I’m 41 I’m having a midlife crisis as
you can see there’s no ponytail
there’s no Ferrari outside and there’s
no AI opening age gap between me and my
partner I’ve discovered a different type
of therapy to get me through it say it
makes me cry sometimes it hurts
sometimes and it’s maybe consumed a
disturbing amount of custard now this
all kind of started for me in 2011 I ran
my first half marathon
the following year and my first marathon
I did suggest as a toilet I was raising
money for water age and I thought my
friends wouldn’t really be impressed
enough to sponsor me unless I did
something a bit a bit different um I you
know I loved the experience the crowds
was very encouraging I loved the
interactions I think in a bit bored
towards the end of people shouting you
look a bit flushed mate
and the bigger irony of course was that
towards the end I really really didn’t
need the toilet so I’m an outdoor
journalist I pestered a magazine called
outdoor fitness the the editor there was
Jonathan Manning I wanted to write a
story about it they said sure but not
this story I want to send you on an
ultramarathon and write about that
instead oh thanks
I couldn’t retain oh no an optimist and
really the definition is any distance
above the classic marathon distance of
26.2 miles so it could be 27 miles it
could be all the way up to there’s a
race in New York called the transcendent
race I think it’s over 3,000 miles round
around a block doesn’t appeal to me
directly but my first ultra marathons 69
miles over two days this is the morning
of the second day I’m pretending I’m not
in loads of agony
and I got through that and actually I
have so it loved it I’ll tell you more
why in a second what I was fascinated by
was you know I still in the start line I
was full of fear no idea whether I could
complete her I got to the end it felt
brilliant couldn’t really walk for a few
days but you know such as I and of
course then you wonder maybe I could do
a bit more so it wasn’t long for us
doing the first 100 kilometer race
wasn’t long after that was doing the
first hundred mile race that’s in Bosnia
where I lived down the course or by
century
yeah I probably stayed on that for quite
a while at the end but that’s become my
favorite sort of distance to race over
zone is a hundred miles I’ve done six
six hundred mile races I promise the
shameless self-promotion worlds will
stop in a minute
this is my favorite race the 105 mile up
the trail to Mont Blanc which starts in
France goes for the mountains 10,000
litres of flying and assembly took more
than Everest it goes nips through Italy
and Switzerland as well in the night
this is my children not some
and but that wasn’t 100 miles you know
once you’ve done that you know have fun
you go I’ve done the spine race twice
which is because the Pennine way winter
there’s 268 miles liked that part of my
body didn’t like it so much I’ve done
the Dragons back race across Wales five
days to travel down the sort of
mountainous spine of Wales which is
absolutely incredible experience running
the Sahara Desert
this is Costa Rica this place is called
the coastal challenge there’s me the
only race I’ve done I think where it’s
sort of unknown the hazards you may
experience includes crocodiles at one
point they you have to stop and they
take my boat across the river just just
to be sure but it’s you know beautiful
scenery I’ve done that a pop round round
we’re not French Charlie there which is
a sort of literally fell running round
and they’re the latest ripped and it’s
Charlie Brown’s around in Scotland which
the severe challenge and then the most
extreme sort of distance thing I’ve done
is I ran the our national or loneliest
national trail which is the south west
coast path 617 30 miles I was trying to
set a record so it run that lesson
lesson
days offensive sixty miles a day which
meant there wasn’t much time sleep so
it’s about three hours sleep average but
I know what you’re thinking
so what middle aged middle fast white
where’s the guy you know indulging
himself you know trying to prove I’m
still young and strong hair wasn’t
falling out but you know these these
experiences have told me a few things I
think they’re useful to me
they’ve tops of things about the wider
world I’m going to share them then why
don’t you soar – but you know it’s too
late you paid your money in this event
so I mean the first thing the first
thing the Fastnet me was these are
easier things than they sound they’re
easier than you think because partly
when I say I ran a hundred miles I might
walk so–but see because sometimes it’s
too steep sometimes you get a bit tired
you know you just have to cover the
distance so you’ll just call it a foot
race so I did run long sections of these
things but you know I fight this – and
when you’re running you’re going pretty
slowly because if you go fast you’re
gonna burn out and crash and it’s all
the other disastrous so you’re going
slowly and there are usually eight
stations with also lots of cake and
custard okay and you can just sit there
and have good feet so you know it’s it’s
sporting picnic really
