaching primary school-aged children about keeping themselves safe at the beach.
Adams said running was his hobby, but he had only run one marathon before and it was “bloody hard”. He said he was feeling excited and nervous, but had been training for the past four months in preparation.
Managing his grief through running had given the marathons another purpose.
“It’s a good way to keep the mind positive.”
He hoped the funds raised would educate the next generation of children and ultimately prevent another family from experiencing a similar situation.
Surf Life Saving New Zealand education manager Belinda Slement said Marathon May was “amazing” and showed Adam’s commitment to raising awareness for water safety education.
“Running a marathon every week is no easy feat, but this challenge and the funding that will be raised will have a direct impact on children.”
She said the funding would build tamariki knowledge and experience with water safety education in New Zealand, to help prevent future drownings.
“Drownings can occur in any body of water, regardless of size or depth.”
The Rotorua Marathon starts next Saturday at 8am. It is run by Athletics New Zealand.
Athletics New Zealand competition manager Jason Cameron said it had received more than 3300 entries across the marathon’s seven events.
He said the 59th edition of the Rotorua Marathon “promises to be very special” with the introduction of three new events, including The Museum Mile, RampRun and Runway5.
“We are confident all our entrants will enjoy a wonderful running experience in one of New Zealand’s iconic tourist destinations.”
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Roads will be progressively opened behind athletes.
Source: Rotorua Lakes Council.
Rotorua Airport and Air NZ say they are working to address challenges.