In episode 117, I spoke with Arman Vestad who was a former criminal and drug addict. He now owes his life to two of the things that made his remarkable transformation possible: running and kindness.

In the past, Arman spent a lot of his time on the run. Through a series of poor life choices and unfortunate circumstances, he had found himself dealing drugs and engaging in other kinds of criminal activity. He even gained notoriety as the infamous ‘Gunman from Molde’ after supplying a weapon that was used in a triple homicide.

While to outsiders it seemed that he was living as a criminal playboy with drugs, friends, partying, and money, he actually felt alone. His body was struggling to keep up with a devastating drug habit, and he felt that there was nobody he could trust enough to be himself around. Wanting to let go, he even contemplated suicide.

After leaving prison for the 10th time, it wasn’t long until Arman found himself under arrest once again. This time, however, a policeman on the case sat down with him and asked what he could do to help. He showed that he cared, and those few moments changed the course of Arman’s life forever.

What came next was a prolonged and difficult fight to rebuild a normal, happy existence. Running was a critical part of Arman’s turnaround, since it helped him to develop the health and strength needed to overcome years of substance abuse and hard living. He reasoned that anyone can run and when your trainers hit the ground, you’re just the same as everyone else whether they’re a criminal, cashier, celebrity, or CEO.

As he jogged, ran, and pushed himself back to health, he also embarked on a new career as a debt adviser for Norway’s welfare administration. He later became an international public speaker, an advocate for bringing reformed criminals back into work and society, and (most importantly) a father.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Arman saw that many people were struggling with the same isolation and loneliness that he felt when living life on the wrong side of the tracks. Asking for help had never been his strong point, but it only took a moment of kindness to help him change for the better.

Combining running with compassion, Arman started the Tour de Wave - a five-stage run that took him from Norway’s Trondheim to Snåsa. On the way he spent time with nursing home residents and school children, carried out good deeds by helping shoppers carry bags to their cars, and met with the mayors of three towns who each expressed their support for the cause and their willingness to encourage more friendliness.

Arman now hopes to encourage more people to run, smile, and help one another while sharing his message: the smallest acts of friendliness and compassion multiplied many times over can change the world.

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