The IMPOSSIBLE Run: How Matt Christopherson Made History to Save a Friend's Life Running 125KM

Today, I have the pleasure of sitting down with the only person to have ever run North America's largest cycling race, the Grand Fondo From Sea to Sky in Vancouver, Matty Kristofferson ran 125km to help save his friend's life. This is truly an inspiring story of a man who said yes from the kindness of his heart to only discover that he was really running for himself. It is a story of inspiration, of overcoming challenges and discovering the true gold of fulfillment. And if you've been listening or watching for a while but haven't subscribed yet, get on it, because the more subscribers, the more viewers, the more impact this podcast will make. I do my best to share inspiring stories, to reach more people, to show them what's possible when you follow your path to purpose. Matt, you ran 125km to help save your friend's life. What had you say yes to that?

You know what? Well, first of all, thanks for having me, Zar. It's an honor to sit down with you. Tell the story of Project125. You know, when I heard the call to have the opportunity to run 125 kilometers, 1900 meters of elevation from Vancouver to Whistler, it was something that I knew it was a. A calling for me, like a bigger purpose. I believe that, like, God gives us these gifts, and one of those gifts that I have is my health. And so at 43 years old, having the ability to make the impromptu decision to ramp up running and run that distance for a friend to, to raise money and inspire people was something I felt like I needed to do.

Paint the picture as to what was your friend Krista going through that had you feel called to step up.

So Christa, two time Olympian, Olympic medalist, mother of two, four and six year old, and we were university friends at Simon Fraser University, hadn't talked to her or her sisters for nearly 20 years. And I saw on Facebook that she had dis. Seemingly dislocated her shoulder. Went to the hospital and only to find out that she had broken her arm and was diagnosed with stage four cancer. She had six tumors from her head to her waist and something that wasn't identified early on. She had, you know, little to no symptoms. And when that. When I saw that, my heart broke. And that's when I reached out to Krista and, you know, they had initially posted a GoFundMe for $5,000 and the conversation was around, you know, if you want to raise money, there's a lot of cancer stories out there. Now everyone's mom and uncle and aunt and you name it. And if you want to, you know, raise money, you got to inspire people. And so that's what led me to, you know, off the cuff, say, you know, maybe I'll run Vancouver to Whistler. And then it all snowballed from there. Wow.

And you don't typically run 100 kilometers. Like, you're not an ultra marathon.

Yeah, I'm not. I, you know, prior to this, I wouldn't even class myself as a runner per se. You know, I'm a lifelong athlete. I used to compete internationally on the Canadian national water polo team. So I'm a swimmer by trade, through and through, but I'd only ever run one marathon, and that was 14 years ago. So I think the last time I even did a 10k was 14 years ago. Yeah, and yeah, it was just more that competitive nature in me and that knowing that I had that tenacity and that, like, drive to do something big like this.

That's a huge undertaking for someone who hadn't run anywhere near that distance before and you didn't have that much time to prepare. So, like, what's going through your head? You say, krista, I'm going to help you. I'm. I'm going to do this run from sea to sky. Like, what is that process to actually prepare for something like that? Because, you know, I've done a couple of triathlons recently, and that was a lot. That was nowhere near 125km. So, like, how did you even prepare for something like that?

Yeah, well, the big thing to backtrack a bit is I, you know, shot that off the cuff when, you know, we started talking about raising money. Right then Krista and her sister went down to Florida, got some leading edge treatment, you know, incredibly expensive. I believe it was around 75,000 per treatment. Only to find out that she needed to have two or three treatments total, Something that they couldn't afford to do as a family. And when they call me down in Florida after the first treatment and, and it was, you know, it went well. Doctor said, you know, the procedure went exactly as planned. They heard a lot of stories about, you know, other cancer patients in remission due to this treatment. They were in tears basically and, you know, asking me if I would commit to that. That one statement that I made on a phone call several weeks earlier. And, you know, the, the making. The decision to commit to this was based around integrity and being integral with my word. So when I said that, I meant it, and there was really no way That I was going to back out after that. But, you know, we had discussed, you know, how much money do we have to raise? And they said 125,000. Says, well, that's quite the coincidence. It's 125 kilometers. I'd have to run. And very next morning, after that phone call while they were in Florida, post treatment, Top Gun anthem song came on, and I was like, let's fucking go. Let's do this. And I sent them a message. And, yeah, it was. You know, everyone was overjoyed that we had made this verbal commitment to do this, and now it was time to get serious on how we were going to achieve it. Right. Looking back now, I feel like we were dreaming the improbable. And so how are we going to make that possible? Right. In such a short period of time?

That's a beautiful gesture of your kindness and just a representation of who you are. And as you mentioned, you know, you have this competitive nature to you. So I get that you want to do something altruistic. You wanted to help your friend Krista. How much of it was wanting to help her and wanting to prove yourself that you could.

