Just a few months ago, Stefan Ozich completed The Long Path. This was an endurance challenge as much about mental fortitude as physical strength.
In this raw and honest conversation, we catch up with him to reflect on what it took to get to the finish line, the injuries and insights along the way, and what comes next after completing a feat that no one else has done before.
This isn’t just a story about running. It’s a story about resistance, discipline, and what it really means to keep going.
MN: Stefan, you did it! It felt like only yesterday we were watching you make those last few steps to touch the Cape Reinga pole. 20,000km, 20 pairs of shoes, rain, heat, cyclone's, you've been through it all. We'd love to all know, what did it felt like crossing the finish line?
SO: It felt so surreal. Bittersweet in a sense. Like the relief of getting it done and the joy of having completed it, while also somewhat releasing all that work, all those days, all that time, has come to an end. Very mixed emotions.
MN: Reflecting on the journey, what mental and physical challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?
SO: I encountered mental barriers every day. These were commonplace. Generally, it would be the negative self-talk and the unwillingness to start the day. I would overcome these by having very honest conversations with myself. I would really hone into what good this mindset would do for me and also recognise that it was inevitable to have the mind always wanting a way out.
Physically, I was injured by day 2.
This was extremely scary to think about since I had only just begun this 100+ day adventure. I had to really dig into my mental and physical reservoirs to have the courage to continue each day. I recognised I couldn’t think about the week ahead, but just focus on the day ahead. If I could get through that, then I had a chance of getting through it again tomorrow. This sort of injury occurred 2–3 more times on the mission, but I approached it with the same mental framework. Eventually, my body was sort of one big pain body that was manageable.
MN: That sounds... intense. You managed to pull through which is extraordinary. Do you have any highlight or lowlight moments that were particularly memorable or moving for you?
SO: One highlight was when I saw my family on my first length southbound, just outside of Auckland. Having the love of the family, the reconnection, the support, and of course the food that came with it really gave me a recharge. It also reminded me of what I was doing and why I was doing it.
A lowlight would definitely be getting rescued in the Tararua’s. Sam, my pacer, and I set off for one of the three most difficult sections of the whole Te Araroa Trail with very minimal gear. The weather was adverse the day or so leading into the attempt; however, we didn’t adapt accordingly. We thought that moving fast would mean moving light. Because of this, we got caught out in a very severe storm, facing rain, hail, high gusting winds, and even snow… all while 1,400 metres high on an exposed ridge line. The conditions got worse and we managed to find ourselves in a hut.
I became near hypothermic but managed to regulate my temperature.
This led us to pull the pin and alert my SOS signal, a very dire and scary situation where I considered my mortality and whether I would survive. Turns out over 22 people have lost their lives on this exact section of Te Araroa, so it’s a very fortunate but painful lesson to get out alive.
MN: In terms of meeting your food, fuel and nutrition needs, did it go to plan? or did you have to make changes along the way?
SO: It did somewhat. My plan was to meet a certain calorie requirement per day, and I surpassed that most days, which is a good thing I suppose because I adapted to what my body needed. The changes were the plans around what I thought I wouldn’t eat or ended up eating. For example, pasta and bread and fizzy drinks and pies! Very much far removed from food I generally eat in my day-to-day life. I definitely learnt the body thrived on the nutrients. Protein was king for me and it showed up when my body would continue day after day. Having Mitchells protein powder became my staple, along with a lot of fizzy drinks. Definitely not the combination I’d suggest for health and longevity, but it darn worked!!
I also committed to weekly massages and nourished my body with whole, nutrient-dense foods. Plenty of meat, eggs, dairy, and generous servings of potatoes and kumara.
MN: We're glad we could help! Now that the run is complete, what has the recovery process been like for you?
SO: The recovery process was gradual and demanded patience. It took nearly two months before I began to feel any sense of normalcy again. Physically, my feet bore the brunt of the impact, super fragile, as if the bones themselves had been compromised, and with noticeable nerve damage that ruled out methods like ice baths altogether. I placed a strong emphasis on quality sleep, averaging around nine hours each night, which became a cornerstone of my healing.
