LEADING OURSELVES | Anyone can run a marathon

On LET THEM LEAD, we talk about leading others. But what about leading ourselves? In 2020, John Bacon ran 700 miles, lost 35 pounds, and designed his own marathon. The key: Just put your shoes on. On my 55th birthday in July, 2019, I tipped the scales at 205. Not healthy when you’re 5-foot-8, and not smart when you have a three-year old son. So I started running, and only eating when I was actually hungry. 35 pounds and 700 miles later, I was prepared to run the Boston Marathon, when Covid-19 postponed it. What do you do? I decided to create my own marathon, designed to see everything I care about in my hometown – starting at my parents’ home, running past my schools, parks, rinks, and friends’ homes, and ending on the other side of town at our home, with my wife and 4-year old son Teddy waiting for me at the finish. What I didn’t expect was 100 people to come out and cheer me on every mile along the way, and 30-40 to run or bike alongside (at a safe distance!). In 2000 we were very hungry for even a little bit of good news, inspiration, and connection – and maybe we still are. The story has appeared in the Washington Post, National Public Radio, the BBC’s “Stories of Hope” (it runs from 27:30-34:30, with a cameo by my 4-year old son, Teddy, Detroit News, Michigan Radio, the Clarin newspaper chain, Argentina’s main media outlet, and Folha, Brazil’s biggest newspaper chain. Hope you enjoy it. For info about the book or this podcast please visit our website: http://www.letthemleadbybacon.com http://www.johnubacon.com You can connect with John via these platforms: https://www.facebook.com/johnubacon https://twitter.com/Johnubacon

Episode 9 of the Let Them Lead podcast, hosted by John U Bacon, titled "LEADING OURSELVES | Anyone can run a marathon" was published on April 19, 2023 and runs 16 minutes.

April 19, 2023 ·16m · Let Them Lead

Summary

On LET THEM LEAD, we talk about leading others. But what about leading ourselves? In 2020, John Bacon ran 700 miles, lost 35 pounds, and designed his own marathon. The key: Just put your shoes on. On my 55th birthday in July, 2019, I tipped the scales at 205. Not healthy when you’re 5-foot-8, and not smart when you have a three-year old son. So I started running, and only eating when I was actually hungry. 35 pounds and 700 miles later, I was prepared to run the Boston Marathon, when Covid-19 postponed it. What do you do? I decided to create my own marathon, designed to see everything I care about in my hometown – starting at my parents’ home, running past my schools, parks, rinks, and friends’ homes, and ending on the other side of town at our home, with my wife and 4-year old son Teddy waiting for me at the finish. What I didn’t expect was 100 people to come out and cheer me on every mile along the way, and 30-40 to run or bike alongside (at a safe distance!). In 2000 we were very hungry for even a little bit of good news, inspiration, and connection – and maybe we still are. The story has appeared in the Washington Post, National Public Radio, the BBC’s “Stories of Hope” (it runs from 27:30-34:30, with a cameo by my 4-year old son, Teddy, Detroit News, Michigan Radio, the Clarin newspaper chain, Argentina’s main media outlet, and Folha, Brazil’s biggest newspaper chain. Hope you enjoy it. For info about the book or this podcast please visit our website: http://www.letthemleadbybacon.com http://www.johnubacon.com You can connect with John via these platforms: https://www.facebook.com/johnubacon https://twitter.com/Johnubacon

Episode Description