I love that. So after reflecting on it, you know, we. We had about 90 days, 90 to 100 days to ramp up the training. Right. It was the RBC Gran Fondo that heard about our story, and that's North America's largest cycling race, the Sea to Sky highway, the same route that I had committed to. And they had asked me to be the first ever runner after 15 years. So that means that I had to bump up the training to September 6, which was three weeks earlier than what I had anticipated originally, what I had agreed with Christa, that all said, when we ramped up the running and the training for this, it was about 10 days into the running when I was starting to run, like 20, 30k runs ramped up really quick when I recognized that I was doing this for something much bigger than just Krista, that there was a redemption around this. There was a feeling of, like, I need to do this for myself and to prove to myself and possibly the world that this is the person I am. And when I commit to hard things, I know what I'm capable of. Of and achieving. Right. And there was no one getting me in. In the way of me doing this. Right. This is Matt against the road. And that's it.

Yeah. As a matter of fact, something you shared to me with me before we got on was your coach quit just a few weeks into it when she thought that you weren't going to be able to do it.

Yeah. There was a two time ultra marathoner of the year I had reached out to recommended. I asked her if, you know, she could coach me. She had committed to that. And then only about a week in, she had, you know, reached back out and said, you know, I don't have the capacity to, you know, make you successful in this and believe it was like the short period of time that we had to ramp up. Right. A typical marathon program, one marathon program is anywhere between six months to a year and we were doing over three marathons. Yeah. Wow. And within 90 days. Wow. So yeah. But you know, when you embark on something and doing something hard like that, and again, being integral with my word, there was no way that I was going to shift and quit on this commitment that I made not only to Krista, but to myself.

Yeah, the commitment you made to yourself.

So.

What part of you, which version of you did you commit to to prove that you can do this? And I asked this question from place of when I committed to doing my first triathlon. It was to, it was to help the eight year old little boy inside of me who almost drowned in Lake Ontario, proved to him that he could do it. It was a version of me who never got picked for sports, was always the last kid standing there getting laughed at. I did my triathlon at 50 for those younger parts of me that never felt good enough, never felt capable and was too scared to ever do anything like that before. So who, which version of Matty did you commit to doing this for?

Yeah, you know what, I think that the, you know, there's so many through lines to what you just shared Z the inner child and all those like, you know, per se traumas over the years that you experience as a young kid in your teenage years, even in your 20s. For me, for this run specifically, the redemption element was around some adversity that I went through in business. Five years ago.

Okay.

Five years ago, had a startup, raised a ton of money. You know, everything seemingly was going incredibly well. And then it was met with a lot of headwinds within the industry that I was in shareholder revolt. There was just a lot of adversity and drama and that questioned my self worth and you know, people were very judgmental and you know, you'd. When you're just, you're challenged with difference of opinions and, and all these different voices and I felt like really defeated. I felt defeated about my decision making. I was paralyzed in, in any capacity in my life and my Self worth out of anything and confidence was completely diminished. And, you know, I recognize over time that was just other people's opinions of me, that that wasn't who I was as a human and that wasn't my character. And when I started embarking on this training of this run and recognize, wow. I said yes to this. Not just for Krista. Yeah. As a force of good and to change the world and save a life's friend. Like a friend's life for sure. But at the end of the day, I knew that the commitment to this was the redemption of. Of who I was five years ago and building back that confidence and self worth that I know that I had prior to all that adversity.

Yeah. And that's so powerful because a lot of people, especially in the last few years with COVID and the pandemic, the business have got wiped out, Their relationships have ended. You know, they've experienced health issues and it takes the wind out of their sails and they just never pick up that momentum again. And that's why I think your story is not just a beautiful example of what kindness can create in the world, but also how at any point in time we can choose to change our circumstances, you know, that we can't control what happens in life. The only thing we can control is how we choose to respond to that. And, you know, what really inspires me with your story is the resilience and the tenacity that you continue to cultivate within yourself. Even when people told you you can't do it, even when your coach quit, even when you faced other challenges in your life that would have taken most people out, you continue to lean on. You continue to run and climb that mountain. Literally. And I think right now, one of the things that's really missing in society, especially in masculinity, is the integrity and the resilience to do the hard things for what's right. Choosing to put yourself out there even when there may not seemingly be any upfront reward for us. Because I'm sure a lot of what you're speaking to now, what you've taken away from this experience, you probably didn't.

Realize till after you said all the gold comes after. Absolutely.

So I think you know, your story and who you are is a beautiful and powerful example for men to choose the hard things, even when it scares the shit out of them to say yes, Even when they don't know what the outcome is going to look like. Because I think we'd be living in a very different world if more men were Willing to lean into the unknown and have that resilience and the tenacity that you've cultivated.

