The Mayor of Running With Bart YassoThe Mayor of Running With Bart Yasso
Addict II Athlete Podcast
Coach Blu Robinson talks with legendary runner Bart Yasso and runcast host Josh Hansen about swapping addiction for running and building a new identity as an athlete. Their conversation focuses on community, family, gratitude and how one mile can start a powerful change.
1:02:40•16 Aug 2021
From Addiction to the Finish Line with Bart Yasso and Coach Blu
Episode Overview
- Small, consistent goals like running one mile at a time can support major life changes away from alcohol and drugs.
- Shifting from identifying solely as an addict to seeing yourself as an athlete or runner helps build a healthier, broader sense of self.
- Community acceptance at races and in running groups can counter shame and stigma, especially for people with a criminal or addiction history.
- Gratitude for the ability to move, and awareness of how lucky it is to run freely, helps sustain long‑term motivation.
- A high tolerance for pain can be risky; people in recovery and athletes alike need to respect warning signs and prioritise self‑care.
“When I tell people running saved my life, that was living proof to myself that running saved my life.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This conversation between Coach Blu Robinson, legendary runner Bart Yasso, and runcast host Josh Hansen offers one very clear answer: lace up and start moving. Aimed at people in addiction recovery and their families, the chat blends raw honesty about alcohol and drug use with the strangely funny reality of first runs in Budweiser T‑shirts, cut‑off jeans and Keds.
Bart shares how he started abusing substances at 13, turned things around at 21, and later realised that of 21 friends from those days, “20 of them are dead. I’m the only living one.” For him, “running saved my life” isn’t a slogan; it’s simple maths.
You’ll hear how he used tiny goals – running one mile, then two – to build a new identity, and why he warns people in recovery to keep running “positive” so it doesn’t just replace one obsession with another. Bart’s story about coaching men in a halfway house to complete a relay race shows what happens when society stops labelling people as criminals and starts cheering them as teammates.
Josh brings his own perspective, from lining up for a first 10k at 400 pounds to having an entire field of runners wait and clap as he finished dead last. His go‑to question, “Why do you run?”, opens up stories of grief, family, cancer, and courage – the stuff most people used to numb with substances.
Throughout, Coach Blu keeps tying everything back to recovery: identity shift from “addict” to “athlete”, the healing power of community, and the quiet, personal joy of a solo run. If you’ve ever wondered whether a pair of trainers could really help change a life, this might be the nudge to find out what one mile could do for you.
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