Mentally and emotionally, the process required a recalibration of pace, surrendering to the body’s timeline and trusting that recovery would come in due course. I also made sure to keep moving! This was essential in my recalibration and allowing my body to catch up to the recovery.
MN: What have been the most challenging vs. most rewarding parts of reintegrating?
SO: By far the emotions and the ‘what next’ question. The emotions being the lows that I didn’t quite expect. You sort of focus so much on the finish and the process that you don’t really have the bandwidth to think of the after. This can become a shock.
I’ve heard of people who become Olympic champions or finally succeed in their life mission and then find an emptiness.
It’s important to know that nothing can really fill that hole except God, in my opinion. So finding peace in the fact it’s not your identity but an aspect of yourself.
Most rewarding has been knowing that I’ve done something no one’s ever done—better yet, knowing I did something that part of me didn’t think was possible. It’s given me a deep urgency to continue on this path and also do bigger and better things on my life journey.
MN: Let's zoom in on the mental health and inner resistance we all face, which was a big focus of this feat. Reflecting on pre-run, during, and now months after, what insights have you gleaned and how are you meeting this resistance now?
SO: It took immense patience, immense faith, and immense trust in the process. Leading into it, during it, and the period once it was over. What I mean is that I did the physical and mental work. There wasn’t anything more to be done. So trusting that, one. Two, was knowing that my reasons were pure and I could lean on my values to help maintain my reasons when I was in constant doubt. Three, was accepting that no matter how often you do something, the mind will always look for the easy way out. It always tries to not do the hard thing. I’ve realised this even to this day.
Despite doing something I thought was impossible, I’ve now found myself still negotiating with the same negative voice and the same voice of resistance. I’ve learnt that 99% of the time, the mind is unhelpful. The 1%—you’ll have to discern—to know the difference between the mind telling you something that’s actually going to get you to where you need to go.
"This journey never ends and we are always having to have deep conversations with ourselves to get us to where we need to go—through and throughout all the hardships of life. Or the seemingly simple things!"
MN: After dedicating so much of yourself to this incredible journey, how have you found the transition back into your daily life?
It was very steady and free-flowing at first, then it became low somewhat. I was encountering low moments and flat moments due to the ‘radio silence’ after the mission ended. Focus was trusting the process and knowing that I had to assimilate so much from the day-to-day approach of being so single-minded. This meant accepting simplicity and redirecting my focus onto recovery, for example.
MN: What practices or routines have you leaned into most during the last 4 months of recovery? How did recovery begin, and what does training/recovery look like now?
SO: Sauna has been very paramount due to the effects it has on the cardiovascular system and muscle recovery. A lot more stretching, as I was extremely tight, and massage. Recovery really began the day after I finished. I was extremely prompt and got the ball rolling straight away to assure quick and adequate recovery.
Training now has been full-on. As I’ve fully recovered since the mission ended, I’ve actually been rebuilding for a race that’s happening on the 26th of April, running 100 miles in Wellington.
Without the conscience and diligence, I wouldn’t have arrived at this point.
MN: Continuation of the mission?
SO: Sort of like all of life, we finish a big goal and we can find patterns in the goal itself bleeding into everything else. I think a lot of my focus is seeing The Long Path as a symbol of life itself. Focusing on something bigger than yourself but having the willingness to work towards it. Day in, day out. Patience is paramount, and this is one of the key takeaways for me on this journey.
MN: What does the rest of the year ahead hold?
SO: I will be competing in a few more races this year, including the 100-miler at the end of April, a sub-3 hour marathon in August, and a 100km in October. I am also currently rebuilding my coaching business, which provides effective and tailored support for aspiring individuals wishing to push for their own goals.
MN: Stefan, thank you. We can't wait to see what 2025 and beyond holds in store for you.
—via SoWell.