The greatest game ever invented: Why entrepreneurs and extreme runners are the same

My heart’s pounding, my muscles are tingling; a little from tiredness, some from excitement, some from fear. Of course I believe or I wouldn’t be here but it’s the not knowing that makes this so much fun and brings me back time and time again, succeed or fail. I know I’ll be back again, not just because I love it but because it’s me; it defines me and I don’t want to know anything else.

 

I’ve been preparing for this moment for months, late nights, doing that little bit more when I just want to curl up and sleep, pushing the boundary that little bit further to be in the best possible shape. To know that I am that little bit better prepared than the guys facing me, that I have worked harder and can deal with whatever comes at me and now it’s here.

 

The thing is I have a split personality; one moment I’m a workaholic serial entrepreneur, the next an ultradistance runner and the truth is the buzz I get from both is just the same. The two paragraphs above apply equally to racing ultra events as they do to a big pitch or launch but it’s more than that, the skills set and motivation is frighteningly similar.

 

Fuel is the most important ingredient to any startup, be it cash, people, skills or simply processing power but if the business runs out of fuel it’s going to stop real quick and there isn’t a damn thing you can do about it. The same is true for the distance runner. Once the energy is all gone you are finished so you have to constantly check there is enough and top it back up even if you don’t really want to. It’s often not a fun job to go out and raise more cash when you are tired but you have to. You don’t feel like eating when you are exhausted having run 50 miles and still having 20 to go, but you must and you must be disciplined to do this.

 

One of the things that always seems to surprise people about ultra running is that I run constant body checks. I start at my feet and work my way up checking for wear, damage and fatigue so I can mitigate the effects by adjusting my style, changing route choices over rough ground to ensure that twinge of cramp doesn’t become seized up completely. These take the form of routine disciplined checks and the same is needed in a startup. You have to routinely analyse every part of the business to make sure it is working and if it isn’t, make that call as to whether it will hold together for long enough or if you need to change strategy and fix it before it comes apart and the business comes unstuck.

 

To do a thorough analysis you have to effectively step outside your body and view it from the outside. You disassociate yourself from the pain and get perspective on what you are doing, allowing you to make sensible reasoned judgements that are not tainted by emotion and the same is true in business. You cannot make good judgements when you are too close to things. You have an emotional engagement with a startup business and the team that are working all hours to make it a success. That is normal and fun and why 'startup' people do startups time and again but you cannot afford that to get in the way of making good reasoned judgements about what is right for the business. You have to step outside and look in with real perspective so I take a break once in a while and think instead of just doing!

 

The hardest of all skills though is making the right decision under pressure whilst tired; that’s tough. If I push real hard now will I lose the guy that’s been with me for the last 20 miles or will I ruin my legs and let him cruise past me? Should I stop for water or risk running on to get a gap? The same is true in business. Is this the right deal? Should I hold out for a better one? What if I push too hard and lose this deal? I really wish I knew how to do this correctly!

 

The most common question I get asked about running is why? I wanted to understand why we do this, not running but business. How come 27 people are prepared to bust their guts to create 10 new businesses through Springboard? What drives them? What motivates them? What has created this hub of energy, passion and creativeness where even in the downtime in stolen moments in the pub or at lunch we discuss and challenge each other’s businesses? Everyone helps shape every business and everyone becomes a part of every project in the group. That’s what I really wanted to write about - what drives us - but I couldn’t figure it out.

 

I got as far as that it isn’t money (that’s a nice potential side effect, but it isn’t the primary motivator), it's not freedom either as we wed ourselves to our businesses, and that was as close as I got so I tried to work out why we do anything that is challenging and difficult and that took me to the running. Finally I realised that the same is pretty much true of anything that is difficult and demanding.

 

Ultra racing and business are two of the best strategy games ever invented; games where you are at the very centre, games where you can get every single move right, every play perfect and yet lose because of factors beyond your control. That’s why I play and I think that’s probably why most people play. It’s the game!