Todd Elliott’s Post

Comrades marathon has come and passed, it's fever will remain for sometime, and it will subside with time.What remains is the runner. Of course there is no comrades marathon without a runner. The fact is that runners have been categorised by the marathon, there are winners and losers. What I have taken out of 2024 up run comrades marathon, is that, whilst there are victors and victims, it all boiled down to preparations. Some runners defined or explained it as brutal.It was tough. Runners invested in their preparations, and they were rewarded accordingly. It also.proven that, the stage is not for practice or training, but for performance. Training is done in the wilderness in preparation for our performance. Some of us who didn't win, will have different reasons for why we didn't, but when all dust is settled, it boils down to.preparation. All the runners were there to expose their preparations, unfortunately, some of us were exposed by lack of preparation. I personally came back without a medal, of course, I have other reasons, why not, the other person also, but, the bottom line is PREPARATIONS. Victory is always a by-product of preparation.

Another marathon under my belt! 🏅 Every runner knows the thrill of crossing a finish line. Yesterday I completed the #BerlinMarathon and this time, it was pretty special – It was my first time running without my sister, so I had less strength to keep going. For me, it all started in New York (2018) and Chicago (2021). As always, I was cheered on by my family, who followed me through the marathon’s app and popped up on my way to greet me. Could I have run 42 km (26 miles) without them? Sometimes I think not! Berlin was different for other reasons as well. First, because I started my vacation after the race – the perfect bookend for a super-challenging year, full of learnings in my new role at AERODOC - Logistics and IOR . Second, the training in the summer was hard! Running is a great teacher, and Berlin was no exception. My first marathon was physically painful (I even said to myself that I would never run again!), but I fully enjoyed the next one: I was relaxed, smiled throughout, and felt that I was not competing, just trying to outdo myself. Your ability to endure such long runs depends on your training, but especially on your ability to focus and the power of your mind, which gives you that final push. When you train, you run less than during the marathon itself (I train for max 35 km), but when you actually get there, everything changes: People cheer on you in every corner of the city. I wore Argentina’s soccer jersey in one of those marathons – the cheers were amazing! There’s nothing more rewarding that setting a long-term goal for yourself, preparing, and finally achieving it. Berlin was no exception. I even broke my last 2 marathons records! I feel that everywhere I go, I go with a runner’s mentality, so this vacation will be a good time to think: What’s next? #Running #42k #BerlinMarathon #Passion #MentalPower #Goals #Personalgoals #positivethinking

You probably don't need me to tell you that Jasmin Paris made history at the Barkley Marathons last week as the first ever female finisher. If you've yet to read the story, I highly recommend you have a look here: https://lnkd.in/eHpaQgPg What she achieved was incredible, but I can already hear the questions. "What does did she run in?" "Which poles did she use?" "Which intervals did she run?" "Which gels did she use?". It's natural to want to emulate your heroes, and I'm sure we can all learn something from her, but the details many athletes are most interested in (the stuff they can buy), aren't as important as her habits. What was her most important habit? She kept turning up. She started running seriously in 2010, so her performance last year was the culmination of 14 years of hard graft. Despite being a mum of two and working as a vet she kept turning up. Many of us say we need to find time for something, but really we need to make time. We're all busy people, but making training a routine, finding a way to make it fit around your schedule and prioritising your performance is the key to excelling. My first Ironman was a bit of a disaster by all accounts, because I didn't have the time to really train as I was working seven days a week at the time. But I knew I could complete the distance as I'd been turning up to training more or less nonstop for seven years. Even when the sessions got repetitive and I started going backwards at points, I keep turning up. We all want to get faster, and feel stronger but just turning up is the single biggest determiner of performance. Just keep turning up day after day, don't do anything stupid, and that will get you a long way in itself.

You don't have to run a marathon, or even a half-marathon, to be "a runner". With so many people sharing their journey to first-time start lines and hunt for PRs across social media platforms, it's hard not to associate running with performance but there are so many other ways to get into running and setting goals. In a recent interview with Runnersworld, "8 Running Challenges You Should Set in 2024", I shared how I work with beginner runners to release racing pressure and find the fun in the run: 🏃🏽♀️Run a Relay ♾️ Do a Race Series 📅 Set a Streak Goal 🫂 Lace up for Charity 🍩 Lean Into Fun Runs 🏁 Try to PR in a Shorter Distance ⏰ Go for Time Instead of Distance 💤 Make Recovery a Priority Full Story: https://lnkd.in/gDYDFcB6 Distance races get a lot of hype and are sexy - trust me, I get it! - but they don't hold greater significance nor grant a "verified runner stamp" when you cross the finish line. The act of putting one foot in front of the other in the pursuit of better physical health, mental health, or social health, on the good days and the not-so-great, for a few steps or a few miles, for a hot girl walk or run club trot, at a glacial pace or wicked fast -- being a human with the ability to put one foot in front of the other in this marathon of life is what certifies you as a runner.

