About this episode

Ben West discusses his initiative Reasons To Stay and the impact of running on mental health.

Ben West is the man behind the inspirational Reasons To Stay. A website where anyone in the world can send a letter to someone thinking about suicide giving them a reason to stay. In just a few months, 4 million letters have been shared and who knows how many lives changed. He is also a huge runner, being an advocate for its benefits for mental health. He even ran the 2026 London Marathon carrying a flag, honouring the names of thousands of people we have tragically lost to suicide. If after listening to episode you feel like you need any kind of help, please reach out to the Samaritans. They are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, free to call, anytime. Phone: 116 123

People in this episode

Guest: Ben West

Topics covered

• mental health
• suicide prevention
• running
• inspiration
• advocacy

Keywords

• Reasons To Stay
• Ben West
• mental health
• suicide prevention
• running
• London Marathon
• Samaritans

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Reasons To Stay, Samaritans

Places: London

More episodes of RunPod

• The Extra Mile! A bad run can be a good sign... · July 19, 2026 · 2 min
• RunPod Sprint! Martin Lewis · July 14, 2026 · 9 min
• The Extra Mile! What your running shoes are telling you · July 12, 2026 · 2 min
• Martin Lewis: MoneySavingExpert's Step NEMESIS! · July 9, 2026 · 43 min
• RunPod Sprint! Dr Amir Khan · July 7, 2026 · 9 min
• Extra Mile: Colin Murphy from the Great Run Company! · July 5, 2026 · 18 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the RunPod podcast page.