Dillan Ponders, a 32-year-old unbiased hip-hop artist from Toronto, has accomplished an unimaginable problem: working 42.2 kilometres—the marathon distance—every single day for 100 consecutive days. Beginning on June 17 and ending on Sept. 24, Ponders lined a complete of 4,358 kilometres, shining a highlight on an often-overlooked situation—males’s psychological well being.
Ponders undertook this marathon mission each as a private problem and to boost consciousness concerning the silent struggles many males face. “I was a drug addict; I used to be homeless. Now, I’m three years sober,” Ponders shares. He says his journey from dependancy to sobriety has been life-changing, with working enjoying a key function in his restoration. “Working saved my life. So many males are battling with psychological well being and looking for their goal.”
The thought for 100 marathons in 100 days was impressed by Nova Scotia’s Ryan Protecting, who ran throughout Canada earlier this 12 months in assist of the Coronary heart and Stroke Basis. Like Protecting, Ponders organized a meet-up on the ultimate day of his problem, the place many Toronto runners joined him to rejoice his achievement.
The highway to restoration
Ponders remembers the turning level when he gave up alcohol throughout his birthday weekend in 2021, at an all-inclusive resort within the Dominican Republic: “I used to be consuming a 26-er every single day for over two years, and I’d had an issue with alcohol since graduating highschool,” he admits. “I had stopped arduous medication, however nonetheless leaned closely on alcohol. I used to be obese, deeply depressed, consuming myself right into a downward spiral, and even throwing up blood. I knew I wanted to make a change.”
Working grew to become his software for overcoming dependancy. Each time his thoughts craved alcohol, he laced up his sneakers and went for a run as an alternative. “Some days, I used to be working three or 4 occasions a day,” Ponders remembers. “It was powerful, nevertheless it helped.”
After two months of constant working, Ponders began noticing main modifications in his well being and well-being. “I started to see bodily enhancements. I used to be getting stronger, sleeping higher, and had extra vitality,” he says. In six months, he misplaced 90 kilos. He ran his first marathon on the Toronto GoodLife Marathon within the spring of 2022, and hasn’t regarded again.
The connection to music
Working hasn’t solely remodeled Ponders bodily and mentally—it’s additionally had a profound affect on his music profession. “I’ve gone via plenty of change over the previous 5 years, and so has my music. I really feel like I’m making the most effective music I’ve ever made,” he says. “I’m presently the highest-streamed unbiased hip-hop artist in Canada. Working has given me extra readability within the studio, and I now really feel comfy talking about my traumas in my music.”
Balancing his rigorous working routine together with his music profession, Ponders has been persistently producing and releasing new songs. His music is out there on all main streaming platforms, and he credit his music profession with giving him the liberty to pursue his working objectives.
Though his 100-marathon problem has ended, a brand new objective awaits: in three weeks, Ponders will line up for the Toronto Waterfront Marathon, the place he hopes to beat his earlier marathon time of three:30.