It's Only A Matter Of Time. This morning in Chicago the mens world record for the marathon was slashed by over 30 seconds by twenty three year old Kenyan runner Kelvin Kiptum. We are no longer inching toward the magical two hour barrier ( yes, Eluid Kipchoge has run sub two hours for the marathon, but it was not in an official race), we are diving head on into redefining what is humanly possible. Not so long ago, many, so called 'experts', were predicting that we would a) never run under two hours for the marathon, and then b) it will only happen in 2030 or beyond. Yet here we are, closer than we have ever been, and I wouldn't be surprised at all, if we see the magical mark conquered within six months. What's special about Kelvin Kiptum is that he has only run three marathons, and in those three races he has never run slowly than 2hrs and 2mins over the distance. For those of you who have no idea how difficult it is to run 42.2 kms at sub 2min.55 per km pace, imagine trying to survive the next 30 days on drinking water alone, that gives you a little idea. So why is this post significant for people in the LinkedIn community? It's very relevant because most get up ever day and live their life with preconceived ideas on what is possible in this world. We are told, managed, lead, and parented in a world that continues to place limitations on our true potential, and one of the hardest things to do is to break free of those limiting factors and truly test yourself to your limits. When you do that, you will go further, faster, and better than you ever have before, the challenge is to truly test yourself. Moments after crossing the finish line in todays race Kelvin Kiptum had this to say. "I saw the time in front of me. I felt good inside of me, maybe a little adrenaline. I said let me try - I will one day run under 2:00," he said. "I knew one day I would be a world-record holder." When you free yourself of your perceived limits then anything is possible, it's not a cliche, it's a fact.

Eluid Kipchoge, is the greatest men's marathoner today. - He has won 15 of the 18 international marathons he has participated in. - He holds the record for the fastest marathon with a time of 2:01:09. - And at a special event in Vienna, became the only human to break the 2 hour barrier, crossing the finish line in 1:59:40. (If you are not a runner, you must read about our chase to break the 2 hour barrier for a marathon distance.) And yet in April this year, at his debut Boston Marathon, a race considered by many as the Holy Grail for marathoners, he finished sixth. There were reasons for his "under-performance", but he didn't quit and finished the race. What stood out was his remark post race - "Yesterday is a cancelled cheque, today is cash, and tomorrow is a promissory note." I couldn't agree more. And from own experience here is my "value add" ✔ ensure the cash you have today is not a "fake note" - be wise, be real, seize the opportunities and take action ; and ✔ that the promissory note for tomorrow is "signed and stamped" with commitment and dedication. Pic Source : Getty Images This is Kipchoge nearing the finish line of his epic "Breaking the 2 hr barrier" marathon at Vienna, Austria and with that smiling finish he brought smiles to us long distance runners for whom he is the GOAT ! #Kipchoge #MarathonRecordHolder #Boston2023 #Yesterdaytodaytommorow #breakingbarriers #Nohumanislimited #marathonrunner #marathon #timewisdom #growthmindset #learnfromthepast #seizethepresent #empoweryourfuture #changethecourse #professionalgrowth

At 11.16pm Weds 30th April 2022 I collapsed in the Sahara. Here's 3 things it taught me: 𝑩𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚: 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥 6 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯 7 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘵 - 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘴𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘴 - 𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘯 𝘋𝘦𝘴 𝘚𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴 🐫 Was it hard 𝐘𝐄𝐒? Did I have to push myself 𝐘𝐄𝐒! Did I collapse at one point 𝐘𝐄𝐒! On "the long day" - 2 marathons in one day, through deep sand - I collapsed. Not enough food. You can learn from my mis-adventure: 1. 𝑻����𝒌𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒔  In the run up to 'The MDS' you are told to keep your backpack weight to a minimum. This this meant I cut down on food, to save weight. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘢 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘱𝘫𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥! I wasn't competing to win, I was trying to survive. So I should have packed more food and gone slower... 🥪 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 "𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘴" 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘢𝘭𝘴? 2. 𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒆 While I didn't have enough food - I did have extra AAA batteries - which I traded with another runner for 4 caffeinated gels - as his headlight had run out of batteries... This gave me some calories, and a caffeinated jolt! Which got me back in the game... 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦? 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘰𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥? 3. 𝑩𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅 𝒂 𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒃𝒆 You have colleagues, a network. A team. But do you have a Tribe? 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩*𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭... As I lay in the desert dirt, eating my traded-caffeinated-gels, my team mates circled with a concerned-cum-annoyed look. "𝘊'𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧!" expleted Yorkshireman-team-mate Richard Conroy. Somehow, I staggered to my feet. Later that night Ian Tabberer whipped me to the line with some sharp words 🤬 These two guys cared. They cared enough to kick me up the arse! 𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶? > In conclusion: make sure you have the correct supplies, leverage your assets and nurture your tribe. Stay in The Groove! ps - 2 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘋𝘚 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘙𝘶𝘯 - 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 😰 pps - this is a photo of us completing the long day at 4am Thursday (we had set off 8am Wednesday) - photo taken by the peppermint tea guy! #entrepreneurstories #endurance #resilience #tribe #founders

