What happens when the toughest decision you've ever made isn't to keep going, but to stop?
Croix Sather has spent much of his life doing things most people wouldn't even consider attempting. After surviving a devastating accident at 14 years old that left him in a coma for four days, Croix eventually went from working construction to becoming a motivational speaker and endurance athlete.
And he wasn't even a runner when he decided to run across America!
In 2011, Croix completed 100 marathons in 100 days, speaking to audiences along the way about overcoming adversity and creating a life worth living. A year later, he set a record for a solo, self-contained crossing of Death Valley, pushing his own supplies through extreme desert heat. That record lasted just four days.
Fourteen years later, at age 55, Croix returned to Death Valley to reclaim the record.
But this time, the story took a very different turn.
In this episode of Run the Riot, Croix shares the frightening moments when extreme heat began taking its toll, how his friends helped him recognize the danger, and why walking away ultimately changed the direction of his life.
We also talk about my recent experience at Bigfoot 200, where knee problems forced me to make a similar decision about continuing. Sometimes the discipline that makes us successful in ultrarunning can also make it difficult to recognize when enough is enough.
In this episode, we discuss:
- Growing up in a blue-collar family and surviving a life-changing accident at 14.
- Going from a non-runner to running 100 marathons in 100 days.
- How legendary endurance athlete Stu Mittleman helped Croix prepare.
- The physical and mental struggle of running across America.
- Why the people Croix met along the way became his greatest motivation.
- His original Death Valley crossing, including an unsuccessful first attempt.
- Breaking a long-standing endurance record, only to lose it four days later.
- Returning to Death Valley at 55 and facing potentially life-threatening heat illness.
- The difficult relationship between perseverance, identity, and knowing when to stop.
- Finding meaning in disappointment and changing your dreams without abandoning your purpose.
One of the biggest lessons from this conversation is that success doesn't always look like crossing the finish line. Sometimes it's making a difficult decision that allows you to keep pursuing meaningful things in the future.
Croix's message is simple: Don't Let Your Dream Die.
And as you'll hear in this conversation, sometimes that means being willing to change what the dream looks like.
Connect with Croix Sather
- Website: https://www.croixsather.com/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CROIXsather
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/croixsather/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/croix
Learn more about his *Do Impossible Things Journal* through his website.
Connect with Run the Riot
If you're working toward your first ultramarathon or your farthest distance yet, I'd love to help you get there.
Run the Riot Coaching: https://runtheriot.com/
Keep showing up, keep doing the work, and keep mining your potential!
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