what I love a lot is just being nature I
suppose this is the latest trick to race
for the sky fell sky race you know I was
lucky I grew up without doors your
parents we get lots of camping and
hiking and I just thought all kids
scrubbed like that and then and then at
school and stuff I realized it wasn’t
the case and people didn’t necessarily
know in these places and you know
countless studies have showed we need
nature you know we’re we’re we’re
animals really like like Chris was
saying in the beginning you know I’m
unhappy I know I’m unhappy if I’m away
from these sorts of places too often if
I’m stuck in cars stuck in cities stuck
in offices I need to be in these places
you don’t have to run 100 miles to
experience these places but that’s just
something I enjoy doing we’re all
happier in nature I may look like a
malnourished and both my mom and my
mother-in-law whenever I eat with them
they give me twice the size helping that
everyone else gets but I’m healthier and
fitter and stronger than ever and that
makes me happy too when I said one more
dish the interesting thing is when I say
these are easier than they sound what
fascinates me is comparatively women are
far better at these things than men
there are lots of reasons some a
scientific summer anecdotal but you know
the classic cases is you’re muscle-bound
man who cut off the off the start line
off he goes he’s one big hero and he you
know crashes and burns halfway through
and they’ll often be I hope this doesn’t
sound sexist they’ll often be you know
maybe a slightly older person maybe
maybe a female person was taught to pass
them you know an hour or two later and
get to the finish line and maybe
succeeded and there are lots of reasons
why happening but that’s something that
fascinates me about the sport and that
probably illustrates the point that so
much of these they’re not about the size
of your muscles which is good for me
because as you can see haven’t got any
it’s about the size of your willpower
how much do you want to get to the end
and that’s the fascinating thing and
it’s amazing to learn that if you really
really want to do something you know you
can get there and the risk of falling
into sort of you know sort of hippie
cliches if you think you can do
something then sometimes you can like if
you’re standing on the start line
400 miles of course you got doubts but
you the fact you’re on the start line
you think it’s possible and if you think
it’s possible it may well be
I think I’ve learned some things about
humanity through doing these experiences
I’ll talk about crying in a second
what’s amazed me is is more so than the
meeting impressive runners it’s probably
the support network around them and
people who’ll give their kindness and
generosity in time for these events
which are pretty selfish and
self-indulgent really but it’s a the
spine race people volunteer for a whole
week they give up a week at their time
they go along and help on a clive has
done something similar at the Dragons
back race and that’s amazing affecting
feeling and they they did the smallest
acts of kindness for you on the spine
racey they’re not even involved in the
event but there’s a farm way up above
north of Hadrian’s Wall and they have
they insist you come in for sausage
sandwiches and tea and they will refuse
any money from you and they’re doing
that for every single person it goes
through and that’s because they’ve been
influenced by the trail angel culture in
in America on the longest those trails
there where people leave gifts and try
and help people and they’re just sort of
sharing that kindness around and then of
course if you’ve been a recipient that
hopefully if you’ve got a similar
example you might send an opportunity
you might share that kindness as well
and I think at the moment when you know
if we watch or read the news if we
follow the American president on Twitter
we can we can be a bit gloomy about the
world and just these small acts of
kindness you know makes you feel better
that mostly humans are good people and
kind people I’ve made some great friends
as well I think they’re a different type
of friend there a lot than wouldn’t know
the names of my children or my birthday
they probably wouldn’t apologize if they
thought and that’s you know that’s just
the women but if you phoned them up and
say you know in three days time can you
meet me on the top of Hell bellow at
3:00 a.m. in a storm and can you bring a
really heavy bag full of chocolate and
custard they will you know and they’re
you know and now I do the same for them
and that’s a dependable type of friend
and they’re good people to know it’s a
good network of people right yeah this
is I suppose discuss the crying thing so
when I run the south west coast path as
I say it was nearly eleven days of
running only about three hours of sleep
most nights because we’re trying to pack
record so I got very very very tired
towards the end and I miss my children a
lot I felt guilty about being away and
towards the end I discovered this
amazing thing called the power sob so in
the morning of definitely last three
