EP54: The Ripple Effect | Marathons, Mental Health & the Moment Everything Changed

EP54: The Ripple Effect | Marathons, Mental Health & the Moment Everything Changed

From Clean Break Chats by Andy Delderfield and Richard Casement

May 16, 2026 · 1h 24m · Episode 54

About this episode

Rich and Andy discuss marathons, mental health, and personal experiences while announcing an exciting coaching opportunity.

It’s just the two of them this week, and they’ve got a lot to get through. Rich and Andy kick things off with some genuinely exciting news - the Valencia marathon experience that became the highlight of Rich’s year is back in December 2026, and this time they’re opening it up. They’re giving up their race bibs, offering a six-month coaching programme, and taking a small group on the whole journey with them. Twelve people expressed interest within 24 hours of it going live. There are race reports too. Client Ed ran 3:47 at the brutally hilly Leeds Marathon - only five minutes slower than his Seville time on a completely different beast of a course. Andy ran the Bristol Half with his son Johnny on his 18th birthday and crossed the line holding hands in 1:42. Rich used Leeds Half as a glorified training run, executing 12K of race-pace intervals while trying not to fart on people. But the heart of this episode is Mental Health Awareness Week. Rich opens up about where he was five years ago - sitting at his kitchen table, not wanting to be here - and traces the slow build that got him there: the values misalignment, the coping mechanisms, the things he was avoiding. It’s honest, raw…

People in this episode

Hosts: Andy Delderfield, Richard Casement

Topics covered

  • marathons
  • mental health
  • coaching
  • personal stories
  • running events

Keywords

  • marathon
  • mental health
  • coaching program
  • running
  • Leeds Marathon
  • Bristol Half
  • Valencia marathon

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Mental Health Awareness Week

Places: Valencia, Leeds, Bristol

More episodes of Clean Break Chats

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Clean Break Chats podcast page.