Yeah. And you know what, to that point, Zark, is that you're not going to build that resilience unless you do hard things. It's a muscle that you have to work. Right. And that could be from like resisting of picking up that cookie late at night, those subtle little things, doing that extra rep in the gym, which you know everything about, like those choices that we make to do the things that you resist to do is where the gold comes from. Right. And you know, I heard this recently that one of the greatest acts of vulnerability is, is getting on the start line. You know why? Because when you step on that start line of any race, there is fear of failure, fear of judgment, all of that. And if you can just get there.

That'S you've already won.

That's where the win is. Right.

And what I love about witnessing your journey, even though I just, you know, was catching it on social media and of course we have some mutual friends, is who you've inspired by your way of accomplishing something so profound. My dear friend David Bins, who did his run facing Ultra, you know, you inspired him across country, you know, to commit to his run. I think of 75km and, you know, being very close to David, I know the personal transformation mentally, emotionally, physically that he went through by way of what you demonstrated to the world. So I just want to acknowledge you for that.

First off, Zar, I get goosebumps when this comes up because ever since the run, so we're, you know, recording this now, it's been almost three months or just over three months since the run. When people ask me what was the biggest shock, unequivocally, without hesitation, I always say that I underestimated the amount of people that it would inspire far and wide. Yeah. And, and now fast forward. Not only David, but there's another guy in New York that's running 101 miles for an aunt of cancer. There's countless people that have reached out to me that said they're running a 5k, a 10k, a half marathon or a marathon because of me. I had like 650 messages from different people right when I finished to run, telling me how inspiring and motivating and what a legend and all this stuff. This is where I completely overlooked the ripple effect of what it could do to society. Yeah, right. And this is what the magic is.

And it means more than any trophy, means more than any, you know, maybe compensation you might have received, like, what you were rewarded with is true fulfillment that you'll take to your grave with you. Right. You've now created this legacy unintentionally. You know, you just said yes to doing something for a friend out of generosity and kindness. And as a result, I'm sure this has changed the trajectory of your life.

Oh, completely. You know, who I am as a person. You know, what. What I believe my character is, right. Or, like, I'm the main character in this, you know, in this movie. Right. And I'm doing main character shed. Yeah. And it just. It really reminds you who you are as a person when you commit to something like this, because no one can say otherwise. Right. You know, in the deepest part of your heart and soul of, like, what you can achieve. And it's like our minds are our only limits. That's it.

And, you know, your demonstration of resilience and tenacity and choosing to do the hard thing, I think it's such a necessary example right now. And I'm going to speak to men specifically because I feel men have become very soft. I feel we live in a soft society in a world where everything is readily available. We don't have to go out and hunt and kill anymore. You know, a lot of jobs are very, like, chill, relax, work from home, you know, with the, you know, content or creative space. You know, a lot of people, I feel, have just become very passive, you know, and they don't need to do hard things anymore because in many ways, life isn't that hard as far as needing to do, you know, physical things, need to do things that really push them out of their comfort zone. And that's why I think, whether it be ice baths, whether it be committing to a run or triathlon or whatever it is, I think it's so important that as men, we choose to do difficult things that test our character, that push us to that edge of wanting to give up, wanting to break down, but still saying, fuck it, I got more. I can do this. Because it's in those moments where you have a choice to give up and turn around or keep going that you are preparing yourself for the bigger challenges that lay ahead. And as a man, to be a provider, to be a protector, to be the example, to have your woman, your partner, feel safe. She wants to know that when shit hits the fan, you stand up and you're ready to keep going. And that is, I think, an element in masculinity that's missing. And again, it doesn't have to be running 125km, it just has to be.

The ability to do hard things really at the end of the day and.

Show it up with integrity.

Yeah, yeah, big time. Because, you know, as I said earlier, it's this muscle that you have to work, right. And it's transferable across any elements of life. So, you know, the vehicle of hard things that I chose was to run 125km in this season and chapter of my life. But realistically, that could be any kind of vehicle per se. Right. And if you choose to embark on hard things, you're going to have that resilience that can be transferred to in your marriage, in financial stresses, you know, all these things, you build this capacity to lead through the adversity and you can be there for your partner. Right.

And while going through that adversity, your limiting beliefs, your insecurities, the parts of your shadow that you neglect and suppressed and numb yourself from start to show up. Right. So I'm curious to know, as you were preparing, as you're running, you're out there for hours and hours on the road at time, like what, what darkness came up for you?

