Show Notes
The Marathon Podcast is now proudly sponsored by SaySky Copenhagen. Use code TMP15 for 15% off at saysky.com.
Get 20% off a Strava annual subscription with code KRISTIAN
Save on FlexBeam using code WARWICKRUNS or this link: https://rechargehealthas.sjv.io/55GAPb
Content note: this episode includes an open discussion of mental health struggles and suicide. Please take care while listening, and know that support is available if you need it.
Kristian sits down with Brady Russell, a 14 year veteran of the Royal Australian Navy, for a conversation that isn't about fast times, but about finding joy again after some of the hardest years of his life.
Brady shares how leaving the military left him without structure or purpose, and how he first turned to running as a form of self punishment, using pain to distract himself from what he was struggling with internally. He opens up honestly about reaching his lowest point and the mental health facility stay that changed everything, and how meeting his wife gave him a reason to let his guard down for the first time. The conversation traces how running slowly transformed from an unhealthy coping mechanism into a genuine source of joy, connection, and purpose, one he now shares directly with his wife on their runs together. He closes by sharing his why: running for the people in his life who were lost to suicide and never got the chance he did.
In this episode: - Leaving the Navy after 14 years and losing his sense of purpose - Turning to running as a form of self punishment - Reaching his lowest point and a stay in a mental health facility - How meeting his wife gave him a reason to open up - Turning an unhealthy coping mechanism into a genuine passion - Finding joy in running together with his wife - Being open about his story on social media - Running for the people in his life lost to suicide - Looking ahead to the Melbourne Marathon with his wife
Timestamps 00:00 A content note before this episode 00:27 Welcome and introducing this episode with Brady Russell 02:10 Announcing the podcast's sponsorship with SaySky Copenhagen 03:16 An update: his wife's first half marathon 10:53 Introducing Brady: 14 years in the Royal Australian Navy 11:44 Turning to running as a form of self punishment 16:44 What leaving the military actually took away 17:15 Why he chose to become open about his struggles 18:21 Reaching his lowest point and a mental health facility stay 20:39 How meeting his wife changed everything 22:13 How running turned from self harm into healthy obsession 23:37 Finding joy in running together with his wife 27:08 Going through therapy and what recovery looked like 45:40 How his mental health journey changed his outlook 59:15 Running for the people in his life lost to suicide 1:00:01 Looking ahead to the Melbourne Marathon with his wife 1:02:15 Closing thoughts and a thank you to his wife 1:03:37 Kristian's own training week: Ironman prep begins 1:04:28 Signing up for a swim coach and bringing in an Olympian 1:04:54 A full breakdown of the week, day by day 1:08:04 Resting when the week calls for it 1:09:52 A final word on training in SaySky gear 1:11:08 Closing thoughts and thank you for listening
Brady on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brady.showingup/
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More from The Marathon Podcast
The Marathon Podcast is now proudly sponsored by Saysky Copenhagen. Use code TMP15 for 15% off at saysky.com.
The Marathon Podcast is now proudly sponsored by Saysky Copenhagen. Use code TMP15 for 15% off at saysky.com.
The Marathon Podcast is now proudly sponsored by Saysky Copenhagen. Use code TMP15 for 15% off at saysky.com. Get 20% off a Strava annual subscription with code KRISTIAN Save on FlexBeam using code WARWICKRUNS or this link: https://rechargehealthas.sjv.io/55GAPb How does a winter Olympian become a 1:09 half marathoner in two years? Sofie Karoline Haugen skated for Norway at the 2022 Olympics, retired from speed skating in 2024, and has since run 10K in 31:57 and a 1:09 half marathon at the Copenhagen half, just a year after running 1:18 in the same city. Kristian and Sofie have known each other for around 17 years and both come from speed skating. In this conversation, Sofie looks back on her career: the years without progress, the decision to move to Stavanger and rebuild her training, the 2019 breakthrough that took her to ninth in the world, and the Olympic Games. She explains why she walked away when she was still skating well, and how a casual 3K on the track turned into a running career. Then the conversation turns to training. Sofie takes us through her week at 170 to 180 kilometers, including double threshold days, how she keeps her easy days easy, why consistency matters most, how she chooses shoes for different days as someone who works at the running store Löplabbet, and what she has learned about bicarbonate. She also reveals that her first marathon is coming up in November. In this episode: From speed skating to a 1:09 half marathon The years of hard work before the breakthrough Moving to Stavanger and rebuilding her training Qualifying for the Olympics Why she quit skating in 2024 Her first races as a runner Racing the Copenhagen half Shoes for different days, including the Alphafly 4 A full week at 170 to 180 kilometers Building strength without getting injured Her first marathon
Content note: This episode includes open discussion of drug addiction, homelessness, violence, mental health and suicidal thoughts (mainly between 05:00 and 12:00). Please take care while listening. If you or someone you know is struggling with substance use in the US, the SAMHSA National Helpline is available at 1-800-662-4357.
The Marathon Podcast is now proudly sponsored by Saysky Copenhagen. Use code TMP15 for 15% off at saysky.com.