Jon Nabbs: Kiwi runner aims to run from Bluff to Cape Reinga to fundraise for Child Cancer Foundation

The Kiwi ultra-runner who managed to work his way through Canada has got his sights set on tackling New Zealand.

Earlier this year, Jon Nabbs completed a 305-day, 7351km run across the entire width of Canada, solo and unsupported, to raise money for the Child Cancer Foundation.

Nabbs says he expects to complete this endeavour in 35 days, while setting a Guinness World Record in the process.

"I'm so chuffed that I've had the energy to do so - it might just seem like a bit of a wally run in a Superman suit, but when I actually meet people in person, it really does seem to bring something to them."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudgin
from News Talks EDB.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Right now, though here on the Sunday Session, we're quite
invested in the adventures of Kiwe John Nabs. You may
remember we've spoken to him a couple of times as
he made his way running across Canada dressed as Superman.
John knocked off Canada in three hundred and five days,
running nearly eight thousand kilometers, and now he's almost run
the length of New Zealand. He started in Bluff and
mid May, he's expected in Cape Rianga tomorrow and all

(00:36):
of this raising funds for child cancer. And he joins me, now,
so nice to catch up.

Speaker 3 (00:40):
Good morning morning, don't me on.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
I'm good. Are we where we? Where you? Where are
we holding you up? Are you on the road yet?

Speaker 3 (00:50):
I am yeah, I'm I've just come away from the
road to fine little patch of good reception. I'm just
outside of mang and Nui, way up north with the
famous fish and chip shop.

Speaker 2 (00:59):
Oh are they open?

Speaker 3 (01:02):
Stop?

Speaker 2 (01:02):
Fuel up?

Speaker 3 (01:05):
I know this time of the morning, I think that
they wouldn't sit very well in the stomach, so I'll
have to stop on the way back down.

Speaker 2 (01:11):
Okay, so what day are you on? How are you going?

Speaker 3 (01:15):
Today is day thirty five and tracking really well, that
is with three days of stoppage to day. I stopped
for a day when I visited Starship Children's Hospital in Auckland.
In another two days actually stopping in crash Church for
similar visits at the Child Cancer Foundation down there. So yeah,

(01:36):
day thirty five, it's my thirty second day of running
and we are on track to the lighthouse off that
kept laying it. Tomorrow at three pm. That'll be especially
it'll be thirty five days and seven hours and it
should be a new Guinness WUD record.

Speaker 2 (01:51):
Fantastic. So what on earth possessed you to do this?
After Canada?

Speaker 3 (01:57):
I wanted to to bring you know, it was it
was so much fun. It seemed to get so much
support over there in Canada, and then I you know,
if a lot of people that were going along back
here in New Zealand, it seemed, you know, family and

(02:18):
friends and stuff were really invested in it. They really
loved the journey. But outside of that, you know, it
was just sort of happening in the abstract over on
the other side of the world. So I want to
do those same hospital visits and and sort of bring
this fun adventure into people's lives here a little bit
more on the ground here at home. And it's been

(02:41):
so fun. I'm so tough that I've sort of had
the energy to do so. And you know, just it
might just seem like a bit of a bit of
a wally running along the road in the Superman suit,
but when I actually, you know, meet people in person,
it really does seem to bring something to them. It
really enlivens them and inspires them. And it's it's so
neat to be able to do that at home for

(03:01):
my for my own country.

Speaker 2 (03:03):
Oh, I'm glad the reception has been good. Hey, how
is the Superman costume holding up? I did hear it
got a bit heavy with all that rain?

Speaker 3 (03:11):
Absolutely? Yeah, so a couple of days ago. I've had
a dream run of weather since about Rolston, just outside
of crist here. But yeah, the north sort of turned
on the taps when I ride into Fun the other day. Yeah,
we're the warnings of Superman suit is you know, all
the little fake muscles on the Superman suit, they're all
made out of cotton cotton balls, And so when it raised,

(03:34):
it gets absolutely saturated, like really really heavy, and it
all sticks to your body, you know, it's a full
body suit. So yeah, incredibly uncomfortable. Actually I didn't run
in it yesterday just because of that because it was
just very, very hard working. But now it's going okay,
it's probably on its last legs. It's the same suit

(03:56):
I've had since Toronto in Ontario when I was run
through Canada. Probably it's probably done. Would have done, would
have done four thousand k's with me over there and
now two thousand here, so it's it's done.

Speaker 2 (04:06):
A good, poor, very sustainable approach to this run. Hey,
how's the fundraising.

Speaker 1 (04:15):
Going really well?

Speaker 3 (04:17):
Yeah here for the fundraising campaign for the chart Cancer
Foundation of New Zealand is just over forty thousand, and
that's in a that's just we don't really have a
huge professional team behind me. It's it's just me running
along doing social media videos and a couple of kind
people helping behind the scenes. So yeah, chaffed with that.

(04:39):
And yeah I stopped and and visited the foundation and
Chrish each and again in Auckland when I came through
three or four days ago. And yeah, it's a it's
a special bunch of people doing a special bunch of work.
So I'm just chuffed with the fundraising results.

Speaker 2 (04:53):
So if people want to find you John and follow you,
where do they go?

Speaker 3 (04:58):
The best place people can follow along is on Instagram
and they can find me there just John j O M.
Got in a PBS it's just John dot nabs, just
my name, and also my website John nabs dot com
a really easy way as well. If it's you can
also just google who's the Quei fellow that run across

(05:22):
Canada or it usually pops up with my smiling face there,
so it's an easy way to find it as well.

Speaker 2 (05:28):
Oh brilliant. Hey look take care, enjoy that finish line
tomorrow at three pm and well done on another epic run.
And John's website there has the fundraising details if you're interested.

Speaker 1 (05:41):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudken, listen
live to News Talks it'd be from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio