Runningstories #16
Runningstories #16
11 November 2025
How running can change lives especially in deprived contexts
Paolo Maccagno – CEO Runforever, aks Michael Houston – communication for ATS Athletics Trust Scotland, what ATS finds interesting in Runforever. The interview becomes a friendly conversation where Michael shares his personal thoughts and reflections about Runforever and how running changed his life.
Interview – Conversation: Paolo Maccagno interviews Michael Houston – communication for ATS Athletics Trust Scotland.
00:00 Runningstories show trailer
00:20 (PM): why do you think Runforever is interesting?
01:10 (MH): personal opinion about Runforever from Michael’s perspective based on his own life experience of running as a healing practice especially in deprived social contexts. ATS targets are Ethnic and cultural minority, disabled athletes people, social economic backgrounds.
04:20 (MH): The story about a young boy coming from a poor family with the father in prison. Difficulty for him to come out from a context of violence and crime ending up dying.
08:00 (MH): It is important that something like Runforever exist to prevent this and change the mindset of a person from the inside. Running is fundamental to make a person happier. This is a project that is trying something new…
11:30 (MH): it is important to keep going regardless the difficulties and the lack of funding available. Runforever shows a different path towards rehabilitation. Running has changed my life and can be of help to so many people and help prisoners when they will be out in society.
14:15 (PM): about rehabilitation as not just offering skills but making people grounded human beings. We need to rethink rehabilitation.
18:00 (MH): running gives you a sense of achievement and some form of discipline and this is a reward in itself. We need to change also the public perception about prison and prisoners. Programmes like this can change lives.
22:15 (PM): what we try to do is to change the language we use about what we do. It’s easy to fall into mainstream frames misunderstanding the potential of something new.