days and it would only last five to ten
seconds I I just burst into tears I just
wanted it to be over and and after that
though I felt fantastic and I’ve looked
into it a bit and there’s a natural pain
relief sort of natural chemical that
floods your body when you when you cry
and there’s a similar thing when you
smile actually so I’m when these races
when it’s hurting like like earlier on I
I try and force myself to smile and
though there is a natural chemical
reaction that comes out and you know I
think one of the things I love about
these adventures is you really live in
the moment you’re really living because
you’ll you start you start with fear you
go to all these emotions and in fact
there’s American runner and tracin who
has this wonderful quote that running a
hundred miles is like living a year in
one day and because you because you go
through so much emotionally and I know
previously in my life I’ve been I don’t
spend enough time in the current moment
I’m thinking about things I’ve got to do
things I haven’t done
usually replying to emails in both cases
to be honest but but I’m not always
thinking now what am i doing now and if
you’re not here now present in the
moment you know are you actually living
almost when I’m doing these things often
I’m in the moment especially if I’m
crying and you know I our lives can be I
don’t mean to sound patronizing at times
my life has been safe and predictable
and these adventures make me feel alive
and that’s partly why mostly why I do
them another another good reason is
[Music]
the old stations don’t normally look
like this but you know you can really
stuff your face with lots of cake and
things when you win a lot and that’s
that’s great too and just lastly I think
the mental side of things I’ve got
friends friends who’ve had mental health
issues friends who had addiction issues
and running is kind of kind of you know
I want to save them but it makes a for
them like let’s help them through my own
life it has been far luckier than most
people’s lives but I’ve still had you
know pressures and stresses you know I
work in an industry that’s in you know
clear decline print print journalism I’m
raising a family I’m self-employed I’m
supporting them
that’s what pressures and stresses but
throughout all that running is has
helped me it’s given me some self-worth
a little bit of confidence in fact I
think a few years ago there’s no where
could’ve been standing here talking
because there’s nothing more terrifying
than talking to a lot of people and now
I just about can
you can see there’s no ponytail
there’s no Ferrari outside and there’s
no AI opening age gap between me and my
partner I’ve discovered a different type
of therapy to get me through it say it
makes me cry sometimes it hurts
sometimes and it’s maybe consumed a
disturbing amount of custard now this
all kind of started for me in 2011 I ran
my first half marathon
the following year and my first marathon
I did suggest as a toilet I was raising
money for water age and I thought my
friends wouldn’t really be impressed
enough to sponsor me unless I did
something a bit a bit different um I you
know I loved the experience the crowds
was very encouraging I loved the
interactions I think in a bit bored
towards the end of people shouting you
look a bit flushed mate
and the bigger irony of course was that
towards the end I really really didn’t
need the toilet so I’m an outdoor
journalist I pestered a magazine called
outdoor fitness the the editor there was
Jonathan Manning I wanted to write a
story about it they said sure but not
this story I want to send you on an
ultramarathon and write about that
instead oh thanks
I couldn’t retain oh no an optimist and
really the definition is any distance
above the classic marathon distance of
26.2 miles so it could be 27 miles it
could be all the way up to there’s a
race in New York called the transcendent
race I think it’s over 3,000 miles round
around a block doesn’t appeal to me
directly but my first ultra marathons 69
miles over two days this is the morning
of the second day I’m pretending I’m not
in loads of agony
and I got through that and actually I
have so it loved it I’ll tell you more
why in a second what I was fascinated by
was you know I still in the start line I
was full of fear no idea whether I could
complete her I got to the end it felt
brilliant couldn’t really walk for a few
days but you know such as I and of
course then you wonder maybe I could do
a bit more so it wasn’t long for us
doing the first 100 kilometer race
wasn’t long after that was doing the
first hundred mile race that’s in Bosnia
where I lived down the course or by
century
yeah I probably stayed on that for quite
a while at the end but that’s become my
favorite sort of distance to race over
zone is a hundred miles I’ve done six
six hundred mile races I promise the
shameless self-promotion worlds will
stop in a minute
this is my favorite race the 105 mile up
the trail to Mont Blanc which starts in
France goes for the mountains 10,000
litres of flying and assembly took more
than Everest it goes nips through Italy
