Go Be More Podcast

Running the World, Building Community, and Fighting Lyme Disease with Bart Yasso (Ep 48)

Episode Summary

“Mayor of Running” Bart Yasso was the hardest working man in running for 30 years, and what drove him were the finish-line stories he heard from all the runners he met along the way. Bart's enthusiasm is contagious, so if you’re feeling the need for running inspiration, you’ll find it here.

Episode Notes

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“I wish I could be Bart Yasso, even if it was just for a day. ... I wish I could be Bart Yasso but I don't want to do all that running crap that he does.”—Young Autistic Friend of Bart

It seems that no one on the planet has made more friends at the finish line than Bart Yasso. He has always been drawn to connecting with other runners and digging past the superficial, to hear the REAL stories.

Here he chats with Jon and Bryan about the powerful value of a connected running community, his Runner’s World feats, his fight with Lyme Disease, and how he still strives to Go Be More.

(3:50) Bart shares about his childhood and how running one mile changed everything.

(6:16) George challenges Bart to a 10K race.

(8:46) “Till you get into the running community and get immersed in it, you don't know how powerful it is. But it's a force.” Bart shares about his first experiences with running clubs.

(10:25) Running idols?

(12:12) Willie Mtolo, accomplishing amazing things despite the difficult training circumstances of apartheid. 

(15:09) Running can create opportunities that wouldn’t otherwise exist.

(16:23) The fantastic work-ethic of Meb…

(20:24) “If this sport of running can suppress something as evil as apartheid, even just for 12 hours, that's the sport I want to do for the rest of my life.”

(21:34) The personal and powerful effects that running can have…

(24:44) “Oh my gosh, like, this is the thing that's going to get me to where I want to be in life.”

(26:54) What really mattered when Bart retired.

(27:44) Running with the Amish and a special letter from an autistic boy…

(32:37) “But I guarantee you so many runners inspire people like this, and they never know it.” Bart shares other stories.

(34:23) The start of his dream opportunity with Runner’s World…

(39:49) Bart’s Mom…

(42:03) Running marathons and doing all the things to eventually focusing on the running festivities.

(44:56) The story of Ted and George running around Manhattan…

(47:47) Running through the Dignitary Gates, being chased by rhinos, the Kilimanjaro marathon, and other incredible runs…

(52:28) “...they're so small, as the size of a grain of pepper, you don't even know they're there.” Bart shares his experiences with Lyme Disease.

(58:25) Everyone has a personal battle…

(1:04:22) What is Bart’s focus now?

(1:09:04) What does Go Be More mean to Bart?

If you liked this episode, check out our interviews with Mr. Marathon Tracy Sundlun or Shoe4Africa's Toby Tanser.

And, you can now get these show notes sent directly to your email. Sign up here!

Recorded September 16, 2020.

References:

Bart's Website - BartYasso.com

Yasso 800s - RunnersWorld

My Life on the Run by Bart Yasso - Amazon

Runner's World Race Everything by Bart Yasso - Amazon

Guest:

Bart Yasso - @bartyasso

Hosts:

Bryan Green - @sendaibry, Go Be More Blog

Jon Rankin - @chasejonrankin, Go Be More

Production and Editing

Creatives Collective Marketing

Links:

Go Be More website

Go Be More YouTube Channel

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