Yeah. There is, there's a special little story that I'll share part of the run. So it was 125km. It was uphill. We left at 2 o' clock in the afternoon on a Friday. Right. And the reason why we left two in the afternoon is because I had to finish the run right prior, 15 minutes prior to all the pro riders coming in on the Saturday morning. So I was running 18 hours through the night. Wow, okay. So not only, you know, some people reflected back on me, like. Yeah, okay, you're running an ultramarathon. Yeah. Okay. And it's uphill. Okay. Checkbox. Oh, it's by yourself? Yeah. There's no pacers, there's no checkpoints, there's no nothing. And it's all the way through the dark. So we ran, or I ran nine hours in darkness. Right. The longest distance that I had run training and leading up to this ever, in fact was 54 kilometers. That was the longest one bout of distance. Wow. And so I'm doing over double that. So, yeah, it was at 4 in the morning when I was around the, like the, the 90 kilometer mark. Nine some 100 kilometer mark. And that's when shit got tough. Right. It was already eight hours of darkness. The sun wasn't up yet. I had gone the longest distance so far. Things started to hurt. Right. I had done an enormous amount of uphill but also a ton of downhill, which was really hard on the joints, and that's where I really had to dig deep. I had a support vehicle that were along for the ride. I had a lot of people in my life that flew in from out of town, whether it be New York, Toronto, Virginia. And there was a couple of those people, along with my medic staff and my performance coach and all that. They were all in the vehicle, but that vehicle was 5km up from where I was running. It was like kind of this leapfrog. I'd run five kilometers, catch up, get my fuel, and then they'd drive five kilometers. And so we'd always have that gap. Anyways. It was at that time in the morning when a song came on. It was St. Elmo's fire, actually man in Motion. And my doctor that was on board is actually the head of ICU intensive care unit in the entire province. And he's seen all of it. He's seen everyone on life support daily. And he said that it was the most magical, inspiring moment that he had witnessed. That it was like a phoenix rising when I just. My shoulders pop back and I was fully depleted. And then all of a sudden, the song came on, and I just was inspired and envisioned myself crossing that finish line in only hours away, and that I was doing this for Krista and for myself, and we were going to get the job done. And it was like a phoenix rising. And it was this, like, new life. And the birth had happened on the road, and it was like, you know, it put some people in my support vehicle in tears. But it was a moment, and it was like this. This mental fortitude that you have to find, and you have to dig in the darkest moments to get it done. Yeah. Yeah.

Where does this competitive nature come from? Within you? Because not everybody has it, but there's something within you that had you choose at a young age that you needed to prove yourself.

Yeah. You know what? This has been a big reflection over the last couple months, and there was a, you know, special moment in. During the run as well. But I was born an identical twin. So was your brother born before you? 22 minutes before. Okay, yeah. And identical twin growing up. So those that are multiple, triplet and twin, whatever, many of you would probably experience that you're compared constantly. Right. So at the early age of, like, three and four years old, I remember being compared. Right, right. It's just natural human nature.

What are some of the messages that come up for you?

Yeah. Like, as a young, like, you know, why did so, and so do this or he's not doing that, or, you know, like just comparing about, like, you know, if you did something wrong. Right. Lessons. Right. You know, also like witnessing like your, your twin getting punished or, or, you know, you getting punished. You know, in, in school, it was constant, right? It was like you'd bring back the report card and it's just like, why did you get the. The B? Or, you know, why do you have a C minus right at the early age? And in fact, you know, in my elementary school years, you know, I was an okay student, right? Like, of course elementary school, it's like in the big picture of things, I'm. I'm not huge believer in it, Right. Like, it's good, it's good structure for kids, but, you know, where does, you know, the academics, you know, how important is it at that, at that age? Right. But nonetheless, it was like a C student. I remember coming home and my dad was like, this is unacceptable. And it was the two of us, and we were getting compared, rather typically doing better instead. I think it varied. You know, it varied on like, the years and different report cards and what have you, right? But we were constantly compared. And when you look at sport, even, you know, I've been a lifelong athlete, but we were doing multiple sports at a young age, and it was like, oh, yeah, you know, one of us made the A team, the other one didn't. Or even worse is that coaches would not divide us, so one of them had the ability and the skill to make the A team, but because the other one didn't, we both made the B team.

Got it.

So then there became this, like, little bit of tension even at a young age, like, why am I getting held back? Right? And so this competitive nature, just like I was born with it. Got it. Right. And throughout all my childhood into my teens, that's what led both of us actually to excel in academics. I got straight A's all the way through high school. I got an unconditional scholarship to any university in Canada. That's what created who I was. Ended up making them the national team, which was a long shot early on, but I was so competitive, and we both were to have that drive to compete at a high level.

So I disagree. I don't believe you're born with it. What I do believe is that you were born into a dynamic where you were kind of positioned.

Yeah. Well said. Yeah.

Against. Not against your brother, but in comparison to your brother that had you, you know, wanting your dad's approval.

