Runbelievable Podcast

Ep 1: Participation Bling, Zero Glory

• Joshua Rischin • Season 1 • Episode 1

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From finish line bling to faceplants... welcome to Runbelievable. In this pilot episode, Joshie and Matty lace up for the very first time to share why they run, what keeps them going, and how the podcast will celebrate the weird and wonderful world of everyday runners. It’s part warm-up lap, part participation award, and all about finding the joy (and the mishaps) that make running truly Runbelievable. 

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Josh:

Did I tell you about my third nipple? No. So I decided about a month ago to shave my chest, you know, look really, really nice for Natty. Yeah. After I was running, I think that day, and then all of a sudden I noticed I had these weird bumps appear on my chest, like sweat or whatever. One of them just got worse and worse and it swelled to the point it was like having a third nipple and it's still there. Yeah. Hello everybody and welcome to Run Believable, the podcast where everyday runners share their not-so-everyday stories. I'm your host Josh Rishon and I'm here to bring you some stories of grit, glory and overcoming adversity. Each episode we'll dive deep into what first got people running and what keeps them lacing up day after day. From the laughs and the lessons to the unplanned toilet stops, we're here to share what makes running a truly human experience. Now since this This is our very first episode. I want to give you some brief context about my inspiration for Run by the Ball. I'm a 46-year-old bog-standard recreational runner with a growing list of participation medals. But still, every medal I've earned carries a memory, a story of resilience, of joy, and of woe. I've never won a race, not even an underrepresented park run. I did get close to a podium once, but I got out-sprinted at the finish line by someone at least 10 years my senior. I've been confronted by kangaroos, had fishing line caught across the neck and even mistook deep heat for a gel. So why do I keep running? Probably for the same reason that you do. It's the connection, the community, the friendships, the stories, and most importantly, Strava Kudos. My heroes aren't the elites, they're everyday runners. People who lace up before work, are after work, or sometimes even cheekily during work. And that's what's inspired me to start this podcast, to capture those tales because they're simply too good to not share. Now, I won't be doing this alone. With me is my co-host, Matt Perry. He's here to keep me honest and to keep me in check when I dare to cross the lines of appropriateness. Matty, welcome. How does it feel to be part of this exciting new project?

Matt:

Yeah, thanks, Joshy. I'm honoured to be part. I think I'm And the reason for doing this podcast and touching on everyday runners' stories, I think, is invaluable. There's so many people out there that run for different reasons, and their stories are quite inspirational.

Josh:

Yeah, they really are. I don't know about you, but whenever I've run an event, even just the park run, I sometimes just pause and think, I wonder what all these people's journeys are. And so I've few people and it's just incredible just how diverse people's experiences are and what keeps them what keeps them going now let's declare this up front maddie we're not elite runners ourselves and we're certainly um not going to be giving any advice as such on this podcast uh perhaps aside from helping listeners find the nearest toilet on a long run i think we are well equipped to help with that

Matt:

yeah definitely

Josh:

and look we've certainly got some incredible guests lined up but before we start bringing them in let's give listeners a quick sense for who we are. Matty, what would you like to tell people about your running origin story?

Matt:

So my story is basically I hated running and I have pretty much my whole life and I decided to start walking to lose some weight for my mental health and then I added some running in and next thing you know I was hooked. I entered an event so that I could run with other people and when I complete that event, the atmosphere and the positivity that was there on the day was unbelievable. And I thought to myself, this is me. This is what I want to do. And the rest is history, really. What was that event, Matty? So that was Brisbane Marathon Festival. I ran the 10K and my plan was to walk and run because that's all I'd ever done. But I ended up running the whole thing, which to my surprise I felt amazing for doing so. So that was the first continuous run I ever did.

Josh:

Yeah. You know, I've sort of read a lot about the concept of the runner's high and it's only, I guess, when you take it up yourself that you can truly relate to that

Matt:

experience. Oh, 100%. And it's real.

Josh:

Yeah. Yeah. Thanks, Matty, for taking the time to share your story. Mine's kind of similar in a sense. Like I grew up not really enjoying running. running at all. I was never a runner. My dad had me participate in Little Athletics and I sucked. I was terrible at pretty much everything except the discus. I'll have to see if I can find at some stage for listeners a photo of, I think it's one photo of me from Little Athletics and I'm at the back of the pack, smiling away, really, really didn't care what was going on. And not much really changed after that until I took up boot camp, which was 2001. 20, I think, or 2021. And yeah, I noticed that I was quick. Whenever we had oval laps as part of our bootcamp sessions, you know, I ran quite quick, but I was gassed after 300 meters or thereabouts. And yeah, people started talking to me about parkrun. And I'll be honest, I was riddled with anxiety at the idea of going even just to something like that. I think I flirted with the concept for six months before I finished eventually went, you know, bugger it, I'll go and do it. And so, yeah, I think once you complete that first 5K or even just getting off the couch and running eight kilometers, because I remember trying to run with the kids, getting to a K and a half and having to stop. And I just, how am I ever going to run 5Ks? But I just persisted. And I know there's a lot of other people out there that have similar stories about the anxiety of even just turning up and getting to the start line. And yeah, it's perfectly normal to feel that way.

Matt:

Yeah, no, definitely. And I was the same. When I kind of got into running, I was getting a bit sick of running on my own. So I decided that I'd look up some run clubs and I did that for so long. And I found in training and I was like, yeah, I'll go. No, I won't. Yeah, I will. No, I won't. The anxiety of putting myself out there, I think, and not being as fast as other people or whatever it may have been, but I eventually joined and the best thing I've ever done.

Josh:

Yeah, that's fantastic. Now, as I mentioned a bit earlier this season, we've got some truly inspirational guests that are going to be joining us. We're talking about people who've collapsed with a finish line in sight, people overcoming addiction and some truly amazing comeback stories from health and injury-related issues. Yeah, along the way, Matty, we're going to share plenty of laughs because behind all the seriousness every runner has an epic adventure that they're dying to share and that's why we're here to celebrate the weird and wonderful world of running so if you've got a run believable story big or small we'd love to hear it so hit us up on socials or email us all the details are in the show notes and if you're enjoying the show tap follow leave us a quick rating and spread the word to your running buddies and that's the finish line for today Matt What do you think?

Matt:

Yeah, good. Really good. I'm really excited. I think this is something this format is or this type of podcast touching on people's stories is something that's probably missing from those running podcasts. And I think sharing these stories is going to be great. It's inspirational, really.

Josh:

Yeah, we're going to have a lot of fun, Matty. I'm really looking forward to it. Can you believe that even before we jumped on the call, I was busting for a wee and i have been the whole time that we've recording so i might have to sign off in a tix i'm not entirely sure that i kept it all in