Run Like It Matters (Because It Doesn’t)

Interview with David Roche—renowned ultrarunner from “Maybe Running Will Help Podcast” with Nicky Tamberrino

There’s a special kind of magic in talking to someone who is wildly accomplished and still makes you feel like you’re the cool one. That’s David Roche—renowned ultrarunner, 2024 Leadville 100 winner and course record holder, coach to elites, and co-founder of Some Work All Play with his amazing wife Megan. Oh, and possibly the most joyfully intense human I’ve ever interviewed.

Fresh off The Big Alta 50k race weekend and, as he casually mentioned, with an ankle the size of a grapefruit (his words), David took time to chat with me about running, purpose, failure, and—of course—love. Because if you had to boil him down into one word, it’s that. Love, wrapped in goofiness, served with a side of scientific training theory and a reminder that we’re all just cosmic weirdos doing our best.

And if there was one line from our conversation I’ll never forget, it’s this:

“I hope people run like it matters—because it doesn’t.”

At first, I laughed. Then I sat with it. And honestly? It might be one of the most freeing things I’ve ever heard.

The Beauty in the Useless

David has a way of reminding us that running is… well, kind of silly. It’s made-up. No one’s forcing us to do it. It doesn’t actually pay the bills for most of us. And yet—it can be the thing that saves us. It can be our escape, our outlet, our way of screaming into the void without waking the neighbors.

So yes, it doesn’t matter.

And that’s why it matters so much.

Because when we choose to show up for something that has no guaranteed reward, when we lace up just to be with ourselves in the world, when we fall and fail and still keep going?

That’s not just sport. That’s soul.

Big Love, Big Goals, Big Play

David’s entire coaching philosophy, his book (The Happy Runner), and his approach to life all come down to one thing: purpose through play.

He and his wife/co-coach Megan aren’t just building athletes—they’re building humans who can be silly, resilient, powerful, and kind. They’re rewriting what it means to be “serious” about a sport, without taking yourself too seriously.

He said something like: “It’s not about making the shot, it’s about taking it.” Whether that’s going after a wild race goal, launching a new creative idea, or simply running your first mile—what matters is showing up. Not for the outcome. For the experience. For the process. For the cosmic joke of it all.

What If You Let It Be Fun?

Running doesn’t have to be your therapy, your purpose, your comeback, or your performance. It can be your playground. And David is the reminder we all need to stop measuring our miles in worth and start measuring them in wonder.

So here’s to big dreams, small races, DNF’s, PR’s, and every weird, wobbly, wonderful run in between.

Here’s to falling down and getting back up—because, plot twist, that’s where the story gets good.

And above all, here’s to running like it matters…

Because it doesn’t. And when nothing’s at stake, everything’s possible.