Ken Rideout’s story is one of extreme athleticism, addiction and resiliency—and one that can inspire anyone to move.

To meet Ken Rideout is to know Ken Rideout. Simply put, he wears everything on his sleeve. He grew up in a working-class neighborhood outside of Boston, worked full-time as a prison guard right out of high school, and later struggled with an opioid addiction for nearly a decade.
 

Today he’s a father of four, and one of the world’s top athletes over 50. His dedication and consistency are legendary. Every morning, he laces up his Reebok running shoes, puts on his Reebok gear and goes for a ten-mile run.


You Have to Start Somewhere

Ken has always been an athlete. He boxed through high school and college, played football and hockey, and jogged for fitness. When he moved to New York as a young adult, he boxed at a club, so he could use the gym to work out.

Ken also ran a lot, but admits he knew nothing about running (or running shoes and gear, for that matter)—form, nothing. “I’m just like a regular idiot running too much and being like, ‘I’m sore,’” he says. In his mid-30s, soreness in his knee from running led him to buy a bicycle. He showed up for a ride with some coworkers with all the wrong gear— a sleeveless t-shirt, no helmet, a hat on backwards—and no idea what he was doing. But after a couple rides, he thought, “either these guys are delusional about how good they are, or I’m pretty good at this.” It was probably somewhere in the middle.

“Long story short, I signed up for a couple of triathlons,” Ken says. Much like with running and cycling, he says that when he looks back at his early races, he had no idea what he was doing. “I was rinsing off my feet after getting out of the water, before I put on my bike shoes.”

So, he set some goals. Eventually, Ken would go on to compete at the World Championships in Hawaii three times. To train, he would bike 100 miles and then run 10 miles. His friends and his wife called him crazy, but he says, “If I’m going to have to race 112 miles and then run 26, I’d better be able to do this on a random Saturday.”


Addiction Turned Action

Before Ken got into triathlons, struggled with an opioid addition for nearly ten years. Endurance sports became his recovery tool. “It became my natural antidepressant,” he says. For Ken, the runner’s high isn’t like a high you get from drugs. For him, it’s a tremendous sense of accomplishment and relief.

Not only did endurance training become a substitute for his addiction, it also taught him the value of responsibility and the value of consistency. Ken runs every day—and not just because training is important to him, but because it keeps him on the right track.

“As a former drug addict, I can tell you that I always feel like one day [of giving up on myself or taking the easy way out] could be the start of a terrible habit.”

He prioritizes his run every day of the week—no matter if he’s at home, on vacation with his family or traveling for work. For him, it’s intentional that he puts this part of himself first so he can be the best version of himself in all aspects of his life.
 

“WE’RE ALL BORN WITH ONE RESPONSIBILITY. WHETHER OR NOT YOU WANT TO HEAR IT, IT’S THE TRUTH: YOU HAVE ONE RESPONSIBILITY IN YOUR LIFE, AND THAT’S YOUR OWN MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH.”
 

The Consistency Hack

 After the birth of his fourth child, Ken didn’t have the time for triathlon training anymore. So, he shifted his focus to running. He found himself the right running shoe and gear, set himself the goal of a sub-three-hour marathon, and began to chip away at his times — he ran a 2:58, a 2:45, a 2:33. He was stuck at a PR of 2:33 for around two years, then ran a 2:28 in Sacramento at the age of 49.

So, how does he keep getting faster? “There is a hack, and no one wants to hear it—it’s run, a lot,” Ken says, “When I got down from 2:58 to 2:33 in the course of like eighteen months, all I did was 10 miles every single day.”
 

“THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS. IF YOU WANT TO BE COMPETITIVE, EVEN IF YOU'RE JUST COMPETING WITH YOURSELF, YOU HAVE TO RUN A LOT.”
 

When he says every single day, he means Every. Single. Day. Whether you’re running six-minute miles, ten-minute miles, starting out running or even just walking, Ken knows it's the same emotional roller coaster trying to get out the door. But Ken has trained his brain to be “immune and callous” to the idea of not running. “I would never even contemplate it,” he says. The lesson here is that whether you’re just starting your running routine, are a seasoned champ or fall somewhere in between, it’s all the same feeling.

 

“EVERYONE IS ABLE TO DO WHATEVER THEY WANT. THE QUESTION IS, ARE YOU WILLING TO DO IT?”

 

The 51% Mindset Hack

So how does Ken Rideout keep pushing himself further? How does he decide to do an ultramarathon in the Gobi Desert on four weeks’ notice (and win)? He calls it the 51% mindset. “You don’t have to be 100% in to do anything,” he says. “If you believe in majority rules, you only have to be convinced by an extra 1% that it’s time to do something. The other 49% can feel whatever you want it to feel. As long as you’ve got that extra 1% in favor of action, you’re going.”

So, if you can convince your brain and body that you’re 51% ready to go for that run, that’s really all you need. Let that majority mindset win.

“MY WAY MAY NOT BE THE RIGHT WAY TO DO IT.  BUT IT’S THE RIGHT WAY FOR ME. IF YOU MIMIC IT AND IT WORKS THEN GREAT, AND IF YOU CAN DO IT YOUR OWN WAY THEN GREAT. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS THAT YOU FIND IT.”

Find What Works for You

But the biggest running hack of all is quite simple: do it all at your own pace and how you most feel comfortable. If you’re just starting your running journey, go around the block. If you’re just looking to raise your heart rate up a little, that’s great, do it. Take your time and see what works best for you. For Ken, it was diving in with 100% intensity and going at it every day with everything’s he’s got.

Keep in mind that not only do you need a routine, you also need the proper running gear. Specialized running shoes keep you comfortable and also help prevent injury.

“THE FLOATZIG 1 HAS INCREDIBLE STABILITY AND BOUNCY CUSHIONING. THE SHOES BALANCE SUPPORT WITH A LIGHTWEIGHT FEELING. FLOATZIG RUNNING SHOES ARE PERFECT FOR ALL RUNNERS. THEY HAVE SUPPORT AND STABILITY FOR SOMEONE NEW TO RUNNING OR SOMEONE NOT RUNNING BIG MILES, BUT THEY’RE ALSO LIGHT ENOUGH THAT I CAN WEAR THEM EVERY DAY, EVEN WHEN I’M RUNNING 80 TO 100 MILES PER WEEK.”

 

But the ultimate beauty of running is that it’s for all of us—from beginner to pro—all it takes is one foot in front of the other.