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Watch Will Smith Nervously Train for a Half Marathon After His Dad’s Death

“My father died about a year and a half ago...It was like, ‘Oh sh*t, I’m next’”

will smith half marathon mobile
Will Smith learns body-temperature control in a steam room. / Facebook Watch

Will Smith gets “comfortable being uncomfortable” as he quickly trains to run a half marathon—13.1 miles—during the latest episode of Will Smith’s Bucket List on Facebook Watch, the social network’s video-on-demand platform. “I think of all the bucket lists this is the one I’m most concerned about. Like in my deepest honesty with myself, I really am not sure if I can run 13 miles,” the 50-year-old entertainer admits.

Smith’s goal is to complete the race in Cuba in under 2 hours 10 minutes with only three weeks of training, in part, to honor his dad.

“My father died about a year and a half ago, and it didn’t hit me so much emotionally as it hit me existentially. It was like, ‘Oh sh*t, I’m next,’” Smith says. “In terms of pushing my body, I want to keep my body conditioned, and more than anything I want to keep my mind strong. It’s like I can do anything, like there is nothing I can’t do.”

To prepare mentally and physically, Smith tried body-temperature control tactics involving ice baths and steam rooms, and he trained underwater as well as on sand dunes.

“This is almost a bit of a spiritual expansion for me, too, in dealing with my ego,” Smith says. “I lived most of my adult life and career in shape. Being this far out of shape is kind of a little bit new for me. I didn’t drink for over a decade. You know, during my rise as a movie star I was, like, wildly disciplined, so being in this place in my life, even something as simple as taking my shirt off while I’m out of shape, like, you know, this for me now, allowing myself to be seen less than optimally, is new.”

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Will Smith with his dad, Willard Carroll Smith Sr. / Facebook Watch

We won’t spoil the episode, so you’ll have to watch to see if Smith accomplishes his goal of finishing the half marathon in 130 minutes or less.

“There used to be so much poison in my drive,” Smith adds. “You know, for me being number one was everything, and I was willing to die to be the biggest movie star in the world, and there was nothing more important than that. I’m really in a different place in my life as I’ve gotten older. I don’t feel the pressure of living up to the billboard image of myself like I used to, and living with these imperfections and accepting my weaknesses has brought me so much freedom. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my life.”

In other episodes, Smith skydives, swims with sharks and performs a stand-up comedy routine with help from comedic legend Dave Chappelle. What’s next on his bucket list? Dancing in a Bollywood movie and racing F1 cars.

Read More: Watch Dave Chappelle Quickly Train Will Smith for Stand-Up Comedy

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