Outrun the Darkness: Running, Recovery, and Doing Something Bigger Than Yourself with John Shep

From hitting rock bottom to building a life of recovery through running: Meet John Shep.

John is a Canadian ultrarunner, teacher, and host of the Athletics Ontario Running Podcast. He’s also the creator of “Outrun the Darkness,” a project centered around a 142.2K ultra-double, completing the Sulphur Springs 100K and the Ottawa Marathon on back-to-back days to raise awareness for youth mental health.

John’s journey into running didn’t start with performance. It started with recovery.

After a mental health crisis and disordered eating led to hospitalization, running became a way to rebuild his relationship with himself, with food, and with the world around him. Nearly two decades later, he’s still living what he calls “a life of recovery,” using running as both a tool and a platform.

Jon and John dive into:
• John’s path from mental health crisis to ultrarunning
• the concept of “living a life of recovery”
• how running can support, and sometimes challenge, addictive tendencies
• “riding the edge of the lightning bolt” and finding balance
• using running as exposure therapy and rebuilding a relationship with food 
• the role of community in recovery and mental health
• the story behind Outrun the Darkness
• why mental health conversations need to be ongoing, not occasional
• what it means to use running for something bigger than yourself

Stay connected:
Follow John: https://www.instagram.com/outrunthedarkness/

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