E25 Alex Bance's Story: How Far Can You Push Yourself? 100-Milers, 300-Mile Challenges & Running Blind & Deaf for 24 Hours

Alex Bance is a former Infantryman, sports therapist and extreme endurance athlete whose story is built around testing the limits of what he is capable of. After spending 13 years in the Infantry, Alex transitioned into civilian life, built Spire Injury Clinic and found himself increasingly drawn towards ultra running and extreme endurance challenges. In this episode, we talk about what military life taught him, how he adjusted after leaving the Infantry, and why running eventually became much more than simply keeping fit. Alex has completed multiple 100-mile races, taken on self-supported challenges stretching close to 300 miles, and spent 24 hours running without sight or sound to raise money and awareness for Julia’s House. We explore what attracts him to challenges where failure is a genuine possibility, whether endurance can become addictive, how he deals with DNFs and what happens mentally when you are exhausted, sleep-deprived and completely alone with your thoughts. Alex also shares his perspective as a sports therapist, including the mistakes ultra runners often make, the importance of strength and recovery, and how to tell the difference between discomfort you can work through and an injury that means it is time to stop. But underneath the distances and finish lines, this conversation is really about identity, resilience, purpose and the question of why some people feel compelled to keep finding out what else they are capable of. We also discuss who Alex is when the running stops, whether he still feels like he has something to prove, what failure has taught him and what a good life means to him now. A fascinating conversation with someone who has deliberately put himself into some extraordinary situations to discover what he is capable of.