and Switzerland as well in the night
this is my children not some
and but that wasn’t 100 miles you know
once you’ve done that you know have fun
you go I’ve done the spine race twice
which is because the Pennine way winter
there’s 268 miles liked that part of my
body didn’t like it so much I’ve done
the Dragons back race across Wales five
days to travel down the sort of
mountainous spine of Wales which is
absolutely incredible experience running
the Sahara Desert
this is Costa Rica this place is called
the coastal challenge there’s me the
only race I’ve done I think where it’s
sort of unknown the hazards you may
experience includes crocodiles at one
point they you have to stop and they
take my boat across the river just just
to be sure but it’s you know beautiful
scenery I’ve done that a pop round round
we’re not French Charlie there which is
a sort of literally fell running round
and they’re the latest ripped and it’s
Charlie Brown’s around in Scotland which
the severe challenge and then the most
extreme sort of distance thing I’ve done
is I ran the our national or loneliest
national trail which is the south west
coast path 617 30 miles I was trying to
set a record so it run that lesson
lesson
days offensive sixty miles a day which
meant there wasn’t much time sleep so
it’s about three hours sleep average but
I know what you’re thinking
so what middle aged middle fast white
where’s the guy you know indulging
himself you know trying to prove I’m
still young and strong hair wasn’t
falling out but you know these these
experiences have told me a few things I
think they’re useful to me
they’ve tops of things about the wider
world I’m going to share them then why
don’t you soar – but you know it’s too
late you paid your money in this event
so I mean the first thing the first
thing the Fastnet me was these are
easier things than they sound they’re
easier than you think because partly
when I say I ran a hundred miles I might
walk so–but see because sometimes it’s
too steep sometimes you get a bit tired
you know you just have to cover the
distance so you’ll just call it a foot
race so I did run long sections of these
things but you know I fight this – and
when you’re running you’re going pretty
slowly because if you go fast you’re
gonna burn out and crash and it’s all
the other disastrous so you’re going
slowly and there are usually eight
stations with also lots of cake and
custard okay and you can just sit there
and have good feet so you know it’s it’s
sporting picnic really
what I love a lot is just being nature I
suppose this is the latest trick to race
for the sky fell sky race you know I was
lucky I grew up without doors your
parents we get lots of camping and
hiking and I just thought all kids
scrubbed like that and then and then at
school and stuff I realized it wasn’t
the case and people didn’t necessarily
know in these places and you know
countless studies have showed we need
nature you know we’re we’re we’re
animals really like like Chris was
saying in the beginning you know I’m
unhappy I know I’m unhappy if I’m away
from these sorts of places too often if
I’m stuck in cars stuck in cities stuck
in offices I need to be in these places
you don’t have to run 100 miles to
experience these places but that’s just
something I enjoy doing we’re all
happier in nature I may look like a
malnourished and both my mom and my
mother-in-law whenever I eat with them
they give me twice the size helping that
everyone else gets but I’m healthier and
fitter and stronger than ever and that
makes me happy too when I said one more
dish the interesting thing is when I say
these are easier than they sound what
fascinates me is comparatively women are
far better at these things than men
there are lots of reasons some a
scientific summer anecdotal but you know
the classic cases is you’re muscle-bound
man who cut off the off the start line
off he goes he’s one big hero and he you
know crashes and burns halfway through
and they’ll often be I hope this doesn’t
sound sexist they’ll often be you know
maybe a slightly older person maybe
maybe a female person was taught to pass
them you know an hour or two later and
get to the finish line and maybe
succeeded and there are lots of reasons
why happening but that’s something that
fascinates me about the sport and that
probably illustrates the point that so
much of these they’re not about the size
of your muscles which is good for me
because as you can see haven’t got any
it’s about the size of your willpower
how much do you want to get to the end
and that’s the fascinating thing and
it’s amazing to learn that if you really
really want to do something you know you
can get there and the risk of falling
into sort of you know sort of hippie
cliches if you think you can do
something then sometimes you can like if
you’re standing on the start line
400 miles of course you got doubts but
you the fact you’re on the start line
you think it’s possible and if you think
it’s possible it may well be
I think I’ve learned some things about
humanity through doing these experiences
I’ll talk about crying in a second