Uhhuh.

Wanting to prove to the coach you are good enough and you know, developing that competitive characteristic to prove yourself. And I share this because I can relate. I was not athletic. I did not get picked for any teams. And it's what inspired me to go to the gym and to compete with myself and compete with others to show them how cool I could be, how fit I could be, how successful I could be because I wasn't growing up. Right. So I can look back now and see what would have been helpful for me. Like what would have made the difference that would have allowed me to have more confidence, self worth. Self worth. So my question for you is, let's say you have twin sons. You know, one day when you have your children, what will you say and do different for them?

Yeah. You know, obviously on the spot. But one thing that really resonates is like that you matter. Right. They both matter in their own power. Yeah. Right. That they're both worthy of their own gifts and their own talents. And you're different people. And we do have different personalities and we show up differently online, but we were born in the same environment. So we do have a lot of the similar beliefs. But just knowing that we have our own independence is big. Right. And they're both worthy in their own capacity. That's the biggest thing. And I think even as men, as adults, you know, we, you know, choose to be on the more vulnerable side and lean into that. And it's only like now and there's still so much more work to do. But I'm understanding what I'm worthy of and who I am and what my character is. This is 43 years in the making. Right.

I hear you.

And it's just like we're still a work in progress. But that, that, that worthiness piece and that like every child matters and they all have their own gifts.

Yeah.

And it's not about being compared. Right. Because we, if we can own our own power, I think that's where we can really live a fulfilled life. Absolutely.

And I feel that when we can embrace our inherent gifts and not disregard them because we don't have other qualities that maybe our siblings possess that we lack, when we can really acknowledge what we are good at, that makes us unique and then nourish that, cultivate and develop that, that's where we are able to fully lean into whatever God given talent we have that allows us to rise above. And I feel that that self sabotage, those limiting beliefs, all the things that we tell ourselves rooted in those childhood experiences when dad didn't Give me the high five because I got the B minus or whatever, you know, all of that plays such a pivotal role in who we become as men. And I, you know, share just from sense context of, I had a father, I have a father who wasn't a great role model, didn't teach me sports, didn't really like, kind of pass on healthy masculine qualities to me. And it's what I've had to cultivate and develop as an adult in my personal development journey, you know, really reaching a lot of success and checking a lot of boxes. But then at 40, realizing like, okay, I've spent, you know, the better half of two decades building success and wealth to make the eight year old boy in me feel better about himself. And I think it's so important that for all the fathers out there and the mothers out there, to whatever your child is and isn't good at, to just as you said, accept them, you matter. Let them embrace their flaws and let them know, like, what you're going through isn't forever, and that they can truly be anyone they want to be when they can see the potential of who.

They, who they are.

Who they are.

Yeah, I love that. I love that. And you know what? It's people like you who really lean into this Zark, I, I commend you and I see everything, how you're leading, you know, a lot of men to be vulnerable and to really look inward and discover who they are. And we have the tools now. Right. Our parents didn't have the tools. We weren't nearly as connected globally as we are now. Right. And now they're at our fingertips. So, you know, I, I commend you and I empower other men to lean into those tools. Yeah.

Because I do believe. First off, thank you for that acknowledgment. I appreciate it. Because I never used to be vulnerable. I never used to put my out there because I was like the cool club guy. Like, I want everybody to see me in my Gucci suit, my fancy car and like, I would not.

But that was that inner child, that.

Was it in our child who, yeah, I needed to show to everybody, look.

How cool I can be, look how much I matter.

And you know, I believe we are the generation to break this generational pattern of our fathers didn't cry or express themselves or ask for help. Our grandfathers didn't, our great grandfathers didn't. And there's a lineage of men who did not express himself, did not ask for help, kept everything bottled up and pushed down. And our Fathers didn't have the tools we have today. They didn't have podcasts, and they didn't have Landmark or all these other, you know, coaching programs and therapists, and all the things that we now have access to that are allowing us to actually express ourselves. You know, we. We as men now have permission to talk about these things. Whereas 30 or 40, 50 years ago, you talked about your feelings. If you tried to be vulnerable, you'd get ridiculed, you'd get laughed at, you get ostracized. So it's like in the. Only in the past 30 years have men even been given permission to open up and share, you know, so I can look at my father and understand why he didn't talk to me about things like, I'm proud of you, or I love you, or how can I help you? You know, these small little things that a boy needs from his father, I didn't get because my father didn't get it from his father. So I don't blame him. But what I do recognize is what I. I didn't get that would have made a difference that I know I'm going to pass on to my child. That's what I asked you. Like, you know, what would you say to your twin boys? Because there are things that you needed to hear as a young boy, both you and your brother, that would have really made a difference. That being said, I'm grateful for the way everything went down. You know, I'm grateful that I was competitive and I needed to prove myself to the world because I built a big, beautiful, glamorous life. But it's going to get to a point where one day you wake up and you realize that person you've become, that false self that you developed is actually the guy in the way of you having what you truly want.

