The Gumboot Express

Module Overview

When dairy farmer Harjinder Singh Chander isn’t looking after cows, he’s busy running to raise awareness about rural mental health. Here’s why.

Otago dairy farmer Harjinder Singh Chander recently spent 28 hours running 139 laps

of one of Dunedin’s steepest places – Baldwin Street. He ran 104k achieving a total elevation of 9,665 metres (Mt Everest is only 8,848m high). Cheered on by local residents and supporters, he even completed the last stretch in his trusty gumboots.

Harjinder says this feat of endurance was designed to get more farmers discussing their wellbeing and highlight the benefits of getting off farm regularly to do other things.

Harjinder is from Northern India and initially came here to work in IT. When that didn’t work out, he turned his hand to dairy farming. His family grew seasonal crops back home, so farming was already in the blood. Harjinder enjoyed dairying and has been in the industry now for eight years. He’s currently managing 400 cows for owner Mark Adam on the Taieri plains.

“I like dairy farming because there are new challenges every year. Winter here can be quite tough with snow. It’s also pretty flat so you might get flooding so you have to really keep on top of feed for stock. I enjoy working with animals a lot and also being part of a small team. Mark and I work together a lot. It’s just like a family we’ve got here.”

Getting off farm changed my life

Harjinder says his love of running marathons, half marathons and endurance fundraisers came from his boss. “When I first started in dairy, I’ll be honest, I felt really lonely. But watching Mark do all his activities off farm changed my life. I took a leaf out of his book.”

He certainly did. And once Harjinder started running, there was literally no stopping him. “I started with short distances, running only 5 or 10k but one day Mark said, ‘Go as far as you want. If you get stuck, ring me and I’ll pick you up.’ So I ran 25k, but he didn’t need to pick me up, I made it home,” he laughs.

“Then Mark entered me in a marathon he was supposed to be running but couldn’t make. He just put my name in and booked me accommodation which was really funny. After I’d finished milking, he’d give me time off to train.”

Harjinder’s running soon reached next level. Then he had another brainwave – using his running as a way to help others.

“I realised how much I really enjoyed living in my community. The people here are so nice. So I thought, New Zealand has given me so much, what can I give back? I decided to do a fundraiser and I knew to catch people’s attention I needed to something a bit different, so I started running in gumboots. I did a gumboot marathon, then a few more races. Now I’ve decided to do one big fundraising event a year.”

Which led in next to no time to Dunedin’s notorious Baldwin Street, recently reinstated as the world’s steepest street with a gradient of 34.8%.

“As I was running up and down it, I just kept thinking of all the farmers who go through so much every year – floods and droughts and the other things that keep them on their toes. I know dairy farmers always look at the end of the season a bit like a finish line. So I thought if they can make it to the end, why can’t I make it?”

Harjinder says his running isn’t about endurance or setting records. It has a social side and brings plenty of positives into his own life.

“On Wednesdays I catch up with other runners for a jog and a pint at the local and we talk about everything apart from our jobs. Then when summer rolls round, I get into cricket.

In 2012, I was new to this region so I joined a social cricket team to meet people. My boss suggested that too and he was right. It made my life more interesting and it was complete break from life on the farm.”

Connecting with others

“What I’ve learnt most about farming is that humans are meant to be social. You can’t stay alone or you’ll get depressed. My first job was a struggle, because I felt alone and everything was new. It helps to meet others and see that everyone faces the same challenges. I’ve found that the best solutions to stress on farm are often right there in your own community. There are so many people willing to help in the dairy industry if you speak up.”

“But a big part of staying well is also doing good things for yourself. If I’m running I never have any trouble with my job. It’s made me better at my job. It helps me to stay focussed on what I’m doing and work as efficiently as possible, so I have time to enjoy other things.”

“I love doing big runs especially when I’m feeling a bit stressed. For example, I’ve been worried about my family back in India since the pandemic because Covid is quite bad there. But when I’m running these worries disappear and all I’m thinking about is how lucky I am to be here.”

“We start at 5am on farm every day, but even when I have a day off, I’m up at five running. Running really helps to keep me going.”

Farmstrong is a rural wellbeing programme that helps farmers and farming families live well to farm well. To find out what works for you and “lock it in”, check out our farmer-to-farmer videos, stories and tips on  www.farmstrong.co.nz