How to Heal Through Ultrarunning and Find Joy in the Hardest Moments | Ben Lehman

In this episode of the Everyday Ultra Podcast, I sit down with Everyday Ultra coach Ben Lehman — an ultrarunner whose journey into the sport started from a place much deeper than finish times and race results.

After losing his best friend, Ben turned to running as a way to process grief, rebuild himself, and eventually find purpose through endurance. What began with Spartan races turned into a passion for long mountain adventures — including completing his first 200-mile race at Cocodona 250.

In this conversation, we talk about the emotional side of ultrarunning, the mental skills required to survive multi-day races, and why endurance sports can become a powerful tool for healing, identity, and growth.

We also dive into Ben’s training philosophy, lessons learned from Cocodona, pacing mistakes, sleep strategies, aid station efficiency, and how he now coaches athletes preparing for their biggest races yet.

This is a raw, honest, and deeply human conversation — about pain, resilience, and learning how to keep moving forward when things get hard.

In this episode, we cover:
• How Ben got into running after losing his best friend
• Why ultrarunning became a form of healing
• Lessons learned from completing Cocodona 250
• The mental “system override” that helps during dark moments
• Why pacing and patience matter more than fitness
• How to approach sleep during multi-day races
• Training lessons for 100-mile and 200-mile athletes

If you’re training for an ultra — or navigating something difficult in life — this episode will remind you why endurance is about more than just running.

SHOW LINKS:

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