Justin Cheesman: Finding growth through the power of running
In Episode 25 of the Running Tales Podcast, part of the Everyday Athlete Podcast Network, we interviewed Justin Cheesman about how he utilises running for personal growth and the greater good
Running Tales is part of the Everyday Athlete Podcast Network. We record live episodes every two weeks and then publish them as podcasts.
You can find out more about Running Tales and the Everyday Athlete Podcast Network by visiting our ‘How our podcast works’ page.
If you like what we do at Running Tales, please consider buying us a coffee ☕.
From the Chicago Marathon to the Goggins challenge, Justin Cheesman has done a lot of running.
For him, the sport is therapy, fitness, a route towards growth and a constant challenge he can’t resist. But things weren’t always that way for the South Carolina resident.
As a young man, Justin saw running as a punishment to be hated. His dislike of the sport stemmed from his experiences as a collegiate baseball player, when the payback for any mistake on the pitch was a forced run.
Justin and his teammates weren’t even allowed back on the bus after games until they had completed their running recompense.
Years later, as he reached his late-20s, a reluctant Justin was corralled by friends to try running again. To his surprise, he found something positive in the activity, initially as a good way to work up a sweat or recover from a big night out.
Quickly though, running became more than that as it gave him a chance to hang out with friends before morphing into a form a therapy and eventually of connection.
As someone who admits to never doing anything by halves, Justin was soon pushing the boundaries of what running could offer him - spurred on by a desire to push his own boundaries and by the knowledge the huge scope of running events meant the sport provided a challenge which could never be truly conquered.
It has seen him complete events including the Atlantic City Tri and the 12-person Palmetto 200 relay, as well as challenges such as running 5km every day for 100 days during the coronavirus pandemic.
On the podcast, we spoke to Justin about:
His days of hating running and seeing it as a punishment
Why he believes running is the ultimate challenge without an end goal
Using the sport to raise money for communities in South Africa
Embracing personal growth and pushing boundaries
Taking on the Goggins Challenge and why he hasn’t done an ultra marathon - yet!
Where to watch and listen to Running Tales with Joshua Ross:
📺 YouTube
🎵 Spotify
Apple
Please note, Facebook will be deleting older live videos, so the above link will expire over time.
We are also on a number of other podcast providers, so please subscribe to us on whatever your favourite may be.
Key points:
How running went from punishment to a growth tool
These days, Justin Cheesman uses running as a personal growth tool, utilising the sport to hit new targets and help him learn to cope with challenges in everyday life.
When he’s not taking on strenuous challenges, the sport also provides him with a form of therapy as he takes part in regular Sunday runs with friends that provide a break from the strains of work and life in general.
But he remembers a time when it was nothing more than a punishment, hated by the collegiate baseball player he then was.
“We had to go out and run a pole. In baseball, a pole is from foul pole to foul pole - back and forth is one,” he told Running Tales.
“Based on our performance and certain standards and benchmarks, we’d have to run those prior to even getting on the bus home.
“All your team mates would be on the bus, getting ready to unwind, and you’re still out there slugging away in your running shoes.
“It was a struggle. Running for me was nothing I wanted to do.”
Justin said one major growth moment that came from his running journey was tackling the Chicago Marathon. By then, he had already found an affinity with the sport, but completing 26.2 miles - and doing so for a cause close to his heart - took things to another level.
It was his first marathon and he entered via a charity place after the father of a friend had died from cancer.
The experience has shaped Justin’s outlook ever since, with making an impact through the power of running central to much of what he does. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he run 5k every day for 100 consecutive days to raise $10,000 for Life Community Services in South Africa.
He is now the co-founder of a not-for-profit organisation called Empower, which holds an annual event to raise money for small businesses in South Africa - a ripple effect he says gives him more satisfaction than his personal achievements.
Support Running Tales:
Please help us keep producing Running Tales across Substack and in podcast form: