He now lives and works in Te Puke as an app developer and IT intern at Addiction Pet Foods.
Degel said 60km was a great goal, but he wanted to “push myself further”.
“I did the maths and the official 60km works out to be about 2km a day. I thought, why not add a zero?”
Two kilometres a day became 20km every day for 30 days.
Degel said he wakes up every morning at 5.30am for his first 6km run or walk. He also walks to and from work – about 4km – then walks or runs another 6km after work, before a final 4km after dinner.
“Breaking it up like this makes it much more manageable, and it means every day starts and ends with some movement.”
Degel said his biggest challenge had been his footwear.
“I’ve been doing this in my Adidas Sambas or old basketball shoes, which definitely aren’t made for 20km a day. Getting proper running shoes is next on the list.”
Degel’s running history consisted of training for and completing a half marathon in Brussels, but he stopped running afterwards.
“I’ve never done anything close to this kind of distance.”
He had not done any training either.
Johan Degel is walking 600km for Movember.
“I’ve always been active, but mainly through weightlifting and basketball.
“Sport and competition were a huge part of my life growing up, and at university I rediscovered exercise as the perfect counterbalance to spending over 10 hours a day in the library.”
He said exercise has always been his outlet.
Degel decided to take on the 600km challenge because one of his best friends had struggled with his mental health.
“I’ve seen it first-hand.
“From the outside, everything can look fine. You hang out, do stuff, and laugh together. But you can still feel the darkness sitting underneath. That’s a big part of why I’m doing this.”
Degel had already raised $110 of his $500 fundraising goal, which he said was “amazing”.
He said he had “zero expectations” when he began.
“I was aiming for maybe 20 followers, mostly friends and family, and we’re now at 50 across Instagram and TikTok. That’s not a lot by social media standards but put it in perspective: 50 people is a big group to follow along and cheer you on every day.”
His social media account name, “j.vs.jay”, was inspired by the idea that his biggest obstacle was himself.
“Nobody else can hold me accountable for this; it’s on me. I believe willpower plays a huge role in building a strong mind, and posting every day keeps me honest.”
Donations can be made at: https://nz.movember.com/team/2511999.
Bijou Johnson is a journalist based in the Bay of Plenty. She grew up in Tauranga and joined NZME in 2025 after studying communications at university. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Classical Studies from Massey University.