Hardship, Resilience & Competing at the Highest Level | Ken Rideout
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In this episode, I sit down with Ken Rideout — author, elite masters marathoner, and one of the most compelling people I've ever had on the show — to discuss his journey from a difficult childhood and decade-long opioid addiction to becoming the Masters (50+) Marathon World Champion and winning the Gobi March, a 155-mile self-supported stage race across the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. Ken shares how running became his path to sobriety and why he finds peace in suffering rather than comfort. We cover his "clean vs. dirty fuel" framework for motivation, the mental tactics he uses mid-race to avoid quitting, his approach to pacing and fueling for marathons, and how his training philosophy evolved once he brought in a coach. We also discuss raising competitive kids, the value of discipline as freedom, and what he'd tell anyone who doesn't know where to start. This episode is for anyone who has ever felt like they've wasted time or lost their way and needs proof that it's not too late.
Books
- Everything You Want Is on the Other Side of Hard by Ken Rideout
Other resources
Perform with Dr. Andy Galpin episodes mentioned
People mentioned
- Scott DeRue: CEO of The Ironman Group; former president of Equinox and dean of the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business
- Mario Frei: Ken’s running coach; credited with helping him break the 2:30 marathon barrier
- Rich Roll: podcaster and author; first brought Ken’s story to a wider audience
- Eric Decker: NFL wide receiver; Ken’s roommate at the Onsite trauma healing center
- Ben True: elite distance runner, American record holder in the 5K road race, and coach at Dartmouth
- Sarah True (née Groff): two-time Olympic triathlete; Ben True’s wife
- Eliud Kipchoge: marathon world record holder; quoted by Ken on discipline and freedom
- Dr. Lenny Wiersma: sports psychologist; referenced by Andy in discussion on discomfort tolerance
- Rob Mohr: mutual friend of Ken and Andy; competitive marathon and triathlon runner
- Killian Ryan: Irish ultra runner Ken met at the Mongolia race; family owns Ryanair
- David Dannu: Israeli soldier and ultra runner; competitor at the Mongolia race
- Rafael Volti: Ken’s social media content creator
