Every once in a while, we meet someone whose life forces us to rethink our own limits. This week’s guest, ultra runner and professional “yes-sayer” Mike Wardian, is one of those people.

Mike has completed 180+ marathons, 143 ultra marathons, broken age-group American records, raced on every continent, and once competed in 45 events in three weeks at the Senior Olympics… all while raising two kids and working full-time. On paper, it sounds impossible. In conversation, it sounds surprisingly doable, because Mike’s secret isn’t superhuman talent. It’s curiosity, creativity, and the art of invisible training.

This episode pulls back the curtain on how someone can live a life this full without burning out or checking out from the people they love. And the answer isn’t what you’d expect.

Mike treats curiosity like a training plan. If something sounds fun or unusual, from rowing 10K before sunrise to attempting 50-mile records from the 1970s, he says yes and figures it out along the way.

But this isn’t recklessness; it’s a philosophy grounded in the belief that you don’t have to be good at something for it to be worth doing.

Imagine giving yourself that same permission.

One of the most memorable parts of our conversation is Mike’s concept of invisible training; the miles and moments he fits in around his life without stealing from it. Early morning runs before anyone wakes up. Lunchtime dog-running “workouts.” Loops around the field at his kids’ frisbee tournaments.
He proves that consistency isn’t about free time. It’s about intention.

And more importantly, it’s about showing your family what’s possible when passion and creativity collide.

Mike’s adventures — from the Gobi Desert to Antarctica to Saudi Arabia — have given him a front-row seat to one truth: humans everywhere want the same things. Safety, clean water, connection, and care for their families.

It’s a grounding reminder that running isn’t just about miles. It’s about meeting the world as it is, learning from the people in front of you, and letting those experiences shape the way you move through your own life.

If you’re craving motivation, this episode has that. If you’re craving perspective, it has that too.

But more than anything, this conversation is an invitation: to try more, to care less about perfection, and to build a life that reflects what you’re actually curious about.

Mike reminds us that being a beginner is a gift. That movement can fit into even the busiest seasons. And that saying yes a little more often might just reshape your entire trajectory.

Listen to this one to get STOKED on your 2026 goals 🚀

Jon is a runner, cyclist, and podcast host from Boston, MA, who now lives in Boulder, CO. For The Long Run is aimed at exploring the why behind what keeps runners running long, strong, and motivated.

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