{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Looking Through the Lens of Hopefulness","title":"When Running a Marathon Becomes a Blueprint for Surviving Cancer: My Conversation with Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3493,"description":"A video version of this interview is available on YouTube.There’s something profound that happens when you sit down with someone who has stared down death twice and emerged not just alive, but thriving. My recent conversation with Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds on The John Passadino Show wasn’t just another interview about overcoming adversity. It was a masterclass in what it means to truly live, even when everything inside you is screaming to give up.Dr. Reynolds is the President and CEO of Family and Children’s Association in New York, but his story goes far beyond the impressive credentials. He’s completed five New York City marathons, four Long Island marathons, 30 triathlons, and seven Ironman races. And somewhere between mile markers and finish lines, he was diagnosed with cancer. Twice.The Unexpected Journey from Barstool to MarathonThe way Jeff tells it, his running career began in the most unlikely place: a bar in Tampa at 2 a.m. during a professional conference. Someone suggested a 5K race that morning. Jeff, in his mid-40s and admittedly not an athlete (he was kicked off the track team in ninth grade for getting other kids to smoke), showed up wearing shorts and shoes that were definitely not made for running.“The gun goes off. I take off like a bat out of hell, and 90 seconds later, I am huffing, puffing, cursing, and walking,” he told me with refreshing honesty. That 36-minute 5K became a turning point. A couple years later, he won that same race.But here’s what struck me most about our conversation: Jeff doesn’t just run to finish. He runs to understand himself.Mile 18: The Dark and Lonely PlaceThere’s a moment in every marathon, Jeff explained, that tests everything you think you know about yourself. It happens around mile 18. You’ve been out on the road for a couple of hours. Your body is breaking down. Your nutrition is failing. The finish line is too far to see, but you’ve come too far to quit.“Your mind starts playing games with you,” Jeff said. “You...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/joBo8hADlNFQ1k5x5xAjt5HyXmwErinAxq4X1VdxZyw/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS82N2Jm/ODZmNjM3ODdlZGFj/OWVlZmJlYWRkZTM5/ZmUwNy5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}