what’s amazed me is is more so than the
meeting impressive runners it’s probably
the support network around them and
people who’ll give their kindness and
generosity in time for these events
which are pretty selfish and
self-indulgent really but it’s a the
spine race people volunteer for a whole
week they give up a week at their time
they go along and help on a clive has
done something similar at the Dragons
back race and that’s amazing affecting
feeling and they they did the smallest
acts of kindness for you on the spine
racey they’re not even involved in the
event but there’s a farm way up above
north of Hadrian’s Wall and they have
they insist you come in for sausage
sandwiches and tea and they will refuse
any money from you and they’re doing
that for every single person it goes
through and that’s because they’ve been
influenced by the trail angel culture in
in America on the longest those trails
there where people leave gifts and try
and help people and they’re just sort of
sharing that kindness around and then of
course if you’ve been a recipient that
hopefully if you’ve got a similar
example you might send an opportunity
you might share that kindness as well
and I think at the moment when you know
if we watch or read the news if we
follow the American president on Twitter
we can we can be a bit gloomy about the
world and just these small acts of
kindness you know makes you feel better
that mostly humans are good people and
kind people I’ve made some great friends
as well I think they’re a different type
of friend there a lot than wouldn’t know
the names of my children or my birthday
they probably wouldn’t apologize if they
thought and that’s you know that’s just
the women but if you phoned them up and
say you know in three days time can you
meet me on the top of Hell bellow at
3:00 a.m. in a storm and can you bring a
really heavy bag full of chocolate and
custard they will you know and they’re
you know and now I do the same for them
and that’s a dependable type of friend
and they’re good people to know it’s a
good network of people right yeah this
is I suppose discuss the crying thing so
when I run the south west coast path as
I say it was nearly eleven days of
running only about three hours of sleep
most nights because we’re trying to pack
record so I got very very very tired
towards the end and I miss my children a
lot I felt guilty about being away and
towards the end I discovered this
amazing thing called the power sob so in
the morning of definitely last three
days and it would only last five to ten
seconds I I just burst into tears I just
wanted it to be over and and after that
though I felt fantastic and I’ve looked
into it a bit and there’s a natural pain
relief sort of natural chemical that
floods your body when you when you cry
and there’s a similar thing when you
smile actually so I’m when these races
when it’s hurting like like earlier on I
I try and force myself to smile and
though there is a natural chemical
reaction that comes out and you know I
think one of the things I love about
these adventures is you really live in
the moment you’re really living because
you’ll you start you start with fear you
go to all these emotions and in fact
there’s American runner and tracin who
has this wonderful quote that running a
hundred miles is like living a year in
one day and because you because you go
through so much emotionally and I know
previously in my life I’ve been I don’t
spend enough time in the current moment
I’m thinking about things I’ve got to do
things I haven’t done
usually replying to emails in both cases
to be honest but but I’m not always
thinking now what am i doing now and if
you’re not here now present in the
moment you know are you actually living
almost when I’m doing these things often
I’m in the moment especially if I’m
crying and you know I our lives can be I
don’t mean to sound patronizing at times
my life has been safe and predictable
and these adventures make me feel alive
and that’s partly why mostly why I do
them another another good reason is
[Music]
the old stations don’t normally look
like this but you know you can really
stuff your face with lots of cake and
things when you win a lot and that’s
that’s great too and just lastly I think
the mental side of things I’ve got
friends friends who’ve had mental health
issues friends who had addiction issues
and running is kind of kind of you know
I want to save them but it makes a for
them like let’s help them through my own
life it has been far luckier than most
people’s lives but I’ve still had you
know pressures and stresses you know I
work in an industry that’s in you know
clear decline print print journalism I’m
raising a family I’m self-employed I’m
supporting them
that’s what pressures and stresses but
throughout all that running is has
helped me it’s given me some self-worth
a little bit of confidence in fact I
think a few years ago there’s no where
could’ve been standing here talking
because there’s nothing more terrifying
than talking to a lot of people and now
I just about can
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