From running back and forth to the letterbox on his family’s farm, to standing on a Paralympic podium, Reece Langdon has already packed a lot into his short para sport career. He’s a world record holder in the T38 1500m and T38 5000m,  he won a silver medal at the World Para Championships in 2023 and a bronze medal at the Paralympics in Paris in 2024.

In this episode, Elise chats with Reece about the sting of finishing fourth in the T38 1500m final at this year’s World Para Champs in New Delhi, racing through plantar fasciitis, and why lining up fully healthy is now his biggest performance goal.

Reece also tells us about the freak virus that changed everything at six years old – strep throat that led to partial paralysis, months in hospital, and doctors warning he might not be a very active kid. He takes us through learning how to walk again, speech therapy, living with ataxia, and the 13-month paper trail it took to be classified as a para athlete. We also chat about the growing depth of the T38 field and his friendly rivalry with fellow Aussie (and friend of the podcast) Angus Hincksman.

Off the track, Reece is a proud new cat dad to Lola (yes, there’s a kangaroo-style pouch to carry her in), a full-time runner with ASICS, and an athlete who’s learning to actually celebrate PBs instead of instantly chasing the next one.

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Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom

Graphic design by Kate Scheer