# 006 - “The Courage to Start” with John Bingham

- Show: [Let's Combinate](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate)
- Published: 2021-11-10
- Length: 1h 03m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2021-11-10-006-the-courage-to-start-with-john-bingham
- Listen: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/letscombinate/episodes/006---The-Courage-to-Start-with-John-Bingham-e19v46j

## Summary

John Bingham, author of 'The Courage to Start' and creator of the 'Penguin Chronicles' column for Runner's World, discusses his journey from an overweight 43-year-old academic to running 45 marathons. He explains the origin of his 'penguin' persona, which represented slow, joyful running rather than elite performance, and details how he launched the Rock and Roll Marathon series to create a supportive environment for non-elite runners. Bingham also shares insights on race logistics, the myth of 'the wall,' and the importance of finding personal joy in physical activity without comparing oneself to others.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2021-11-10-006-the-courage-to-start-with-john-bingham#t=0) Introduction: John Bingham and the Penguin Chronicles
- [3:55](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2021-11-10-006-the-courage-to-start-with-john-bingham#t=235) Origin of the Penguin Persona and Runner's World Column
- [10:13](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2021-11-10-006-the-courage-to-start-with-john-bingham#t=613) Fitness vs. Speed: Heart Rate Monitoring and Industry Pushback
- [18:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2021-11-10-006-the-courage-to-start-with-john-bingham#t=1081) Motivation to Start Running in His 40s and Writing Books
- [28:57](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2021-11-10-006-the-courage-to-start-with-john-bingham#t=1737) Founding the Rock and Roll Marathon Series
- [35:14](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2021-11-10-006-the-courage-to-start-with-john-bingham#t=2114) Logistics and Costs of Organizing Large Races
- [41:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2021-11-10-006-the-courage-to-start-with-john-bingham#t=2461) Lessons from Not Finishing Marathons and Stepping Off Course
- [48:11](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2021-11-10-006-the-courage-to-start-with-john-bingham#t=2891) Run-Walk Strategy and Nutrition Myths
- [54:44](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2021-11-10-006-the-courage-to-start-with-john-bingham#t=3284) Retirement, Motorcycling, and Behavior Change Philosophy

## Topics

- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Debugging & failure analysis](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/debugging-and-failure-analysis)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)

## Most relevant to

established companies

## Mentioned

- Runner's World (other)
- Rock and Roll Marathon (other)
- Poler (other)
- Marine Corps Marathon (other)
- London Marathon (other)
- Chicago Marathon (other)
- Jeff Galloway (other)
- Khalid Khannouchi (other)
- Frank Shorter (other)

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- [Live Episode! Peloton: John Foley](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-04-29-live-episode-peloton-john-foley) (How I Built This)
- [Lonely Planet: Maureen & Tony Wheeler](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-05-08-lonely-planet-maureen-tony-wheeler) (How I Built This)
- [Diving In with Robert Bogart](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2025-06-19-diving-in-with-robert-bogart) (Oxide and Friends)
- [Zumba: Beto Perez & Alberto Perlman](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-01-02-zumba-beto-perez-alberto-perlman) (How I Built This)

## Citing this page

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