{"id":478399,"date":"2026-05-10T23:49:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T23:49:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/478399\/"},"modified":"2026-05-10T23:49:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T23:49:14","slug":"reality-star-turned-athlete-spencer-matthews-i-operate-better-when-i-have-goals-to-chase","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/478399\/","title":{"rendered":"Reality star-turned-athlete Spencer Matthews: \u2018I operate better when I have goals to chase\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

After experiencing long periods where he felt like he \u201clacked purpose\u201d, the Spencer Matthews<\/strong> we see today is vastly different to the reality star who appeared on Made In Chelsea in the 2010s.<\/p>\n

Matthews, 37, has now turned his focus to fatherhood, entrepreneurship and becoming a world record-holding endurance athlete.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve gone through years and years of not caring about anything and going out all the time,\u201d says Matthews, who collaborated with The Turmeric Co. for the recent London Marathon, which he ran in three hours and four seconds.<\/p>\n

\"SpencerMatthews has taken on many endurance challenges (The Turmeric Co\/Tom Harrison Photography\/PA)<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve certainly had long periods in my life where I\u2019ve felt that I\u2019ve really lacked purpose. I\u2019ve not really enjoyed the things I\u2019m doing and just been a half version of myself,\u201d he suggests.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think for anyone ambitious, you want to try to live up to what you can be \u2013 and that only really started for me a few years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

Matthews, who interviews athletes for the podcast Untapped, suggests a shift around fitness and wellbeing helped change his mindset.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo me, my physical and mental health is probably the most important part of my life plan,\u201d he says. \u201cIf you\u2019re not well and healthy and living a full life, everything you\u2019re striving for feels a little bit more pointless.\u201d<\/p>\n

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In recent years, Matthews has committed himself to gruelling endurance challenges \u2013 including running 30 marathons in 30 days across the Jordanian desert in 2024, then taking on seven triathlons on seven continents in 21 days in 2025 (which was dubbed \u2018Project Se7en\u2019). Matthews\u2019 30 In 30 challenge earned him the Guinness World Record for \u201cthe most consecutive marathons run on sand\u201d, and he clocked up two further records during Project Se7en.<\/p>\n

\u201cEndurance challenges are great goals to have,\u201d he explains. \u201cI operate better when I have goals to chase.\u201d<\/p>\n

Matthews, who founded non-alcoholic spirits brand CleanCo in 2019, says staying focused helps him maintain a sense of direction.<\/p>\n

\"EEMatthews is expecting his fourth child with wife Vogue Williams (Ian West\/PA)<\/p>\n

\u201cBoredom is a bit of a trigger of mine,\u201d he explains. \u201cBut now, I haven\u2019t felt bored in a very long time.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, unless there\u2019s something to target, it\u2019s quite easy to bend the rules on exercise. I find having one massive goal a year fun to work towards.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Matthews, mindset is key to success in any kind of race \u2013 and having a sense of purpose helps too.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel very privileged to be able to do some of the events that I\u2019ve done,\u201d he says, adding that \u201cbeing able to travel the world and raise money has also felt quite purposeful to me\u201d.<\/p>\n

He suggests that having a cause has helped him push through difficult moments, pointing to his Project Se7en challenge supporting James\u2019 Place, which focuses on preventing male suicide in the UK.<\/p>\n

\"Global\u2019sMatthews has raised money for charities during his challenges (Ian West\/PA)<\/p>\n

Matthews recalls a particularly difficult moment during an Ironman triathlon challenge, which consists of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile marathon run in Cape Town, South Africa. \u201cI had about 15 minutes in the water where I was really struggling and felt quite frightened,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I had to stop and think: I\u2019m in Cape Town doing an Ironman \u2013 this is something special.<\/p>\n

\u201cI myself don\u2019t have any experience with suicidal thoughts, but I thought, imagine waking up and not wanting to be here anymore. All of sudden it rationalises where you are and I found that moment quite helpful to understand that what I was doing could potentially help some of these men who are not in a good headspace.\u201d<\/p>\n

For those who want to take on any kind of challenge themselves, Matthews says: \u201cIt sounds silly, but really making an effort to try and enjoy training and races helps.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you start to feel crushed, tired, full of lactic acid, slow and heavy, that becomes a pretty serious reality. If that\u2019s all you\u2019re thinking about, it\u2019s pretty difficult. So try and enjoy it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also stresses the importance of remembering that discomfort when exercising is temporary.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny pain you\u2019re feeling is going to come to an end,\u201d he says. \u201cYou will regret giving up almost immediately. Just strap in for the pain, try and enjoy it and it\u2019s a lesson that you\u2019ll remember.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll remember that pain and you could perhaps use it in other ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

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On the other end of the spectrum, Matthews suggests that going \u201ctoo hard all the time\u201d with exercise might mean \u201cthere are consequences to pay\u201d.<\/p>\n

With research from The Turmeric Co finding that 47% of people admit they use pain relief just to keep exercising, Matthews says that recovery is just as important as training. \u201cWe\u2019re human beings. We\u2019re not machines. I focus on easy wins that exist to give myself an edge so I can train and not get injured,\u201d he continues.<\/p>\n

\u201cTurmeric is a great example of a scientifically proven concept that is affordable and really easy to use. It\u2019s one shot in the morning, full of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory.\u201d<\/p>\n

Away from training, Matthews, who is expecting his fourth child with wife Vogue Williams, says maintaining balance at home is essential to his wellbeing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI spend time with my kids and my wife. I try not to sacrifice the things that matter,\u201d he says. \u201cI work very hard and fortunately so does my wife.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe spend our evenings together \u2013 we\u2019re usually in bed early and our evenings are about winding down together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having once lived a very different lifestyle, he says the contrast is clear.<\/p>\n

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\"Vogue<\/p>\n

Lifestyle<\/p>\n

Vogue Williams, Laura Whitmore and Phillipa Dunne channel spring hues at the Bafta TV Awards<\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019ve gone through years of not caring and going out all the time \u2013 I know which I prefer,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you put in the time and consistency, good things happen. It sounds obvious, but it took me a long time to realise that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Matthews collaborated with The Turmeric Co. to highlight offer free joint support turmeric shots to those who ran a marathon this April \u2013 the public can get involved too here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n