At 16 years old, João Guilherme left Brazil for the UK and found himself navigating a new country, school, training, and stretches of living on his own.

Running had only recently entered his life. What started as 20-minute treadmill runs eventually became something much bigger. Three years later,

João is 19, has run 32:17 for 10K, is preparing for his first half marathon in Copenhagen, and is about to begin studying sports science at St Mary’s University surrounded by one of the strongest running environments in the UK.

João shares how running gave him confidence and community, the early coach who saw his willingness to suffer before she saw his talent, learning the hard way that every workout shouldn’t be a race, and how a more science-based approach to training has changed his development.

With his first half marathon ahead and ambitions of one day representing Brazil, João still has no idea where his ceiling is.

He just knows he wants to find out.

Chapters

00:00 From Brazil to a 32:17 10K

02:09 Finding Running & Breaking 17 Minutes

04:22 Moving to the UK & Breaking 16 Minutes

05:42 St Mary’s, Coaching & a New Environment

10:17 How Running Changed João’s Life

13:20 Inside João’s Science-Based Training

18:03 Racing the Brazilian U23 Championships

19:13 The Hardest Race He’s Ever Run

22:14 Winning a 32:17 10K & Chasing More

31:48 Preparing for His First Half Marathon

Follow João:

instagram.com/joao._runs/


Follow The People Run Podcast:

instagram.com/thepeoplerunpodcast/
Music: instagram.com/mech__beats