EP 270: Building A Brand That Defies Stereotypes With 300 Pounds And Running Host Martinus Evans
b'In This Episode:\\n\\n\\n\\n* Why Martinus Evans started running in the first place* How his idea of a runner changed at the starting line of his first race* Why Toastmasters played a bit part in his decision to play bigger* How he\\u2019s defining his brand on his own terms\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\nMy now-husband and I agreed on our second date: we are not people who run for fun.\\n\\n\\n\\nRun to escape zombies, sure. Run as a necessary part of a pickup game of basketball, okay.\\n\\n\\n\\nBut run for miles on end chasing some feeling of inner contentment? Hell no.\\n\\n\\n\\nIt was much to his dismay, then, when I started running 3 years ago.\\n\\n\\n\\nI started running because I wanted to move my body more and practice personal accountability. Running seemed the easiest way to do it\\u2014no gym membership, no expensive equipment. Just sneakers and pavement.\\n\\n\\n\\nBut still, I was not running for fun. I was not one of those people.\\n\\n\\n\\nNow, let\\u2019s pause for a second and imagine what those people look like and sound like.\\n\\n\\n\\nMaybe you picture Rob Lowe\\u2019s character from Parks & Rec\\u2014high energy, frenetic, obsessive, and very trim.\\n\\n\\n\\nMaybe you picture marathon runner Des Linden who became the first American woman to win the Boston Marathon in 33 years back in 2018. She\\u2019s petite, wiry, and has that stare of someone completely focused on her goals.\\n\\n\\n\\nMaybe you picture a friend of yours, a coworker, or a family member who has been running their whole life.\\n\\n\\n\\nThat\\u2019s how I pictured those people\\u2014the people who run for fun\\u2014a few years ago too.\\n\\n\\n\\nWhen I started running races, however, I realized that the picture of a runner that I had in my mind couldn\\u2019t be further from the truth. I mean, sure\\u2014there are plenty of wiry, high-energy, trim people who toe the starting line.\\n\\n\\n\\nBut there are also people of all different shapes, personalities, and backgrounds who race, too.\\n\\n\\n\\nWe\\u2019re all runners\\u2014no matter how \\u201coff brand\\u201d any of us might seem.\\n\\n\\n\\nNow, I know I use running & fitness metaphors quite a bit on this show. But today, there\\u2019s a very good reason why I\\u2019m talking about running.\\n\\n\\n\\nBack on that second date with my husband, I had a certain idea of who a runner was and how someone got to enjoy running. Think of that as the brand of \\u201crunning.\\u201d When I started running, I didn\\u2019t feel very on-brand.\\n\\n\\n\\nNow, my guest is Martinus Evans, the host of the 300lbs And Running podcast and the founder of the Slow AF Run Club.\\n\\n\\n\\nMartinus isn\\u2019t very \\u201con brand\\u201d either if you consider a runner someone wears short shorts and only eats salads. But Martinus is very much a runner. And Martinus has built a brand around rebranding who you think of when you think of a runner.\\n\\n\\n\\nToday, we\\u2019re talking about building a brand that defies convention and stereotypes.\\n\\n\\n\\nMartinus and I chat about how he got started sharing his journey to become a runner, how his first race changed his own idea of who a runner is, and why Toastmasters played a big part in him finding the confidence to go big. We also talk about dealing with negativity online and why he chose to create the Slow AF Run Club as a standalone community instead of a Facebook group.\\n\\n\\n\\nNow, let\\u2019s find out what works for Martinus Evans!'