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Addict II Athlete Podcast
Coach Blu talks with ultra-athlete Jarom Thurston about brutal long-distance races, life in Brazil, and how these experiences mirror the ups and downs of addiction recovery. Their stories connect extreme running lessons with practical approaches to staying the course in sobriety.
1:05:07•12 Aug 2019
From 93 Miles to Brazil 135: How One Runner Turns Extreme Races into Recovery Lessons
Episode Overview
- Pacing yourself at the start – in racing and in recovery – helps prevent early burnout and collapse.
- It’s sometimes necessary to stop, rest, and seek help (plant a “stake”) so you can come back and finish rather than force a failure.
- Failures and DNFs don’t have to be the end; they can become motivation to train differently and return stronger.
- Sharing your progress and goals with a supportive community can inspire others and keep you accountable.
- Endurance sports can provide structure, stress relief, and a tangible way to turn past struggle into new purpose.
“"Did you come here to finish the race, or did you come here to DNF?"”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This conversation between host Coach Blu Robinson and ultra-athlete Jarom Thurston leans hard into that question, using some truly extreme running stories to reflect the realities of recovery. Jarom, often jokingly called the "gringo ultra runner" in Brazil, traces his path from a reluctant kid who hated running to someone who’s finished monsters like the Brazil 135 and the Badwater 135.
You’ll hear how his first half marathon left him so sore he couldn’t walk for days, and yet that pain became the spark that kept him running instead of quitting. The heart of the chat is how these endurance events mirror addiction recovery. Jarom talks about dropping out at 93 miles in the desert, peeing blood, and still coming back to try again.
When Coach Blu retells Mario’s blunt question at Badwater – "Did you come here to finish the race, or did you come here to DNF?" – it lands as much on life and sobriety as on running. You’ll also get vivid scenes from Brazil: running 135 miles solo with a backpack, using superglue on shredded feet, a 24-hour track run in a soaked winter coat, and a week-long faith trail pilgrimage where a 135-mile race sits right in the middle.
Throughout, Blu keeps pulling the parallels back to the team: planting a wooden stake when you need to stop and get help, pacing yourself instead of sprinting through treatment, and letting small decisions in hard moments shape your whole journey. Coach Blu closes with a community invite to the free “Take Back the Night” 5k, where people run in honour of loved ones affected by addiction.
If you like your recovery talk mixed with grit, humour, and some frankly bonkers mileage, this one might get you asking: what’s my next finish line?
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