Stefan Ozich will run through Invercargill to Bluff this weekend on the south-bound leg of his double-run of the country along Te Araroa trail.
He said it felt amazing to have reached the Southernmost region in New Zealand by foot.
The "hard grassroots work ethic" of Southland was inspiring for him.
Like farmers, Mr Ozich had to show up no matter the circumstances and run about 60km every day for the past two months.
"I think about the farmers that take up a lot of the land here ... they have to wake up at 3am/4am and work, they don’t have sick days."
It required mental toughness and he could not give into his emotions too much while doing the run.
"Every day without fail, I just don’t want to run, I’m so tired.
"I want to sleep in, I want a day off, I want a massage, I want to go to the spa, I want to get therapy.
"But I can’t, I’ve got a task to do and it doesn’t matter how I’m feeling."
He constantly had to remind himself of the "why" behind his mission.
Mr Ozich decided to embark on the 6000km run after experiencing first-hand the lack of resources available for men struggling with their mental health when his brother Jerome took his own life.
"Jerome took his life last year and that was the final straw."
A close friend of Mr Ozich had also taken his life a year before his brother did and he wanted to make sure things changed in the mental health sector in New Zealand.
There was not a clear idea of what a healthy man looked like physically, mentally and spiritually.
"There is not enough awareness around diet in this country, especially from a health sector standpoint."
There was a lack of respite centres and access to different forms of therapy for his brother before his death and for other men specifically in New Zealand.
He said people needed to "put their money where their mouth is" and donate to the cause if they were sick of seeing the men in their lives struggle and go without help.
The $1m raised from his mission would go to men’s mental health charity The Last Chance Project that solely focused on men’s wellbeing.
Mr Ozich said nothing could be done alone and community was a big part of staying on top of your mental health.
He welcomed Southlanders to join him on his run this weekend.
"This whole thing isn’t a one-man mission, it’s a team mission but ideally it’s a national mission because s... needs to change in the mental health sector for men drastically."
He was looking forward to having a day off in Invercargill and getting a massage before continuing his journey back up to Cape Reinga.
