#179 - How Running Helped Me Through Grief & the 230KM Icefields Parkway FKT | Harry Marshall

Four and a half years ago, Harry Marshall was not a runner. Now, he holds the fastest known time for running the 230 kilometre Icefields Parkway through the Canadian Rockies.Harry joins host Ben Sheppard on The RunThrough Podcast to share the deeply personal story behind his journey into ultrarunning.After losing his brother to suicide and his mum shortly afterwards, Harry found himself in the darkest period of his life. Running gave him somewhere to put his thoughts, a reason to get up each day and a way to feel connected to them both.His journey began with a challenge to run at least 5K every day for a year, spanning three continents and raising £14,000 for a local mental health charity. He finished that year with his first marathon before going on to complete seven marathons in seven days and a series of increasingly ambitious ultramarathons.Harry also takes us inside his biggest challenge yet, running 230 kilometres from Lake Louise to Jasper in 30 hours, 2 minutes and 31 seconds to set a new Icefields Parkway FKT.Expect stories of grizzly bear preparations, running beneath a full moon, being caught in a biblical thunderstorm and finding the strength to keep moving when every step hurt.Follow Us.Harry Marshall - https://www.instagram.com/scrambledlegs___/Ben Sheppard - https://www.instagram.com/bensheppard93/

What happens when you combine a love of running, cricket and slightly ridiculous endurance challenges?Sam Bodoano, better known online as IronBodz, joins Ben Sheppard on The RunThrough Podcast after breaking the world record for the longest cricket run up.Sam ran 100 kilometres from Lord’s Cricket Ground to Valley End Cricket Club in full cricket whites, carrying a cricket ball the entire way. After 14 hours of running, he arrived one minute before the match was due to begin and completed the record by bowling a legal delivery to his dad.Sam shares how a conversation with a friend became a world record attempt in just five weeks, attracted widespread press attention and raised around £6,000 for the Ruth Strauss Foundation.He also takes us back through his running journey, from completing his first parkrun at nine years old and the London Marathon at 18 to taking on Ironman Wales, ultramarathons and a backyard ultra alongside Russ Cook.Expect plenty of stories about running through London in cricket whites, surviving a jellyfish filled Ironman swim, playing cricket after running 100 kilometres and why your first 5K can mean just as much as somebody else’s first ultra.Follow Us.Sam Bodoano - https://www.instagram.com/ironbodz/Ben Sheppard - https://www.instagram.com/bensheppard93/

In a special collaboration between The RunThrough Podcast and The RunThrough Trails Podcast, host Ben Sheppard heads to the Peak District for two conversations with trail athletes Joe Farrelly and Jordan Rowe, in partnership with Samsung and the new Galaxy Watch Ultra2.Joe shares how turning his life around led him to running and ultimately competing on the international trail running stage. He opens up about the experiences that continue to drive him, balancing training with work and family life, and his ambition to compete amongst the world's best.Jordan's journey took him from school cross country to the NCAA system in America and years of track racing before a switch to the trails helped him rediscover his love for the sport. He discusses his competitive mentality, his desire to win and the challenge of stepping into a completely new side of running.Along the way, they discuss racing, recovery and pushing their limits while putting the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra2 through its paces on the trails.And if you want to win a Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra2 of your own, plus a £200 RunThrough Kit Voucher, enter our Trail Bundle competition for everything you need for your next adventure.Enter here: https://www.runthroughtrails.com/forms/trail-bundle

Model, actor and fitness creator Theo Ching joins Ben Sheppard on The RunThrough Podcast for a conversation about discipline, self-belief and staying ready for every opportunity after completing the RunThrough Summer Triple.Theo shares how a childhood spent practising martial arts developed into a career spanning fitness modelling, acting and specialist action work. After being scouted at university, he found a way to combine his physical abilities with his creative ambitions and build a career around the things he genuinely loves doing.He explains why self-belief comes from knowing that you can depend on yourself, how discipline allows him to perform whenever an opportunity arrives, and why luck is simply what happens when preparation meets opportunity.Expect honesty as Theo discusses how to recognise your value without losing your humility, the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people and building self-respect through movement, consistency and accountability.Theo also takes Ben inside the Great Wall Marathon, his first attempt at the distance and one of the hardest physical challenges he has ever faced. He reflects on the heat, elevation, relentless steps, and moments of gratitude that carried him towards the finish.Theo Ching - https://www.instagram.com/theoching_/?hl=enBen Sheppard - https://www.instagram.com/bensheppard93/?hl=en

Content creator and Twitch partner Pia Blossom joins Ben Sheppard on The RunThrough Podcast for an honest conversation about perseverance, health, and discovering what her body could achieve.Pia shares how she continued creating videos despite being bullied at school, why she treats every piece of content like a lottery ticket, and how one TikTok video receiving 12 million views transformed social media into her career.She also opens up about losing more than 100 pounds, the hurtful comments she received, and why health was always more important to her than appearance. Pia explains how her pursuit of weight loss eventually developed into body dysmorphia and disordered eating, and how therapy and running helped her rebuild a healthier relationship with food, exercise, and her body.After completing her first 5K in October, Pia progressed to a 10K and then signed up for the Shakespeare Marathon. Just six months after beginning her running journey, she crossed the finish line in under five hours.This is a powerful conversation about starting again after setbacks, refusing to overcomplicate running, and proving that looking after your health can unlock possibilities you never knew your body had.Follow Us.Pia Blossom - https://www.instagram.com/piablossom_xBen Sheppard - https://www.instagram.com/bensheppard93/

