May 4, 2026 · 1 hr 1 min · 11 segments
Jose Martinez has always had a complicated relationship with running. Growing up in Vancouver, it was something he returned to in waves, usually when life got messy and he needed somewhere to put it…
Hello, and welcome back to the My First Marathon podcast, where we interview runners in all stages of their running careers about their first marathon experiences to prove to you that anyone can run a marathon.
My name is Taylor, and today's first marathon happened almost on a whim.
Around 25 years ago, Jose ran a 10K, decided it didn't feel that bad, and signed up for a marathon two weeks later with basically no training, finishing it, and immediately swearing he'd never do it again.
But 25 years later, after a stretch of life that included loss, grief, and finding his way through sobriety, running slowly made his way back in, starting with walks, then laps around the track, and eventually turning into something much bigger.
What started as a way to move his body again became something deeper, a way to process everything he'd been through.
So when the timing lined up exactly 25 years after his first marathon, Jose decided to go back and do it again, this time with intention, training, and a lot more on the line.
From injuries to illness to a race day that didn't go according to plan, this one became less about the time on the clock and more about what it meant to keep going anyway.
Without further ado, let's jump right into the episode.
Please welcome Jose.
Jose, thank you so much for coming on the podcast this weekend.
Looking at your form before this, you've ran about to run the same marathon three times, which is really impressive.
And I know that there was a really long break in between your first marathon and your second marathon.
So we're going to spend some time like briefly touching on your first marathon, but really break down the second time that you ran it through more recently.
But before we jump in, just thank you so much for coming on.
I'm excited to talk to you.
Cool.
Well, we like to start from the beginning.
Read the full transcript.
Create an account to read the whole episode, search across every transcript, and follow the shows you care about.
Hello, and welcome back to the My First Marathon podcast, where we interview runners in all stages of their running careers about their first marathon experiences to prove to you that anyone can run a marathon.
My name is Taylor, and today's first marathon happened almost on a whim.
Around 25 years ago, Jose ran a 10K, decided it didn't feel that bad, and signed up for a marathon two weeks later with basically no training, finishing it, and immediately swearing he'd never do it again.
But 25 years later, after a stretch of life that included loss, grief, and finding his way through sobriety, running slowly made his way back in, starting with walks, then laps around the track, and eventually turning into something much bigger.
What started as a way to move his body again became something deeper, a way to process everything he'd been through.
So when the timing lined up exactly 25 years after his first marathon, Jose decided to go back and do it again, this time with intention, training, and a lot more on the line.
From injuries to illness to a race day that didn't go according to plan, this one became less about the time on the clock and more about what it meant to keep going anyway.
Without further ado, let's jump right into the episode.
Please welcome Jose.
Jose, thank you so much for coming on the podcast this weekend.
Looking at your form before this, you've ran about to run the same marathon three times, which is really impressive.
And I know that there was a really long break in between your first marathon and your second marathon.
So we're going to spend some time like briefly touching on your first marathon, but really break down the second time that you ran it through more recently.
But before we jump in, just thank you so much for coming on.
I'm excited to talk to you.
Cool.
Well, we like to start from the beginning.
