Updated October 2022: Jack Scott is a UK ultra runner who, in 2021, set a winter record time for the 100-mile Lakes, Meres & Waters challenge. Still relatively new to the sport, Jack has used his love of ultra running to help beat a gambling addiction that was previously controlling his life. Now three years clean, the INOV8 UK ambassador hopes this Q&A blog post will help others who are suffering with the same addiction.
When did you start gambling and how quickly did it escalate?
The problems started when I turned 18 and was first exposed to alcohol and gambling. I was in my local betting shops regularly and would often leave myself short of money after squandering it all. Things got progressively worse and by the age of 19 I self-excluded myself from the local betting shops. It helped for a time, but then I began gambling online instead.
The experience of gambling online is totally different to being in a betting shop. Online gambling is emotionless and brutal, and the ease in which you can lose control is frightening. In a shop, you must physically write a slip and hand over cash to someone to process it. You are interacting with someone. Online, you're just clicking buttons and not thinking of the consequences.
I was completely out of my depth and before long I was lost in the viscous world of online gambling. I struggled and suffered with an addiction for six years. I'd gamble on football, horses, tennis, any sports, and even sometimes things outside of sport. I'd win and lose, then win again in the space of a few minutes.
Still a teenager and then into my early 20s, I was limping through life. I'd often get paid on a Monday evening and by Tuesday morning I'd have lost most of it gambling. There were many occasions when I'd struggle to get through the week. I was always thinking, 'This will be the last week I do this.' But then Monday would roll around again and the process would repeat itself.
I was lucky - or unlucky depending how you look at it - because I was earning a very high wage for someone my age, and this got me out of trouble a lot of the time. I had no bills or responsibilities, and I lost a lot of money. I was literally just bouncing from week to week without any purpose. I would look in the mirror and not recognise who I was. It's sad to say now, but on a few occasions, I thought this was who I was going to be for the rest of my life. I couldn't see a way out or a way to change.
When did you start running and how did this help?
I used to play football, but then found running in my early to mid 20s. I went out one day and managed a half marathon in 90 minutes. I realised I could potentially be okay at this. It made me feel good and I enjoyed working hard.
I progressed through the distances quickly and was running 50-mile races within 6 months. I didn't realise it at the time but when I look back now, I think I used running in those early days to punish myself. I was still gambling but running gave me a form of release and something different. I was searching for an identity and running gave me that chance. Problem was, I'd then repeatedly let myself down again by spending my wages on gambling.
I used to dream of taking part in huge races like Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) and think, 'If I can make it there and do that, then gambling will go away, and I'll be free from it.' I used to think a gambler couldn't run that far or complete a challenge like that. I was fighting who I was and in denial. Only when I accepted that I'd got myself in this situation, took responsibility for my actions and believed I could change, did things really start to move in the right direction.
Running helped play a big part in that change of direction, as did asking my partner Jess to marry me. The head was cut off the snake when I registered for free with GAMSTOP, which prevents you from using gambling websites and apps run by companies licenced in Great Britain. Jess and I have been together for 10 years and she's stuck by me through all the dark times.
It was 2 years ago this December when I registered with GAMSTOP and cut myself off from gambling. Life has improved dramatically since then and so has my running. This December I will mark the 2 years by attempting the 100-mile Lakes, Meres & Waters winter record, and next year me and Jess will get married. I'm as happy as I could possibly be (see photo below).
How do you now look back on the person you used to be?
I suffered with my addiction and the problems related to gambling for a lot longer than I should have. It really ravaged my life for a long time. I'm thankful that I managed to break away from that lifestyle because I know many, many suffers do not. In the end, I was strong enough to pull the plug. I had a future, a house and I wanted to get married. Those things, plus running, gave me the belief that this time I would end the addiction for good.
I look back and I realise I think I had to go full circle, to reach those lows, to get to where I am today. I'm not bitter or angry about the amounts of money I lost but I am sad for all the years I wasn't the best person I could be. I wasn't the strong one in the family or the one you could trust, and that guts me now.
And how do you now see the role running plays in your life?
Running has given a thirst to be the best I can be. It's allowing me take risks in a different way and experience those real-life emotions which were muted when I was a gambling addict. I crave more running inspired emotions and to feel them for real, in situations I've created. I want to be out there having adventures.
It would be naive of me to say that I'll run for the rest of my life because you never know what's around the corner. But if it was taken away from me with an injury or a change in circumstances, I now believe I'm strong enough to stay clear of ever gambling again.
Since I stopped gambling, I've also built a team around me which acts as a support network. I regularly meet with a psychologist, and we talk things through, plan ahead and discuss the struggles I've faced. My family and friends have been incredible too, in supporting and believing in me. I thank them for sticking by me while I dealt with all this.
What would you say to other people suffering with a gambling addiction?
That's one of the main reasons for this blog post, really, to hopefully reach out to others who may be struggling and give them the confidence to pull the plug on gambling or other addictions they may be dealing with.
Be brave and make a change, is the advice I'd give. Don't wait as long as I did. Believe in yourself and talk to those close to you.
I found running at just the right time. I've let it engulf me and change me. It doesn't have to be something as extreme as running which can be the catalyst for change, everyone is different. But once you find that passion, let it in and enjoy the world with a much clearer vision.
I always envisioned sharing a bit of my story if I ever managed to achieve something huge in running - like a GB vest or a good result at UTMB. With something like that in my armoury I thought I'd have the confidence to talk and open myself up to complete strangers, something to fall back on. This is wrong. In your finest hour you shouldn't talk about your darkest times. You should be able to talk and communicate who you are and what you've done at any point in time, not just when you're on the top of a podium.
And so to this coming weekend, tell us more about your attempt at the Lakes, Meres & Waters winter record time?
It's an ultra running challenge in which you have to visit all 26 Lakes, Meres & Waters, as shown on the 1958 (revised 1960) edition of the one inch Ordnance Survey map of the English Lake District. The total distance is about 100 miles, with approximately 20,000ft of ascent. I'll start at Loweswater on Saturday morning and aim to finish at Over Water on Sunday morning.
It was first run in 1981 by Leo Pollard and Peter Schofield. Since then, 16 more ultra runners have completed it. The fastest overall is the legend that is Joss Naylor (19:14), with the quickest in winter being Rob Allen, who did it last December in 29:21.
It's a tough and varied route. There are some high mountain tops I'll pass over and some difficult off-piste climbs and descents. But I'm happy with the training I've done, and I've enjoyed looking at the route over the Autumn.
I'll be supported throughout by pacers and a support team. I can't thank all these people enough for giving up their time. I hope I make it worth all their efforts. I feel in good shape and have received some excellent advice from runners who have previously completed the challenge. I may not have massive training miles in the bank due to my work commitments in steel construction, but I feel I have enough and I'm ready for a winter adventure!
I do love an ultra running challenge (I prefer them to racing) and hope this new record-chasing adventure will go as well as the 214-mile Southern Upland Way FKT (Fastest Known Time) last year.
The day job. Jack works in steel construction - in all weathers!
*Learn more about GAMSTOP here: https://www.gamstop.co.uk/
*Jack will use inov-8 ultra running shoes and kit throughout his record attempt, including both the X-TALON 260 ULTRA V2 for softer ground and the TRAILFLY G 270 for harder terrain.
*Read more blog posts: Meet the new INOV8 ambassadors
*All photos within his blog post were contributed by Jack.