John Jackson’s marathon goal was 10 years in the making. In late 2015, the Calgary chef had just opened his second restaurant, Charbar, and had welcomed his second child. Because of the stressful, often-unhealthy lifestyle that can come with working in restaurants, Jackson was 100 lbs overweight, working too much, sleeping poorly and worried about how much longer he would be around.
Browsing online one evening, he saw an ad for a marathon on the Great Wall of China and was inspired to make a change.
“I planned everything out that night,” recalls Jackson. “I planned out what my training would be, the things I needed and how I was going to build it into my work schedule. The next day, I talked to Connie.”
That would be his co-chef and business partner, Connie DeSousa. DeSousa, a fitness aficionado, immediately hopped on board. That same day, the pair set out for a run between the lunch and dinner rushes.
“My run was pathetic,” admits Jackson. “I was running 10 steps and then I’d have to walk, then run a bit more and then walk again.” He kept at it, but a bit too aggressively, and became waylaid by an injury. “I had it in my mind that I was going to get healthy, and then I ended up injuring my knee.”
Tripped up by doing too much too soon, Jackson’s running plans were put on hold. Changing tack, he decided to bike his way to fitness instead. He set a goal of cycling to work once a week, then twice, then three times. Today, Jackson cycles at an elite level, riding to work every day, rain or shine, summer or winter. He rode more than 15,000 total kilometres in 2025, including a 50th birthday ride to Regina and back to visit his mom, and a ride to Oregon for a Chefs Cycle for No Kid Hungry charity event.
“I found a way to incorporate fitness not only into my life, but also into our business culture,” says Jackson. “We go on adventures between work. Connie and I or other staff will go out for a morning hike, or we’ll go to various classes. I lost over 100 lbs and feel great every day — physically, mentally. Finding fitness was the game changer for everything.”
Jackson’s also a believer in hot/cold or contrast therapy, embracing daily morning cold plunges and evening sauna sessions. In winter, his Lake Bonavista neighbours can spot him cutting a hole in the frozen lake, doffing his parka and lowering himself into the freezing waters. His home sauna, meanwhile, reaches sweltering temperatures between 75 and 85 degrees Celsius.
“The dopamine release from cold plunging in the morning before I work out is amazing. It just keeps you buzzing all day,” says Jackson. “The sauna is amazing for recovery from cycling and running. It’s the best feeling ever, and I sleep way better, too.”
Although he didn’t come to fitness until he was 40, Jackson’s hard work and wellness regimens have made him much healthier — something he’s doing not just for himself, but for his wife and two daughters. “It’s important for me to stay healthy and fit to keep up with them,” he says. “I want to be the dad that brings adventures to their life. Didn’t want to be an old, grumpy dad.”
But what of the long-awaited marathon? Though recovering from another knee injury slowed him down, Jackson successfully ran the New York City race in November 2025 — 10 years after he first decided he would run a marathon.
