He was working the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend Expo when he collapsed in May 2007 hitting his head in the bathroom.
“I was just slowly killing myself, to be honest,” John Shep said in an interview.
The 6’1″ man weighed only 135 pounds and was suffering from an eating disorder and substance abuse. Shep said he was using OxyContin and was deep into a mental health crisis.
Instead of reaching the finish line on race weekend, he was wandering around downtown Ottawa. Days later, he was checked into a mental health ward, where he stayed for two weeks.
“It was really about how am I going to live a life of recovery, and every decision followed that,” he said. “The hospital stabilized me.”
But it’s also the reason for Shep speaking out about his own struggles and raising awareness about mental health and recovery.
“I don’t want people to have to get there in order to recover,” he explained.
Now, over 20 years later, Shep is returning to the Ottawa race weekend, tackling an endurance challenge that is aimed at bringing conversations around substance abuse and recovery. The race on Sunday is part of the more than 142 kilometres Shep is expected to complete as part of a campaign “Outrun the Darkness.”
With the people around him, his soul “being fed” by his passions and his body nourished from food, Shep believes he can accomplish anything.
(Recovery) brought me to running, to the family that I have, the community that I have…that’s what coming back to Ottawa is all about, is reclaiming that finish line,” he said.
“As hard as it seems, reach out; that is how you outrun the darkness.”
John Shep (middle) with friends. (Contributed)
John Shep with several medals around his neck that helped keep him sober and healthy over 19 years. (John Shep/ Instagram)
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