Ben Smith

  • From attempting suicide twice to running 401 marathons in 401 days

  • Winner of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Helen Rollason Award

  • Mental health charity founder, social entrepreneur and fundraiser

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About

Ben is a social entrepreneur, mental health charity founder, award winning global adventurer, fundraiser, author and inspirational speaker. From attempting suicide twice to running 401 marathons in 401 days, we challenge you not to find something in Ben’s life story that isn’t relatable.

As a speaker, Ben is extremely open and honest and his story is one of genuine courage and determination which has, to date, inspired over 281,000 people during his 745 talks and helped drive genuine cultural change in some of the world’s biggest organisations, clubs, schools and universities.

Growing up Ben suffered at the hands of bullies. It had a huge and lasting impact on both his confidence and self esteem. At 13 he discovered he was gay but felt the need to cover this up through fear of being attacked. At 18, then again at 21 he tried to take his own life because he saw no other way out.

Throughout his 20s he led a life dedicated to pleasing others, successful on paper, at 29 he suffered a TIA (transient ischaemic attack) temporarily losing his sight, hearing, feeling in his left arm and speech. This was a huge wake up call and he was left with two choices, either carry on or make a change, we’ll let you guess which one he chose.

At nearly 18 stone, a 40 a day smoker, heavy drinker, working 60+ hours a week in a job he didn't really enjoy and covering up the fact he was gay, he decided to take the leap and come out. This set in motion a series of events that would lead him to become the happy and healthy person he is today.

Sport for Ben was something he always avoided, never feeling as though he was good enough. Like many others he put up barriers and made excuses, mostly because he had no confidence or belief in his own abilities.

At 30 he was convinced by a friend to join a local running club and from day one he found something that gave him a focus, a way to express himself and a way to help him manage and deal with his mental wellbeing. It became a lifeline for Ben and helped him deal with many of the issues from his past.

In 2014, after finally coming to terms with his past, he vowed to take his past experiences and turn them into something positive. The 401 Challenge was born, a feat of endurance like no one had ever really seen before.

He set himself the goal of running 401 marathons in 401 days all around the UK, aiming to raise £250,000 for two anti bullying charities to help ensure young people didn’t have to go through what he went through as a child. He sold his house, bought a campervan and on 1st September 2015 he set off from Bristol on a mission that would end up inspiring hundreds of thousands of people worldwide to deal with their own pasts and question what is actually possible.

The project was a huge success and on 5th October 2016 he crossed the finishing line in Bristol having achieved something most people thought was not humanly possible.

Raising over £330,000 for both Kidscape and Stonewall, winning both the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Helen Rollason Award and National / Regional Pride of Britain Fundraiser of the Year Award in 2016.

The positive impact the project had had on people when it came to building their confidence and self esteem was the proudest achievement for Ben. In 2017 he set up The 401 Foundation, this became the legacy of The 401 Challenge and he’s only getting started. With another record breaking challenge on the horizon and the development of an app that will offer greater accessibility to mental health support for everyone in the UK, the next decade is going to be as exciting as his last.

Booking Ben for your event, whether that’s a regional meeting, large scale conference, after dinner speaker or event host, you won’t be disappointed. Ben’s ability to take a harrowing life story, flip it on its head and show people that anything is possible is both inspiring and emotional.

In a time where we are constantly having to look at how we do things in a different way, realising that change is even a possibility, is a massive step in the right direction.

Videos

Motivational speech

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Testimonials

I recognised in Ben somebody who saw that his life wasn’t going the way he wanted it to and he was brave enough and strong enough to alter its direction. On the first day I met Ben, I watched him tell his story to a roomful of teenage kids, it came straight from the heart. It sounds like a simple message, but his story has so many layers to it, which is why Ben inspires so many people for so many different reasons.

Steve Cram CBE

So many people end up on a path they don’t really want to be on, but they haven’t got the strength and courage to turn back and try another way instead. Ben has taught people that it’s never too late to completely change your life around and be the person you really want to be. He’s motivated so many kids and adults who have been bullied to rebuild their self confidence, and therefore their lives.
His story has helped so many people, but he doesn’t think he is special, which is what is so special about him. I love that I got to meet him. I admire him so much.

Paula Radcliffe MBE

Ben's delivery of his personal story and journey was done in an authentic way. The audience could really relate to Ben and found his talk very moving. It really did start a conversation within the company to talk more openly about mental health.

Gilead

Your talk set an important tone for the rest of the day. The day was attended by 150 members of the paediatric multi-professional teams mainly from the Great North Children’s Hospital, but also colleagues working across the North East and it was a great success.

The Great North Children’s Hospital

It was an amazing session and Ben must be the loveliest, most honest, frank and unassuming person I’ve ever met. His presence was calming and solid and he gave such a stark insight into his life, it was truly inspirational. We are extremely grateful to him for spending time with our members and for the extra time afterwards where he took time to talk to everyone who came to ask him questions.

The Insurance Institute of Ipswich Suffolk & North Essex

As the ‘inspirational speaker’ slot of the day, Ben did not disappoint. Delegates were fully engaged in Ben’s story and appreciated his open and honest delivery. Overriding comments were what an amazing and inspirational young man Ben is.

Cintra

Ben was an amazing person, really friendly and really approachable. He talked to the delegates on numerous occasions as he walked around the hotel, at the airport etc. His presentation was so inspirational. Throughout his presentation you could have heard a pin drop. His delivery was so good and his story was just so interesting. We had delegates sobbing because they had family members who could relate to his story and many delegates admitted to a tear in their eye, including me! After his presentation people were certainly talking about it and I heard only excellent comments about how interesting his story was, how inspirational he was etc. I have to say it is one of the best I have seen and thank you for your help. It was so good.

Elite Travel

Books and DVDs

Clients often ask about purchasing books for giveaways and delegate packs. Below you’ll find a selection of products by Ben Smith. Click the images to view on Amazon's website. For bulk orders, please speak with your Booking Agent.

How to book Ben Smith for your event

To book Ben Smith, please submit an online enquiry to booking.agent@nmp.co.uk or contact one of our booking agents on +44 (0)20 3822 0003.

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Gareth Thomas CBE | NMP Live
Gareth Thomas CBE

One of the most iconic and exceptional personalities in world rugby

Andy McMenemy | NMP Live
Andy McMenemy

Marathon Man – In 2011 Andy ran 66 Ultra Marathons in 66 consecutive days

Matt Lindley | NMP Live
Matt Lindley

Commercial long-haul pilot for household name airline

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Nigel Owens MBE | NMP Live
Nigel Owens MBE

Widely regarded as the best referee throughout the rugby union

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Adventurer, ultra-endurance athlete and co-founder of a mental health charity

you made the whole process of finding and engaging our speaker very easy.
Julie Smith, Head of HR - Hastoe Group
MORE TESTIMONIALS
Bookings and enquiries
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