N4L 084: "Outrunning the Demons" by Phil Hewitt

SUMMARY British journalist and marathon addict Phil Hewitt extols the multiple virtues of running in his newly published book, Outrunning the Demons: Lives Transformed Through Running. His “celebratory exploration” of running includes 34 compelling true stories from runners around the world whose reasons run the range from overcoming trauma to honoring the death of a loved one. In each story, Hewitt champions the power of running to steady a life rife with trouble and trauma or to simply help access joy and exhilaration. Every story is proof positive that running provides power to outrun demons, transform lives, and unlock resilience needed to face life’s everyday challenges. Even more, “running can so often be the answer to everything when we find ourselves in extremis.” Whether heartwarming or heartbreaking, the stories in the book inspire us to believe in the transformative power of running. After attending a cricket championship in South Africa, Hewitt is brutally mugged walking through Cape Town and, as a result, suffers severe PTSD. Even when his physical wounds heal, Hewitt’s emotional and mental wounds beleaguer him until he returns to running.   “Outrunning the demons” can mean leaving them behind OR, more often, finding a way to live with them. The universal appeal of running may lie in its ability to transport us back to the present moment (like mindfulness). Running can feel like a sacred experience, giving yourself time and space to process. The National Health Service in England is increasingly recommending running as better than low-level antidepressants. Running can restore a sense of control, power, and reconnection. Camaraderie is a powerful pull for runners. The sport of running can be either solitary or social—or both! “parkruns” – (started in London and now wildly popular in England and Australia) allow people to simply show up at a park or green space to run a few miles without paying a fee Running can give us a safe place to grieve. Many healed and strengthened through running have formed nonprofit organizations to help others. Men tend to bottle up feelings, causing them to become subject to staggering suicide statistics. Rapper “Professor Green” writes a song about the terrible effects of his father committing suicide. QUOTES FROM HEWITT “Something lifted, something just cut through the total mess in my mind…[that] I sensed the power of running.” “Being able to come back [from a run] physically tired was bliss—absolute bliss!” “Running to me seems to be such a terrific answer to trauma…that horrible past is like this endlessly rerunning, constantly replaying present, and running is one of the things cuts through that.” “Since the trauma, I’ve stopped running to music. [Now,] when I run, I just want to attune to the surroundings, to just look at the trees, smell the roses, be present in the moment.” “I love being part of a pack at the start of a race. You don’t know all these people…but in that race you are united in a really profound, spiritual, uplifting way.” “People who’ve been to hell discover that the quickest, surest, safest way back is to run.” “If you’re firmly in the mid-pack where I am, there is a terrific camaraderie—a great ‘looking after’ [each other.]” “Ever since what happened to me, I’ve become terribly un-British. I don’t remotely have a stiff upper lip now. I talk about my emotions and struggle to stop talking about them!” 30:00 ish “It’s all about awareness that it’s OK not to be OK.” “Running is a privilege. Obviously, it’s not something that everyone can do. But if you’re fortunate enough to do it, you might just find that running is potentially a big part of the solution to whatever you’re going through.”  BUY Outrunning the Demons: Lives Transformed through Running RECOMMENDATION: A book for beginning runners as well as those aspiring to qualify for the Boston Marathon BUY Galloway's Book on Running Connect with us on social media! Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube Special thanks… Music Credit Sound Editing Credit