Entrepreneurship is a Marathon, not a Sprint

They say that entrepreneurship is a marathon and not a sprint. Well, I set myself the goal to complete a marathon at the start of this year as a NON runner and NON athlete in an effort to both get fit and do some hard-hitting personal development. And I can affirm – preparing for and finishing a marathon is pretty life-changing. Here is everything it taught me about being an entrepreneur.

Hi! I’m Rachel K Zhang, a LaunchX 2020 alumni, founder of the SheUp Community, creative director, and now writer/creative specialist for LaunchX.

There’s no such thing as overtraining, just under-resting.

On December 31st, 2023, the last time I could remember running was perhaps the 200 metres I needed to catch the tram on time. On January 1st, 2024, I got on the treadmill and ran a painful ten kilometres. On the second, I did it again. On the third, my hip screamed when getting out of bed, but I did it again. On the fourth, I stopped after two kilometres because the pain was so bad. 

Any athlete will tell you this rookie mistake: the body doesn’t get stronger during training, it gets stronger during rest. The entrepreneurial equivalent of the six-week break I needed from a hip labral tear is burnout. Dedicated time away from the endless to-do’s on a founder’s docket is not just recommended, the data unequivocally proves how beneficial it is for the individual, team, and company overall.

LaunchX CEO Forest Richter said the same to me, “I believe that our work is not our lives. Time away from work should be time away from work.”

I started taking my rest extremely seriously. That meant pushing for eight hours of sleep each night with no exceptions, purposefully resting for one day each week, and listening to my body when it needed more time off. This allowed me to train consistently over the next eight months of marathon training and meant that I could show up to each session and give it my all.

TRY IT OUT: How often do you work while eating or reply to emails before bed/first thing in the morning? Try dedicated work hours for a week, and anything outside of those hours are strictly off-work.

Danger and Daring: Embrace the fear and test the limits of your courage.

In May of 2024, I set my mind on running a personal record of fifteen kilometers without stopping. I remember at eleven kilometers in Amsterdam’s iconic Vondelpark–legs burning, heart pounding–when my pace seriously slowed as I fought my body’s desperate pleas to stop. Next to me, I saw a guy briskly walking with his hands in his coat pockets, passing me in his loafers. (In my defence, he was also about 2 metres tall, the average height for Dutch men).

Fear and doubt are constant companions for athletes and entrepreneurs alike. At that moment, I could not fathom FOUR TIMES the distance of eleven kilometres. What if I came dead last? What if everyone left and forgot me on the course?

In Olympic marathoner Deena Kastor’s book, Let Your Mind Run, she notes how it is precisely through overcoming fear that true courage is born. Another perspective from author and long-distance runner Haruki Murakami is that “it’s precisely because we want to overcome that pain [and fear] that we can get the feeling through this process of really being alive.”

Whether pitching a new idea, learning a new skill, or just creating that official Instagram account, we can acknowledge our fears and embrace the growth that will inevitably follow. What’s the worst that can happen, anyways? (P.S. In case you’re wondering, I finished the fifteen kilometres in two hours flat, a pace of eight minutes per kilometer, your average tall Dutch man fast-walking).

TRY IT OUT: What are you putting off right now because of fear and doubt? Take the first step to it this week - whether that’s creating that YouTube channel or cold emailing an investor. What’s the worst that can happen?

Everything around us had an energy: what do we take and what do we give?

Last, I found that to get myself through long runs (20-30km), I had to find different ways of entertaining my mind and body while staying in the zone. An easy one that always worked was thinking about my best friends and family cheering me on as I ran. I would imagine the unique things each one of them would say, each in their own way. Beyond that, I even imagined all the tiny things around me giving me energy as I ran – the water in the canals of Amsterdam, the autumn leaves falling in Toronto, the bikers commuting to work in Singapore. I envisioned myself giving back the same energy with each step. It sounds odd, but this thought kept me moving through a lot of tough miles.

I would say it’s easier to practice this when running since the sole focus is on putting one foot in front of the other. As an entrepreneur, it’s a lot more overwhelming at your desk with fifty emails in front of you, a Zoom meeting in fifteen minutes, and a half-finished Instagram reel that’s been sitting there for a few days. But it’s precisely these moments of overwhelm when I’ve realized that it’s even more important to be mindful of the energy you are taking and giving.

It could be as simple as remembering when your mum congratulated you on your first sale, holding that product in your hand again that you prototyped digitally for so long, or even the coffee you’re grateful to have in front of you. At the same time, giving this back to others in the form of gratitude or servitude only creates a positive spiraling effect. Take the time to acknowledge your cofounder, buy from a small business your friend started, or buy your intern a coffee. The energy always finds its way back to you.

TRY IT OUT: Send out three messages to people who have supported you in your entrepreneurial/personal development journey. Whether it’s a mentor, old teacher, or friend, give them some gratitude.

Playing the long game: marathon, not a sprint.

On November 15th, I ran my first-ever marathon in Larnaca, Cyprus. Running with a group of friends flying in from all over the world, I was reminded of the past eleven months and the key life lesson I’ve learned as an entrepreneur: the value of playing the long game. Success doesn’t happen overnight; it’s about consistent effort, learning from setbacks, and staying committed to the process. Finishing in 4:23:13 with a pace of 6:13 minutes per kilometer was a reflection of how the small, incremental efforts we make every day add up to something greater. Like building a startup, the path to success requires patience, courage, and willingness to embrace the grind and the rest. In the end, it’s not about how fast you go but about showing up, persevering, and trusting the journey.