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Guest Episode Episode 24

Hardship, Resilience & Competing at the Highest Level | Ken Rideout

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  1. Ken Rideout

    I had tried the mediocre road, in life and it didn't pay very well. Meaning it wasn't very fulfilling. The only things that have been fulfilling to me as a person, as a man, has had come with suffering and struggling.

  2. Dr. Andy Galpin

    The science and practice of enhancing human performance for sport, play, and life. Welcome to Perform.

  3. I'm Dr. Andy Galpin, I'm a professor and scientist and the executive director of the Human Performance Center at Parker University. Today, I'm speaking with Ken Rideout. Ken is an author, elite endurance athlete, and a tremendous storyteller.

  4. In this conversation, you're going to learn a lot and probably a most be incredibly inspired. Ken's journey from really tough circumstances as a child to early career success, making millions of dollars, then falling into a decade long battle with drug addiction, and coming out of all that, breaking records in endurance sports and having a successful life is as inspirational as anything I've ever been a part of.

  5. I was lucky to get an early copy of his book. I read the entire thing almost, I saved the last couple of pages till today in one sitting. Ken is different than anyone I've ever had on perform, and so you're going to learn a lot of tactical stuff if you're into endurance, racing, and running, but you're going to walk away entertained, I guarantee you that, and also incredibly inspired.

  6. The lessons he imparted are valuable to all of us, regardless of whether you'll run a race in your life now or ever in the future, I found it valuable. I know you'll get a ton of this as well, so please enjoy today's conversation with Ken Rideout.

  7. Mr. Ken Rideout, it is a huge pleasure to have you. This is a very special episode for many reasons. First, I've never had anyone even remotely close to you on the show and I think within about three minutes, anyone listening is going to understand exactly what I mean.

  8. Ken Rideout

    Well, thank you for having me. It's a huge honor to be on such a prominent show. And like I said to you earlier, I'm sure this will be the least technical conversation you've ever had on the podcast because I'm going to disappoint everyone with my lack of information about heart rate, all my training metrics. But I can tell you perceived effort.

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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.

Show notes

Books

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

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