George Bettany
Founder / Coach
MARA
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Growing up I played a lot of football, from 13-18 I played for Derby County so my life was football, and from an early age me and Hen my brother would just run around the garden playing until it was dark so I ran a lot and was 'good' at it, but when it came to running outside of football I hated it
I’d get nervous, anxious at the start of any race, I’d always judge myself for ‘‘not being fit enough’ or ‘‘fast enough’. And whenever I tried to run to ‘get fit’ it would never last. After a few weeks of pure suffering, spending every run judging myself in my head and running far too quickly on every run I’d give up and quit.
"I'm not a runner"
I stopped playing football in my early 20s and after that I'd just go to the gym but never ran.
Then at 25 I helped setup a coaching company, supporting employees at work with their mental health and through that personally started to do a lot of work on myself.
Through coaching, therapy, meditation and other practices I learned so much, improved my state of mind, and especially learned and understood more about the power of presence and mindfulness.
Watch my TedX talk on my journey here
In 2020 like many I found myself needing to get out of the house, needing to get outdoors and walk or run to get out of the rut I was in.
I went out for my first run in what felt like years, and couldn't run for more than 10mins.
I went out a few more times, and I also found myself reading a few books at the same time, 80:20 Running, The Power of Now (audio book whilst running which was powerful) and Mindful Ultra-Running - the bibles of running and presence/enlightenment - must reads!
I learned about aerobic running and the importance of running slowly (no one ever taught me this) and started to run most of, it not all my runs, at an aerobic, conversational pace.
And the more I ran, the more I practiced being mindful on the run, combining mindfulness and running for the first time.
Running aerobically, and running mindfully, changed everything.
I started to run further, started judging myself less, started feeling lighter and freer. Every run felt like a practice of presence, and so every time I went out and practiced I felt like it got easier.
I'd signed up for the London Marathon in 2018 after watching people cross the line and thinking 'I want to feel like that one day'. I never thought I'd actually get in because everyone said it's impossible, but I ended up getting in first time and was so shocked I deferred my place out of panic - too afraid to actually run it.
And then in 2020 during lockdown they announced you could run it virtually.
This felt like the thing I was looking for. Something to work towards. A sense of purpose and direction to aim this new practice. My first marathon.
I had 8 weeks to prepare, which isn't long, but every training plan said the only way to train for a marathon in 8 weeks from scratch is to run all your runs aerobically. 2/10 pace. So it felt right.
I wrote down my plan and stuck it on the wall, and crossed out every run after doing it. 8 weeks passed quickly and with every run in training and on the day itself I felt light and free and when i ran the marathon itself, I ran it virtually in Lichfield, on my own, up and down the canal, and I didn't want it to end.
I was emotional - cried my eyes out at mile 16 - I couldn’t believe it - my first marathon and no suffering.
That experience opened up a whole new world for me. In running but also in life.
And from there it's driven me to not only run further, but to teach this way of running and life to others too.
Since then I’ve ran 1000s of miles. 5x marathons, most recently in Manchester in under 3hrs, 3x ultras Snowdon 55km, Staffordshire's150km TwoSaintsWay, and 170km TMB recently in 5 days, ran countless parkruns, my fastest in just over 17mins, and many more.
Most importantly beyond any of those times l feel free - I enjoy running, I'm not in my head anymore, I'm actually on the run, running further and faster than ever without striving for the finish line. It's a practice of finding peace in every mile. I’m the fittest and healthiest I’ve ever been, and feel grateful for the community we have in MARA now with so many others running together and running in this way too.
"Chase the high not the watch"
I love running. I love community. I love the power of brands. I love great design. I'm interested in spirituality and religion and how we bring that to people's lives in a practical way. I love people. I love it all.
MARA has given me community, friendships, a sense of belonging where I live. A place to practice letting go and being in the moment, and that hasn't just helped improve my running, but really having presence, purpose and community has improved my life. I feel at peace (most of the time - it's a constant practice)
The last few years I’ve done lots of group coaching through the club, and in Jan 2024 I started coaching 1-1 and am now a qualified run leader with England Athletics 2024.
Whether it's through coaching, our group runs, the run clubs, our events, or our products and clothing - I hope MARA touches you in the way it has touched me.
A philosophy, a practice and community.
Hopefully see you out there for a run soon.
Breathe,
and keep running
GB x