Yeah.

And that is the day where you have a choice to say, okay, am I willing to shine a light in the shadows to see what it is I'm hiding from? Am I willing to face that part of me that I want the world to not see? And that is the beginning of living your true life.

Yeah. Your purpose. Yeah. Right. And I think that if we circle it back to the run, it was like, me understanding at that point in my life, like, what is my purpose here?

Yeah.

Right. I was going through. I shared with you briefly that I was going through a lot of turbulence. Right. When I committed to that run, it was two weeks later that my marriage was falling apart. You know, I witnessed my wife, like, walk out the door, and you Know, questioning spiritually, like, physically is one thing that I committed to running 125k within 90 days of training mentally. Right. The mental fortitude that that took. But then if we think about like the emotional, spiritual side of things, like I'm sitting there questioning like, why am I doing this? Like, am I, am I doing this like for a friend that I hadn't Talked to for 20 years, or am I doing it for some other purpose? And when I recognized it was more for me and for my self worth and my confidence, then it was like, there's no way that I'm getting pushed off this path. Right. I think that we can as men, as we age and we can be aware of, you know, how we move through life, you know, and we can really lean into those gifts that we're given and, and understand what our purpose is. It's times like this that we can make the, the right decision, if you will. Yeah, right.

Yeah. And as I hear you share that, what comes to mind is, you know, you've heard that your, your pain is your purpose, you know, and even though you said yes to the race from the kindness of your heart to help Krista, you didn't realize that you needed this race more than she did. And through that journey you discovered that the pain that's coming up for you, your need to prove yourself, your need to rise above your own limitations, is now having this ripple effect of inspiring other people like David and like so many others, to question their own purpose and to be willing to look into their own wounds. And, and I think that is, you know, really the, the true trophy, the true takeaway from all of this. Right. Because that's not something we would initially think about in, in, in saying yes to something like that. So it is really a beautiful testament when you say yes in life because something within you said yes. Something just had you say, I'm in. And I believe, you know, God doesn't give us any challenges that we can't overcome and that we will be given adversity and struggles and life altering circumstances when it's time for us to grow and evolve. So I'm curious to know, why do you think God, Source, universe, whatever you believe in, gave you the circumstance of your coach quitting, your wife leaving and everything else that's transpired. Reflecting on that now, what do you think God is trying to tell you?

Well, you know, we went pretty deep on like all like purpose and that inner child stuff. But if I were to look back at a, like a more like higher level for like, you know, for looking at the run as a whole. Right. When I committed to that and then my marriage falling apart. Well, you know, think about this. I was doing 15 hours of running every single week. Yeah. Right. We're talking about two six hour long runs every single week for weeks on end throughout the entire summer. Well, that's an opportunity to go inward and to really reflect. Right. How often nowadays do we even take more than 15 minutes out of our day with no digital, you know, media or phones or TVs or whatever. Right. To really sync with our thoughts and sit with them. Right. And that's where you can actually mine for like, wow, you know, what am I doing? How am I going to get through this? What, what is God telling me? You know, why, like, you know, all of these questions came up. Yeah, Right. And I had that opportunity to really reflect on who Matt is as a human. Right. And what my purpose is. And so there was adversity and these challenges. But I wholeheartedly believe if I didn't commit to that run, I wouldn't be on the other side of this marriage in, you know, the state that I'm in. Right. Because it was like therapy.

Yeah.

For, for three months straight. Yeah. Right.

Do you think you would still be in the marriage if you didn't commit to the run?

No, I, I, you know, I remember in the early days and I honor and respect her. I, I love her early days I was almost getting, you know, questioned, why am I doing this? And you know, why. For a friend. And it felt like it was a reason to leave, but that wasn't the case, you know, and we would be in the exact same position. Like, I'm confident of it.

Okay.

And so my decision to stay the course was a big decision, but looking back, it was the right decision. Right. Because I stayed true to my purpose and what God's plan was for me.

Yes.

Right. And you know, no matter what, you know, if, if it, if it, if that was the, the, the, the, the straw that broke the camel's back in our marriage. Well, you know what? Our marriage wasn't strong enough to begin with.

Yeah.

Right. So I continued down that road after questioning, you know, days on end, should I still do this? And I stayed the course and I know that it was the right decision. Now, looking back, do you think there.

Is a level of commitment and a version of you that was showing up to take on this run that you weren't bringing to your marriage?

Yeah, I think, I think that, I think that I, you know, I Played a role, you know, as we do in partnerships and marriages, and it was complacent. Right.