11,000 runners were disqualified from a marathon for cheating Why it matters: Apparently, cheating is a long-running problem at the Mexico City Marathon. In previous years, thousands of runners have been disqualified for cheating. It's hard to understand why someone would train as hard as marathon runners train just so they can cheat on race day. Unless you are an elite runner competing for prize money, what's the point in cheating? Part of me wonders if there was a glitch with the technology used to track the runners. https://lnkd.in/gKdUhyuR

I know I’m going to see Jasmin Paris a lot over the coming days on here relating her achievement to the strife of business but as someone who’s devoured media on the subject, I wanted to give some more context. The Barkley Marathons are not just simply five marathons in a row, I’m afraid it’s much more sadistic than that and an even greater achievement than you might realise. Jasmin is now one of 20 finishers of the Marathon since it’s inception, and the first woman to do so. To start with, the marathon begins at an undefined time within a 24 hour period, only marked by the blowing on a conch shell warning runners that it’ll begin in an hour from that time. This could be at 1am or 3pm, meaning you cannot rest evenly before starting your race. You are not allowed any modern technology whilst in the race and must rely on a handmade map for guidance that you can only copy by redrawing yourself. Each lap of the course is run in the opposite direction from the last and you must find 8 separate books hidden on the trail and rip out the page corresponding to you bib number for each lap. These books can be in streams, hidden in walls and hanging from trees—even if you complete a lap fully, without the pages on any section you are disqualified. Whilst racing, you do not have the time to sleep and most racers spend less than 30 minutes back in camp before setting off for their next full marathon lap in the Tennessee countryside. You are basically completing a marathon, treasure hunt, hunger strike and sleep deprivation five times over, through the day and night. This isn’t merely an achievement of endurance or speed, it is something that very few people truly have, proper grit. So I hope I don’t see this achievement linked to anything “business” related, because no desk job or hustle will ever be even a microcosm of the difficulty of this race. Photo credit: BBC / JACOB ZOCHERMAN

I am a firm believer that great things come about through NOT telegraphing your intentions, not even planning things out, but rather by simply keeping the vision in mind and taking the simple steps each day to keep that vision alive. The simpler the better. The less kit the better. The fewer people who know the better. This was me in early 2002. Back when I identified as a runner. I look relieved because I only had 20 km left to go, on (relatively) flat ground along Lake St Clair in Tasmania. It was the Cradle Mountain Ultramarathon, running the 80 km Overland Track in 12 hours. I hadn’t planned this for years out. It happened because I’d run the Melbourne marathon in late 2001, and was bored of road marathons. I wanted something new, and found the Cradle Mountain Run. It gave me the chance to experience the Overland Track, and could do it at a decent pace! One of the run’s pre-conditions was to have already run an ultra, which I hadn’t. So I signed up for the Bogong to Hotham “Rooftop Run”, only 64 km along Victorian Alps, and scheduled for a month or so before Cradle Mountain. Being shorter, I thought it would be an easy taster before the real run. I was wrong… I ended up running two incredible ultras within 6 months of completing a marathon, and did it just by locking in on the goal (Cradle Mountain) and continuing to train. Consistently. Nothing fancy. Not many people knew my intention. No fancy gear (look at the photo!) The point is that good things are not announced. Good things are delivered by doing the necessary things, day in, day out. Not by talk. There’s Science that will support this, but this is mainly Heart truth. If it matters, you do it, bit by bit. Otherwise, you’re free to keep talking about what you’re gunna do - it feels amazing but probably won't actually happen. So...what are my current big plans? You'll have to wait and see... And thus ends the humblebrag (sans humility) 😉