Fitness creator and body positivity advocate Daisy Wilson joins Ben Sheppard on The RunThrough Podcast for an honest conversation about mental health, self acceptance and learning to love the life you have today.Daisy opens up about growing up with anxiety, using food and alcohol to escape difficult emotions and reaching a point where she no longer believed she had a future. She shares how therapy, antidepressants and discovering fitness helped her begin rebuilding her life, and how a medical emergency in 2024 completely changed her relationship with her body.After years of believing she needed to become smaller to be worthy, Daisy decided to stop moving the goalposts and accept herself as she was. That shift towards authenticity transformed her social media presence into a community of more than 100,000 people, where women can speak honestly about body image, fitness and the difficult days as well as the good ones.Ben Sheppard - https://www.instagram.com/bensheppard93Daisy Wilson - https://www.instagram.com/daisywilso

Great British Bake Off winner, cookbook author and lover of all things sport, Peter Sawkins joins Ben Sheppard on this week’s episode of The RunThrough Podcast for a conversation about the two passions that have shaped his life!Peter reflects on growing up in a sports-mad family, discovering competitive badminton and why physical activity has always provided him with community, confidence and an escape from the pressures of everyday life. He also shares how running became another important part of his life, from completing his first parkrun as a child to experiencing the unique atmosphere of major running events! (He even recently WON a RunThrough 5K)Of course, Ben and Peter also revisit his unforgettable journey on The Great British Bake Off. Peter opens up about watching the programme as a child, applying twice before earning his place in the tent and the mindset that helped him become the show’s youngest ever winner in 2020.Together, they explore the similarities between sport and baking, from preparation and discipline to managing pressure, staying present and finding joy in the process, a brilliant conversation about competition, creativity and why sport remains the grounding force that allows Peter to keep doing what he loves.Peter Sawkins - https://www.instagram.com/peter_bakes/?hl=enBen Sheppard - https://www.instagram.com/bensheppard93/

Content creator and runner Leah Ball joins Ben Sheppard on this week's episode of The RunThrough Podcast to share the incredible story of how a life-changing stroke at just 17 years old completely changed the direction of her life.Leah reflects on recovering from a stroke as a teenager, rebuilding her confidence after discovering two holes in her heart, and how those experiences ultimately led her to rediscover sport, fall in love with running and build a career as one of the UK's most relatable fitness creators.Ben and Leah also discuss the power of optimism, learning to embrace different seasons of life, navigating social media as a full-time creator and why running has become so much more than chasing PBs. From marathon breakthroughs to hosting run clubs and building genuine community, this is a conversation about resilience, perspective and finding joy in the everyday.If you've ever questioned your confidence, faced an unexpected setback or needed a reminder that life can still surprise you in the best possible way, this is an episode you won't want to miss.Leah Ball - https://www.instagram.com/leahballlifts/Ben Sheppard - https://www.instagram.com/bensheppard93/

Running creator James Lattanzio joins Ben Sheppard on this week's episode of The RunThrough Podcast for an honest conversation about resilience, identity and how running became the thing that helped him rebuild his life.After a serious hip injury brought his rugby career to an abrupt end, James opens up about navigating major surgery at just 18 years old, losing the sport that had defined him and finding a new purpose through running. What started as a way to clear his head has since evolved into a passion that's led to impressive performances on the track and a thriving career as one of the UK's most recognisable running content creators.Ben and James also discuss the art of storytelling, building an authentic community online and why creating meaningful content is about far more than chasing views. They reflect on injury setbacks, the importance of movement for mental wellbeing and how learning to embrace change has shaped both James' career and outlook on life.James Lattanzio - https://www.instagram.com/jlatt.fit/?hl=enBen Sheppard - https://www.instagram.com/bensheppard93/

Josh Harrison joins Ben Sheppard on the RunThrough Podcast to share his journey from rugby player to one of the UK's fastest-growing HYROX athletes and fitness creators.After injuries brought his rugby career to an early end, Josh made a decision that would change his life. Picking up a camera and documenting his training eventually led to a thriving coaching business, a successful clothing brand and an audience of hundreds of thousands following his hybrid fitness journey.Josh opens up about building a career on social media, the reality behind creating content full-time, balancing multiple businesses and why authenticity has always come before chasing views. He also explains what hybrid training really means, how combining strength and endurance has transformed his performance and why consistency beats perfection every time.The conversation also dives into HYROX racing, goals to qualify for the World Championships, race strategy, marathon ambitions, coaching athletes to podium finishes and why sometimes the biggest step forward comes from focusing on one goal at a time.Josh Harrison - https://www.instagram.com/joshharrisonfit/Ben Sheppard - https://www.instagram.com/bensheppard93/