Yeah.

And took it for granted.

Okay.

And, you know, when you're living the day to day and you have a beautiful marriage and a beautiful wife and you have a dog and, you know, every seemingly feels fine.

Yeah.

And good. But it wasn't great. Right. And I think that I became complacent in our marriage when. When I was very proactive in other areas of my life, whether that be my health, my fitness, my business, whatever. Yeah, right. And so I think for the men out there, it's like, you know, taking charge, taking the lead, having that masculine, you know, element in, you know, energy in that, in the marriage. To really lead. Yeah. And lead in the partnership. Right, yeah. And that doesn't mean necessarily being the breadwinner or what have you. That means like actually making decisions purposefully. Right. With intention and knowing that you're, like, advancing that. That partnership. Yeah, yeah.

I hear you saying, really showing up in your masculine energy of being the provider, protector, being the one to create that strong frame that allows you to fully show up for your partner.

Yeah.

Now, you mentioned, you know, during those runs, you had six hours to yourself to think, to reflect, to go inwards. Who are you now as a result of that deep therapy on the road? What are some of the lessons that you've learned that, you know, can now impact your life in a different way?

Well, I think, without a doubt, that one of the big lessons is around self worth. Right. And no one can tell you who you are. Right. As a human. And, you know, I was casted with, you know, the business was failing five years ago, and there was this judgment and. And, you know, there's all these voices and opinions and what have you. And, you know, like I shared earlier, my confidence and my self worth was depleted and completely diminished. It felt like looking back. But when you do something like this, when you reflect on who you are as a human, and when I embarked on that hard thing to run 125km, but also, like, through all that other turbulence and to stay the course, like, I can do hard, right. And no one can question me as a person, my integrity of how I show up from my friends, from my family and from myself. Right. And at the end of the run, one of the things that I've learned and, you know, literally as I ran through that finish line is like, I think Simone Biles said it best. She's the goat of gymnastic gymnastics, like, around and find out. And it's just like, literally, that was the feeling that I got when I finished it. And that isn't in a, like an ego way that. That is like wholeheartedly, like, now no one can tell me who I am as a person.

Yeah.

Right. Only I know who I am. And I'm going to show up in this world for the character that I want to play.

You choose to be.

Yeah.

Yeah. And, you know, as I imagine you crossing that finish line, I could. I could see this transmutation of the emotions of guilt and shame from a business failing, from marriage failing, for all the things that didn't work out. The minute you cross that finish line, those emotions transmuted from guilt to gratitude, to optimism, to a new level of self worth.

100%. You know, one of the qualities of a resilient leader, especially through adversity, is optimism.

Yes.

Right. And being. Having the belief that, you know everything's going to work out. And now when you look at that and I look back and the journey of even in 90 days.

Yeah.

All the stuff that I went through, all. All the turbulence, all the doubters, all the people. I had countless people, Zark, that told me that I wouldn't be able to ramp up my training in time, you know, hence the coach quitting. But multiple other people said I'd get injured in that short period of time, that I couldn't raise that amount of money, you know, 125 grand within, you know, a couple months. Do it next year. You're not going to be able to integrate into the RBC grandfundo. There were so many people that casted their opinions and. And guess what? I stayed the course. And we crushed every single element of that. I walked away essentially injury free. I completed the run, you know, gross. We. We raised like over $200,000 within a matter of months. Yeah, right. Like, we achieved the improbable. But at the end of it, it's because, like, that's because I remained optimistic about the outcome. And I envision myself crossing that finish line and giving a massive hug to Krista, the root cause of why I originally did this. And that's what happened.

That's so beautiful. And. And just a testament to the power of visualization and about believing yourself and about seeing yourself crossing that finish line and choosing to continue being that version of you every freaking day while you're training. Yeah. Beautiful, beautiful thing. I'm feeling inspired and I'm. Yeah, I'm. I'm gonna be pushing to do my first hyrox race in April.

I just did one.

Oh, yeah? Which one did you do?

Yeah, I did Dallas. I was okay. You know, it was one of the most sought after events because there was some of the industry titans that were competing in the pro division. Yeah. And Nick Barr, Jason Khalipa, Matt Troy and all these guys. So I ended up getting a, an entry to the pro division and yeah, it was, it was a blast.

Amazing. Well, I have to hit you up for some high rocks training tips because I'm competing in the one in April in Miami.

Love it.

So I'm going to start, I'm actually start training next week, you know, New Year's week. You're going to find a high rocks gym here and start getting it in.

Awesome, brother.

