708. Elizabeth Smart, Child Safety Activist and Marathoner

"It's OK to prioritize time for happiness. Hard times will come. It's really important to know what happiness feels like to you so that when you're in those dark times, you know that happiness is real, you have hope for the future, and you can hold onto that — that you'll be happy again."

Her story captivated the nation: Elizabeth Smart was 14 years old when she was abducted from her home in Salt Lake City and held captive for nine months. During that time, she was repeatedly raped and abused by her captors. Remarkably, Elizabeth has gone on to live a happy, healthy life. She's a mom of three, and she's a child safety activist and commentator for ABC News. She's also a four-time marathoner. In this conversation, Elizabeth talks about how she found running, the role it plays in her life today, and what the marathon means to her.

FOLLOW ELIZABETH @elizabeth_smart_official

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What you'll get on this episode:

• The role running plays in Elizabeth's life right now (4:30)
• Safety, fear, and running: Elizabeth's take (9:00)
• Why Elizabeth's story captivated the nation (13:00)
• Elizabeth's feelings on being a victim vs. a survivor (19:00)
• When life went "back to normal" for Elizabeth (23:30)
• How Elizabeth found running (30:00)
• Why Elizabeth decided to run a marathon (37:30)
• Why Elizabeth kept running marathons (49:10)
• What's next on the run for Elizabeth? (54:25)
• On running marathons vs. competing on The Masked Dancer (58:10)
• Elizabeth's message to fellow survivors (1:00:30)

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