From Drinking Every Morning to Running 340 Miles: Tommie Runz on Recovery, Running & Redemption
September 3, 2026
AI Summary
5 min read“I’m gonna die like this. Like this is how I die.” That was the thought that finally broke through for Tommie Runz in January 2017, after years of morning drinking, a body that couldn’t stop, and a mind that had run out of tricks. He was 32, a father, a corporate vice president, and a functional alcoholic who had been drinking every day since his first sip at 17. Today, he is nine years sober, a 2:46 marathoner, a 340-mile solo finisher of the Speed Project, and a visible Black runner in a sport—and a recovery community—where he rarely sees anyone who looks like him. This conversation with Rich Roll traces the full arc: the rapid onset of his alcoholism, the slow unraveling of a “functional” life, the moment he finally told the truth, and the running career that could only begin after sobriety was secured.
The Fastest Onset of Alcoholism
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What you'll learn
- 1 Timestamped Outline
- 2 (00:00) **Opening: The Voice Memo That Started It All** - Rich plays a voice memo Tommy sent years ago after reading *Finding Ultra*, and they reflect on how far he's come
- 3 (06:01) **Childhood and Early Life: Growing Up Outside Detroit** - Tommy describes his upbringing after his father died of a stroke at 39, leaving him feeling lost and chasing a ghost
- 4 (12:09) **The First Drink and Rapid Acceleration** - At 17, a friend offered him nips in the hallway, and from the first sip, alcohol solved his deepest problem: feeling uncomfortable in his own skin
- 5 (21:14) **The Conversation With Grandma** - After the pep rally incident, his grandmother picked him up and said only one thing: "Don't let them see you like this"
- 6 (28:35) **The Corporate Double Life** - Tommy worked his way up to VP level at an auto transport company while drinking secretly throughout the day
- 7 (34:25) **The Move to Massachusetts** - When his daughter was born in 2007, Tommy's mom offered him a fresh start, and he moved from Detroit to Massachusetts with everything he owned in a pickup truck
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Guests on this episode
Show Notes
Tommie Runz is a runner, sobriety advocate, and co-host of the PR Project.
This conversation explores addiction and redemption through Tommie's insistence that sobriety comes first and everything else is downstream.
We discuss his backstory, the denial and the delusion of functional drinking, the moment he told the truth, nine years sober, ultrarunning as a spiritual practice, who belongs on the trail, and more.
Tommie is a beautiful representation of a real runner. Enjoy!
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