Episode 83 - Scotty Stevenson

Scotty Stevenson is a broadcaster and journalist best known for his rugby commentary and reporting which makes him automatically one of the most well-known New Zealand TV personalities. He’s a sports journalist with TVNZ, and also works with Spark Sport and Radio Hauraki. He’s also a sports writer, has ghost-written and written a string of some of the best sports books, from Straight 8 about Kieran Read, to Kiwi Pair about Eric Murray and Hamish Bond. Scotty has been previously known by his childhood nickname “Sumo” as, by his own account he was the “fat kid in speedos” at surf lifesaving. But things have changed. If you were to Google Scotty Stevenson, the number one thing that pops up on auto-search is “Scotty Stevenson weight loss”.  It’s because Stevenson has changed. Markedly. He has noticeably shrunk. And for those who’ve been watching closely, he started running. He’s kept very quiet about it, but goodness me, the man is well and truly hooked. Two years ago, he couldn’t run 85m. A couple of weeks ago, he ran 85km, no less, through backcountry New Zealand in the Old Ghost Ultra in just over 12 hours. For those who saw the TVNZ report he did on the event, you’ll know that he found it an extremely emotional experience. We talked to Scotty about that race, his life leading up to running, what sparked his decision to lace up, and the myriad of changes that this has had on his life. Honest, engaging, and unalloyed, this is a fantastic conversation with a broadcasting legend that we are so thrilled to bring you.. Enjoy!