Joel Runyon — Ultramarathons and Doing the Impossible

Written by Matt Frazier

After graduating from college, Joel Runyon couldn’t get a job. Not at Starbucks, not at Caribou Coffee, not at Target. He also wasn’t an athlete, and had never run a 5K.

Just five years later, he’s actually spoken at the headquarters of Target, one of the very companies that wouldn’t hire him. He’s spoken at TEDx, done a half Ironman, run an ultramarathon, raised $25,000 to build a school in Guatemala, and traveled the world. Joel now doesn’t need a job, because he makes a living documenting his perpetual quest to do the impossible and helping tens of thousands of readers to the same.

And it all started with a list. Not a bucket list, but an Impossible List.

Next on the list: run 7 ultras on 7 different continents (ending with the Leadville 100) to raise money to build 7 schools. All in the next year.

Joel has been a friend of mine for about as long as I’ve written No Meat Athlete, and it was a pleasure to have him share his knowledge and inspiration for doing the impossible on this episode of NMA Radio.

Here’s what we talk about in this episode:

  • How Joel went from unemployed and living in his parents’ basement to doing the impossible
  • How an “Impossible” list differs from a “Bucket” list
  • The 777 Project: 7 ultramarathons on 7 continents to build 7 schools
  • Breaking through self-imposed limits to do the impossible
  • How running helps build the “do the impossible” muscle
  • Joel’s tips for going from non-runner to multiple ultramarathons in just 5 years

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