Jesse Itzler and Devon Levesque on the Mad Fun of Runningman

Every week on our show, How Success Happens, I get to talk to incredible people who accomplish amazing things in the face of great obstacles. Most entrepreneurs wish they could avoid big obstacles, but others seek them out.

Such is the case for Jesse Itzler and Devon Levesque, the one-two punch behind the epic Runningman Festival, a three-day health and wellness event that is equal parts adult summer camp, business networking, party, and athletic race. (Tickets are available here.)

For the past 35 years, Itzler has cemented his status as a game-changing entrepreneur, founding and selling companies like Marquis Jet and Zico Coconut Water. He’s a bestselling author and speaker — and a guy who likes to run 100-mile ultramarathons in his spare time.

Levesque built and sold nutrition brand Promix for nine figures, and does things like completing a marathon-length bear crawl when he is not building new companies.

The two describe Runningman as a kind of Disneyland where health and wellness meet business. There are motivational speakers, breakout sessions, and on the second day, they put the “running” in Runningman. Attendees have access to a one-mile loop for eight hours that they can use however they choose — some walk a mile, take a yoga class, then walk another mile. Others run 5Ks, 10Ks, and over the last two years, some have used the time to complete ultramarathons. “It’s about getting whatever you want out of it, meeting people out there, building friendships and even making deals,” says Itzler.

I spoke with Itzler and Levesque about their wild festival, and the business and life lessons they’ve learned from pushing their bodies to their outer limits. Listen to our entire conversation here or watch it above, and read below for three success takeaways.

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Continue to redefine success for yourself. In his 20s and 30s, Jesse says success was all about “trying to be richer than the next guy,” but now is says it means figuring out what buckets are the most important to you — family, health, philanthropy, business — and striving to do whatever you can to be as good as you can in those areas you truly care about.

Understand that physical pain can bring mental well-being. Devon says that pushing his body to its physical limits brings a sense of calmness to his brain, allowing him to “approach the world in a better way” and “stops me from making chaotic decisions.” He says it has made him stronger when facing any obstacle in his life. “You learn that pain is temporary.”

Start with fun, and success will follow. Planning Runningman is unlike any other business endeavor. “We’ve never talked about how to make more money — our conversations are ‘Is there a way to have an ice skating rink there in the middle of summer in Georgia? Do you know 50 people on stilts that can do a Slip ‘n’ Slide? Our conversations are insane!”

Fast facts

Devon holds a world record for performing the highest altitude backflip, which he did at the peak of Mount Everest.
Jesse wrote “Go, New York, Go!”, the theme song for the New York Knicks that has been played since 1993.