485. Nev Schulman, Host of MTV's Catfish & 2:58 Marathoner

"My default is trusting and looking for the good. I want to believe that people are telling me the truth when I talk to them. I assume they are. I just generally find that I always give people the benefit of the doubt and assume they're honest and well intentioned. Obviously that's not true. But that sort of naïveté, if you will — which definitely led to me getting catfished — has strangely served me well. I'm so glad I got duped by that woman."

Nev Schulman is best known as the star of the 2010 award-winning documentary Catfish, and now as the host of the MTV show of the same name. (My mom knows — and adores — him as the runner-up from Season 29 of Dancing with the Stars.) But when he's not seeking scammers, he's likely on the run. Nev is a 2:58 marathoner who is currently training to run the New York City Half Marathon, where he hopes to run a personal best (sub-1:25). On this episode, Nev talks about what it was like growing up near the New York City Marathon finish line and getting to watch the race with his dad (also a 2:58 marathoner!) every year. He talks about becoming a dad himself (he and his wife have three children) and the unexpected effects of fame on both him and his family. He talks about hitting rock bottom at 19, and about how he learned not to let the hardest time in his life define him forever. And he talks about his empathetic and compassionate outlook on life, and how he's able to remain optimistic in this world, even after being catfished himself. Plus, all about his running story, including how he got started running at age 30, his favorite New York City Marathon memories, and more.

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What you'll get on this episode:

• Today in the life of Nev (4:30)
• How Nev got into running (8:25)
• Nev shares his love for dance and talks about what it was like being on Dancing with the Stars (17:15)
• How Nev got his start in film production (24:50)
• On fame (34:00)
• How Nev keeps seeing the good in the world (43:00)
• How Nev became a marathoner (49:50)
• How Nev ran a 2:58 marathon (1:01:10)
• Nev's new friendship with Alexi Pappas (1:07:25)
• What's next for Nev on the run (1:11:10)

Follow Nev:

• Instagram @nevschulman
• Twitter @nevschulman

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