Acknowledging help that counted

Shawn Letham is going more than the extra mile to honour a friend who helped him through a tough patch in his life.

The Edendale man will run 84 laps of the Edendale Rugby Club grounds on Saturday in memory of his friend Sam Brown, who took his own life earlier this year.

Edendale man Shawn Letham has been in training to run 42km at the town’s rugby grounds, some of the way in his gumboots, to raise money for the charity Gumboot Friday in honour of a friend who died earlier this year. PHOTO: SANDY EGGLESTON

He will cover 42km, which is the same length as a marathon, and will also raise money for Gumboot Friday.

Mr Letham (37) said he met Mr Brown through mutual friends when they were young.

After Mr Letham met his partner, Rebecca Musson, and Mr Brown moved away from Southland to study at university they stayed in touch.

‘‘He had a knack for showing up at the right time,’’ Miss Musson said.

After he graduated from university Mr Brown was employed as a counsellor in a Christchurch school but enjoyed coming back south.

‘‘When he came to me he let his hair down,’’ Mr Letham said.

Three years ago when Mr Letham was going through a hard time, he asked Mr Brown for help.

Over many visits the pair talked for hours and spent time working out.

‘‘He put me through the ringer, opened my eyes back up.’’

‘‘Slowly but surely I managed to become level again.’’

Mr Letham decided to run 42km because his friend ran ultramarathons but also it would have been his 42nd birthday in December.

While he had always jogged he had stepped up his training in the past three months.

Supporting Gumboot Friday, which was a charity that raised money to provide counselling for young people, was one way he could repay his friend for the help he had given him, Mr Letham said.

‘‘I’m no brainiac but I know how to run.

‘‘The only way I can help is to run.’’

Mr Brown had worked with many people but young people had a soft place in his heart.

‘‘He was about the kids.’’

Men, in particular seemed to struggle with mental health issues, Miss Musson said.

‘‘There is such a stigma behind men expressing their feelings and asking for help because they’re in this mindset they’ve got to be a bigger person; they’ve got to look after everyone else.

‘‘Even if this run helps one person it is something that has been achieved.’’