What happens when endurance sports stop being about pace splits and start being about the work no one sees?

In this episode of Enduring Minds, Jason Bahamundi and Evan Birch sit down with Hal Jankowski for an honest conversation about mental health, fear, and what it really means to become who you’re meant to be.

Hal didn’t start running until age 41. Before endurance sports entered his life, anxiety did and it was intense enough to feel like a heart attack. What followed wasn’t a highlight-reel comeback, but a deeply human journey through therapy resistance, perfectionism, and learning to redefine “good enough.”

This episode explores the messy middle. You know, the space between realizing you need help and actually changing. We talk about why therapy isn’t “woo” when you understand you’re in control, how professional perfectionism bleeds into running and relationships, and why fear is information, not identity.

The conversation expands beyond running into risk, consumerism, comparison, and betting on yourself later in life, when the stakes feel higher. Hal doesn’t just reflect he also commits, putting a stake in the ground for growth and accountability.

This is Enduring Minds:
Not podiums.
Not personal records.
But the internal work that endurance athletes everywhere are quietly doing.

If you’re navigating anxiety, change, or the courage to start—this conversation is for you.

🎧 Tune in, reflect, and keep moving forward...one honest mile at a time.

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