Yeah. Yeah. Well, you know, I mean, your journey, this experience has been so inspiring for myself and so many others. And I have no doubt what you've been through has prepared you, has developed you to be this new version of you. And you have some new ventures, you have some new things that you're up to that I'd love to share more about because obviously we have our dear friend in common, Spencer. Mr. Mr. Spencer Copen, who has helped me to optimize my health and help prepare me also for my triathlons. So, yeah, I'd love for you to share a little bit about what you got going on with opscotch and what this new chapter has opened up in your life.

Yeah. So, you know, two years ago, founded a company called opscotch. I like to say it's a modern health company that gives people the knowledge and tools to optimize their health. Business partner, Spencer Coppin, he's been doing longevity medicine as, you know, Zerg, since before it was even cool. I think he's been doing it for like 17 years now, something like that, and just really working on optimizing people's health and that, that proactive, preventative health element, you know, at the end of the day, that's what enabled me to make that impromptu decision off the cuff to run 125km without even running. It was my health that I knew that would give me the ability to complete something like that. And so with opscotch, that's what we prioritize. We prioritize blood work, you know, looking at deficiencies and blood biomarkers, helping people optimize them into like really tight ranges, getting them on the podium, if you will. You know, like, we don't want people just to be air quote healthy, we want them to be optimal. So we have blood Work at home, test kits. We have a really focused lineup of supplements. Our beef protein is, is arguably our hero product. And yeah, that we have community that we curate and coach. Yeah, overall it's just like helping people in their path to optimal health. So that's a big focus of mine, you know, continuing to compete and challenge myself from a physical standpoint, but also a mental standpoint and again, compete in another high rocks in 2025. But yeah, just like continuing to lean into areas where I see that there's friction and resistance because I know that on the other side of whatever that friction and resistance is, there's going to be even more gold and that's going to allow me to grow and that's what it's all about.

Beautiful. Yeah, I love that. And you know, I think you and Spencer on something that obviously it's where all the smart money is going right now. What do people want? They want to live a longer life. They want to live a healthier life. And people are now starting to understand the difference between health span and or lifespan and health span. Right. And the technology and the supplements and just the protocols that are available today is all cutting edge. And you know, five years ago, we didn't know about half this stuff. So it's amazing to see where life longevity and health optimization is going big time.

Big time.

And I sure, no doubt you being a walking billboard for optimal health, doing things like Project125 and Hyrox and everything else is amazing and inspiring because I'm sure there's many men watching this who are like, wow, this guy's 43. And I'm proud to say that me doing a triathlon at 50, I did something at 50 I couldn't do in my 30s. That's a result of having people like Spencer, you know, advised me on what I should and shouldn't be eating. You know, doing my blood work, like, really understanding, like, how do I take the best possible care of this machine that I've been gifted?

Oh, yeah. Like, hey, I competed internationally for the national team and that was in my 20s or like even younger actually youth national team too. And I'm in better performance and optimal health than I was back then. Fries. Because I have the knowledge and the tools at my fingertips. I actually know from a perspective of data, you know, where my health is at. Right. I took agency over my own health. I'm not relying on the traditional medical system. Right. I can actually navigate and, you know, pull certain levers to be in that peak performance state.

So, yeah, love that, and that's because you keep choosing to push yourself and keep choosing to see where is there room to grow, even if it's a 1 2% increment, you know, where is that potential? The possibility?

Yeah. And, you know, people should know that it's, you know, know by now that it's. There's no magic pill. Right? It's about getting on that start line. Like we said, get on the start line and, you know, commit to something. And whether that's your health or something physically demanding or even mentally challenging, you know, get on that start line and make that commitment for anyone, mostly yourself.

I love that. I think that's a beautiful message to wrap this up with. I think it is the takeaway that anybody listening or watching this can benefit from, especially with, you know, the new year around the corner. I mean, by the time this airs, it'll already be 2025. But, you know, as we have this new year ahead of us with infinite possibility, do you choose to be complacent and have a repeat of 2024? Or are you willing to ask yourself, where can I be 5% better? If I was 5% better in my health, 5% better in my relationships, 5% better in my spiritual practice, what would that look like?

Right?

And it's. That's. That's all it is. Get to the start line, start running, you know, and see what the universe opens up for you. Because your journey is a beautiful example as to what happens in life when you say yes and you lean in.

Amen.

Amen.

Thanks, brother.

Thanks for being here, my friend. I'm going to put all your information in the show notes, so anybody who wants to reach out, learn more about Opscotch, learn more about Project125, just keep tabs on what you got going on. I'm sure you'll be inspiring many viewers and listeners here and just want to thank you for your time for being here in Toronto to share your journey. If you enjoyed this podcast and you learned something valuable, then please hit subscribe so you don't miss the future episodes. I'd love it if you share this with a friend and leave us a review. Your feedback is so important to our growth. Thank you for supporting the Path to Purpose podcast. I appreciate you. I'll see you in the next episode.