The Right People Find You

Hey Team!

I’m currently on the ferry to Vancouver Island, making the 6-hour journey home to Tofino after 9 days in the greater Los Angeles area. Typically, I’ll stay fairly central in LA, but this time, after spending a few days in the City of Angels, I travelled south to Newport Beach and then north up to Santa Barbara.

It was an action-packed trip of long runs, run clubs, connection, business, and celebration. I found myself running the LA FOOD RUN by Salomon, rocking a cowboy hat and boots one evening, and ending the trip by throwing on a tux for the first time in over five years. A big portion of the trip was focused on the business we’re building, but it was a nice change to layer in some meaningful personal moments as well.

I’ve shared in previous editions how life feels more and more aligned, and this trip reinforced just that. The personal elements blended with the business efforts, everything flowed, and I’m travelling home with a real feeling of fulfillment. Over the years, I’ve come to realize that it shouldn’t really come as a surprise when these things start to land at once. I strongly believe it’s all rooted in frequency. When we commit to our own growth and evolution, there’s a point where it suddenly clicks. The energy you’ve been refining starts to attract more of what you want out of life.

Another interesting little tidbit: I landed home yesterday only to receive an email confirming my acceptance into Moab 240. This was the 240-mile race I had applied for through a lottery, where I wasn’t drawn and ended up 111th on the waitlist. With only a few hundred runners originally selected, it’s pretty wild that they reached my number. That means over 100 spots opened up. I may still choose not to run it because I’m now committed to the NYC Marathon only a few weeks later, but the moral of the story still stands: don’t count things dead in the water just because the odds look bleak.

From The Field

In the first two days of being in LA, I coordinated a dinner with some friends. There were five of us, and some of the guys had never met in person, but everyone knew each other from social media and similar circles. Looking back, it’s pretty interesting that I was the one who pulled the dinner together because less than two years ago, all of these guys, with the exception of my friend and business partner John, were strangers to me.

Not only were they strangers, they were guys I genuinely looked up to and was inspired by. I followed them all on Instagram, had never met them in person, and now, fast forward, I’m friends with them and quarterbacking the whole gathering. I find it pretty cool how that happens. Sometimes the people you’re inspired by from a distance eventually become people you’re breaking bread with, doing miles with, and learning from up close.

I ran with each of them separately on a longer run during the trip. All of them would be considered elite athletes and big online creators. They’ve all become friends of mine, but this trip gave me more time to go deep with each of them while running. And that’s something I cherish more than almost anything. There’s something about miles that pulls the real stuff out of people. No stage. No posturing. Just two people moving forward and talking about life.

The first run was with my friend Michael. We ran the LA FOOD RUN, which was a half marathon accompanied by eight food stops. It was an absolute blast. Michael and I have spent a lot of time together, so there wasn’t a ton I didn’t already know, but one thing that was reinforced in our conversation was his commitment to the long game.

He has been in the wellness space for over 15 years. He was an original lululemon ambassador out of New York, shifted into becoming a serious bodybuilder, and then explored jiu-jitsu at a very high level. All of this while running a very successful restaurant business in New York called The Meatball Shop. So when we were talking about the brand deals and opportunities he has today, it reminded me that those things don’t happen overnight. It’s not one post, one connection, or one lucky break. It’s consistency stacked over a very long period of time.

My next big run was with my friend Eli. Eli is known for his redemption story and bold personality, but the biggest thing I admire about him is his unmatched resilience. Eli commits to many 100+ mile races in a single calendar year. Not several. Many. This year alone, he’s had Arizona 300, Cocodona 250, Tahoe 200, and Moab 240 coming up. And that doesn’t include the ones I’m probably unaware of.

But the inspiration goes far beyond getting on the start line of world-class races. It’s in his ability to fail, take the hit, and commit again. Truth be told, Eli DNF’d both the Arizona 300 and Cocodona 250. These were back-to-back races that he didn’t finish. But he picks himself back up and commits to the next one. There are even wagers on a gambling app about whether he’ll finish his next race or not. And yet, he keeps putting himself in the arena. His ability to get back in the game in light of all that is so damn impressive. He knows the saying all too well: it doesn’t matter what you did last, it matters what you do next.

My last longer run was with Nick. When I first met Nick earlier this year, it honestly shocked me how young this beast of a human was. He must be pushing 6’4”, he’s ripped, and he runs 100-milers himself. But Nick, only 30 years young, is wise beyond his years.

One takeaway from our conversation was how authentic he is. What you see is what you get. He shared that he really doesn’t have much of a social media strategy, even though he has over 600K followers. In fact, when I asked him how he grew such a big following, he told me it stemmed from getting caught dancing in the gym, and then he leaned into it. It was natural. It was him. And it resonated with people because of that.

Having the opportunity to break bread together was special, but the deeper connection with each of them meant even more to me. It was another reminder that we’re all human. Each one of us carries so much depth, so much story, and so much wisdom if we’re willing to actually listen.

And sometimes the people we admire from a distance end up becoming mirrors for what we’re building in ourselves. Michael reminded me of the long game. Eli reminded me of resilience. Nick reminded me of authenticity. And the trip as a whole reminded me that when you keep showing up, life has a funny way of putting the right people, places, and opportunities in your path.

Quick Reminders Before You Start:

My friend Johnny just launched his athletic caps from Aug11, and they’ve been so awesome. I don’t have a discount code for you, but I can confidently say they’re rad.

Not an athletic cap, but his “Lord Forgive Me” hat has gotten me more compliments in the past week than I can ever remember. I think we’re at over 10 compliments in 5 days.

Feeling grateful for this chapter, the people in it, and the miles that continue to teach me something new. Keep moving forward... sometimes the next open door is closer than you think.

Catch you on the Start Line,
—Matty