Simon Adams is a dairy farmer from Taranaki who has just completed an astonishing feat: running four marathons in one month.
He did it to raise awareness and money for Surf Lifesaving NZ, a charity that provides beach education and rescue services. The farmer's motivation is personal and tragic: his 18-year-old son Jordy drowned in a swollen river in 2021.
"Jordy was really outgoing. He was kind, friendly, he had heaps of mates. If it was outdoors, he was into it. He really touched a lot of people's lives," he said.
Jordy was with his friends at the Waiwhakaiho River when he decided to jump in for a second time. The current caught him and swept him away.
"That's when the phone call came through to us," he said. "It wasn't too much longer after that they told us they'd found him."
He now wants to prevent further drownings in the future, starting by helping others form good habits around the water.
"The real easy things, like putting on a lifejacket, checking conditions, the small things like that."
Simon started his Marathon May challenge at the beginning of the month and has run a different route every weekend. He finished with the hardest one: starting where Jordy jumped into the river and following it down to where he was found.
"I'm still incredibly grateful that we got him back."
Adams told Seven Sharp that he didn't have to do it alone — with friends, football mates and farmers joining him along the way.
"That has made it so cool. This is just another way to remember Jordy and learn from what happened."
Simon has a Givealittle page where people can donate to his cause. He hopes to hand over the cheque to Surf Lifesaving NZ at the end of the month.
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