Justin Britt had an identity crisis.
For Britt, a former NFL offensive lineman, being an athlete had encompassed his entire life. His entire personality.
But he couldn’t take it anymore. He couldn’t deal with the stress and constant yelling from NFL coaches. He wasn’t locked into the present like he had been and didn’t know what was going on.
“My depression and anxiety was sudden,” Britt told the Sun-Times. “It made me call the team in Houston and say, ‘I’m not mentally fit to come to work.’
“From that moment on, I was trying to figure out what was going on, figure out who I was.”
Since retiring from the NFL in 2022, Britt has been on a self-discovery journey. Running filled the void football left in his life, and on Sunday, Britt will compete in his first marathon at the 2025 Chicago Marathon.
“Ultimately, I’m racing myself,” Britt said. “That’s the cool part. In football, you have a job to do, and if you don’t, you’re criticized, and coaches are ready to yell at you. In the running world, I’m not Conner Mantz, I’m a 270-pound guy trying to run my first marathon.”
Britt was drafted in the second round by the Seahawks in 2014. He spent six years in Seattle and played in 86 games. But Britt suffered a torn ACL in 2019 that changed the trajectory of his career. The Seahawks cut Britt in the 2020 offseason and he spent the entire season unsigned as he rehabbed. The Texans signed him, and Britt appeared in 11 games during the 2021 season.
But he didn’t feel right after the first game of the 2022 season. After appearing in just one game, Britt was placed on the reserved/non-football illness list. The Texans released him in the offseason, and Britt retired.
Like most athletes, Britt didn’t know how to adjust to his new life without his sport. Being an athlete had become so intertwined with his identity that he didn’t know who he was without it.
“I knew I needed to have something that could challenge me,” Britt said. “My wife was like, ‘Why don’t you go for a run?’ I was like, ‘Alright, that’ll be easy.’
“I went out there and I couldn’t even finish my first mile, and that demoralized me. I came back and I thought I could make this easy.”
Britt was hooked. His mind fixated on reaching different benchmarks. He then started racing a 5K every day. His ambition was there despite no longer being a professional athlete. He said he’s been riding on the high of building up for the marathon.
“Football was taken away from me, mentally,” Britt said. “It wasn’t necessarily on my terms. I still have some of that grit, energy and want to feel pain.”
Britt dropped around 60 pounds and acquired a coach, Emily Venters, with whom he shares an agent. The two became connected after Britt ran the Bloomsday race in Spokane, Washington. She’s trained Britt, and he’s excited to see if he can achieve his goal of running a sub-3:00 at the Chicago Marathon.
As for Britt’s mental health, he said it’s an ongoing process, but that running has helped him tremendously.
“If I have mental issues that I need to work out, that’s my time [to do so],” Britt said. “I hold onto that [solace] and have that routine and expectation for myself. Day-to-day, I give myself some grace and try to end the day the way it starts, on the positive.”