Episode 9 – Matt Callaghan: From Nothing to Running 100 Marathons

Have you ever wanted to run a Marathon? Well, Matt Callaghan has run over 100 marathons, a few Iron Man races, and quite a few ultra marathons (a Marathon is 42.2km/26.2mi, an ultra marathon is anything above that distance).

Running Marathons is not Matt’s job – just a hobby he’s massively passionate about. Matt’s an incredible guy, humble, charming and loves getting other people to run, and he’s seen the big influences it made on his own life and those of others.

We talk about:

What made Matt get into running in the first place, age 32, working in a corporate job?
The first run was exhausting, it was a cold wet London night. Tt generally sucked. We talk about why Matt kept running and how the experience changes from painful to pleasurable in about 2-4 weeks – both for himself and many other people.

Matt tells some incredible stories:

How he took a group of 9 women, some of whom have never run more than 0.5km (0.3mi) to a half marathon within 6 months, and then, 3 months later to run a marathon – where all of them finished in a very respectable time.
The hardest race he’s ever run – 90km (55 miles) uphill in 40c (104F) Weather – and how did a rhino help him finish that race.
The incredible commitment it took to run his 100th Marathon, on his 40th Birthday, while being very sick from an exotic virus.

We also chat about:

Why Matt loves running with new runners, even though he’s a pretty advanced runner himself (obviously)
How to keep safe from injuries while running so much
The effects running had on his life and those of others
And a TON more

This episode is informative and super inspiring.

Enjoy my chat with Matt Callaghan!