Champion Runner Ken Rideout Finds Motivation From Boxing Legend Teddy Atlas

SportsMoney Champion Runner Ken Rideout Finds Motivation From Boxing Legend Teddy Atlas Anthony Stitt Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Following New! Follow this author to stay notified about their latest stories. Got it! Oct 20, 2022, 10:23am EDT | New! Click on the conversation bubble to join the conversation Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Ken Rideout and Teddy Atlas host “THE FIGHT with Teddy Atlas,” a weekly podcast.

PHOTO BY SAMUEL RIVERA It’s his grit that impresses legendary boxing trainer Teddy Atlas. It’s also his heart. “It starts with Kenny wanting to be a warrior,” Atlas said.

Kenny is Ken Rideout, Atlas’ cohost on the popular combat sports podcast “THE FIGHT with Teddy Atlas,” and the warrior emerging in Rideout can be found in his remarkable story. It’s a story of addiction and recovery. A story of rising above a chaotic childhood.

A story of a guy who went from prison guard to Wall Street trader to arguably the top over-50 marathoner on the planet. And a story that has struck a chord with the boxing Hall of Famer. “Ken sees how there can be noble qualities in running — that it’s not all about time splits and miles run.

But it’s about his behavior and willingness to embrace a certain kind of principle,” Atlas said before adding: “He’s been able to connect the dots to his own fight, to his own battle. ” Rideout’s fight is an inspiring one. He grew up in a dysfunctional family in a gritty town outside Boston, where he saw his step-father and brother sent to prison.

As a teenager, he worked in a prison and witnessed violent confrontations. After playing hockey and football at Framingham State University, he left for New York City to pursue a career in finance. And then “the demons” entered in the form of an opioid addiction that he battled for years.

He eventually found a recovery program and conquered his addiction. And now, at 51, Rideout — a husband and father of four — has become one of the world’s top master athletes. In the past 11 months, he’s won the 50-and-over division at two of the six World Marathon Majors: New York and Boston.

He’s come in second in three other majors: London, Chicago and Berlin. And he plans on running Tokyo in March. His goal is to sweep all six.

MORE FOR YOU Hiring Refugees: How One Big Factory Did It Stripe Takes Steps To Prune Workforce 6 Time Management Tips To Avoid Having Too Much Work In Progress The victories — and his story — are earning Rideout lots of recognition of late, getting featured on Rich Roll’s podcast and profiled in the New York Times. “I’ve gotten a lot of attention from running but I was toiling in the darkness for years,” Rideout said. In the darkness is where Rideout found his drive to be the best.

He runs at least 10 miles every morning and clocks in about 70 to 100 miles a week. Nothing keeps him from running — not even major surgery. Back in February, after he had rotator-cuff and torn-labrum surgery, doctors advised not running for four weeks.

Instead, Rideout waited a whole four days before looping a belt around his arm and neck to secure his shoulder and running his daily 10. A couple days after that, he ran 16 miles. “I’m consistently working harder than everyone, that’s the secret,” Rideout said.

He also hired Mario Fraioli, a top coach of amateur athletes who has trained Rideout over the past three years. Fraioli contoured Rideout’s workouts, integrating recovery runs, along with high-intensity sprints of 400, 800 and 1,000 meters. Rideout said of Fraioli’s structured approach: “It started to click and I progressed.

” A pivotal moment for Rideout came in the fall of 2019, when he spent eight weeks living in Philadelphia and helping Atlas train boxer Oleksandr Gvozdyk for a light heavyweight championship bout. Rideout believes that assisting Atlas in camp gave him a champion’s mindset. “By being around Teddy, I became a better runner — 100 percent,” he said.

Rideout also said Atlas will call him before a big race and impart a few motivational words. “Just the fact that he calls me to give me a message is impactful,” Rideout said. On a recent episode of “THE FIGHT,” Atlas took a timeout from talking boxing to recognize Rideout’s second-place finish at the Chicago Marathon, which he ran just two weeks after collapsing and getting stretchered off at the finish line in Berlin.

“This is the nicest compliment I can give you,” Atlas told Rideout. “You are officially my Henry Armstrong of marathon runners. And he’s my favorite fighter of all time.

” Atlas paused before saying: “You make us proud. ” Rideout smiled and said: “Thank you, Teddy. That’s definitely the nicest compliment anyone has given me in regards to running.

” Ken Rideout, center, prepares for running of the 126th Boston Marathon. Boston Globe via Getty Images Follow me on Twitter . Anthony Stitt Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions.