Karel Sabbe is an ultrarunner and belongs to the prime group of this niche sport. After finishing the Barkley Marathons in March 2023 (17th finisher in 37 years), setting Fastest Known Time-Records on the Via Alpina, Appalachian Trail, and the Pacific Crest Trail in 2016, Karel decided to go back to the PCT for a new record attempt.

Eight years have passed since he started ultrarunning. He went from an amateur ultrarunner nobody knew to a world-class, sponsored pro athlete.

I joined him and his crew for 3 weeks on his 2023 adventure, where he broke the PCT record by 5 days and 4 hours. He ran 4286 km with 4000 altitude meters in 46 days, 12 hours and 50 minutes.

It was a fantastic experience. But above all, I could learn and see how he managed to set such extreme records with my own eyes.

Here are 7 lessons I learned from joining a world-class athlete on his latest record attempt.

1. Success doesn’t come overnight.

In 2016, Karel was a nobody. An unsponsored Belgian Dentist suddenly appeared on the ultrarunning scene. Nobody noticed him until he unexpectedly set the record on the PCT in 2016, with his brother-in-law helping him. The community was weary and suspicious, but his record got accepted, and slowly, steadily, more and more people heard about this running dentist.

He invested countless hours of training, self-financed his endeavors, and made sacrifices to achieve his dreams. After all these years, he finally gets the recognition he deserves: sponsors, media awareness, and respect.

It’s like this with every successful person: there is way more behind it than the world sees. It doesn’t come overnight, but only after intentionally putting in much effort and time.

2. Consistency and habits make a difference.

Run, eat, sleep, repeat. It is not an exciting or sexy routine but necessary to achieve greatness. Most people cannot keep up with the consistency and boringness of these habits and routines, in business, sports or pushing yourself to the next level.

That’s what makes Karel great in what he does. No complaining, no breaks, no chill time. Day in, day out, the same routine. And that’s how he wins.

3. Your support team is crucial

What makes Karel even greater? His support crew.

Because Karel is a genuine, good-hearted, honest, grateful athlete, he has a solid connection with his family and friends, making it a pleasure to crew. Which means he always assembles a team to do this for him.

You cannot be a great CEO or entrepreneur without a great team around you. This is one of the critical factors of Karel’s success as well. He surrounds himself with excellent, dedicated individuals.

4. Communication is critical.

Clear communication is essential from Karel to his team and from the team to Karel.

His primary focus is running, and the crew will do everything possible to let him focus only on running. We would not bother Karel with issues we ran into unless they directly impacted our timing and meetups with him.

He doesn’t need to choose where to sleep, what to eat, or what to wear. The crew takes care of this all. However, Karel did give clear guidelines to the team. And when he needs something, he will communicate this clearly, but always in a kind way.

5. Don’t look at the end goal

I ran some sections with Karel, and he taught me something I have been learning in coaching sessions and books but never understood as well as I do now.

We were running together, and at one point, I saw our final destination in the distance. Saying to Karel, ‘Look, there is the highway already, our endpoint.’ He answered: ‘I never look at the endpoint. It demotivates me.’

Which makes perfect sense. Focus on the small wins.

6. Eliminate everything that causes friction

There is only one focus for Karel, which is running. And everything that messes with this focus needs to go. This goes until the tiniest details: that type of backpack is uncomfortable on the shoulders; change it to another. This kind of food doesn’t digest well, don’t eat it anymore. And so on.

That’s how every great athlete and successful entrepreneur optimizes their workflow. That’s how CEOs and successful people work: eliminate and delegate everything that causes friction so the focus stays clear.

7. Enjoy the journey,

Look around and appreciate what you already have.

Karel's biggest reason for doing this type of project is nature, and being one with nature was a magnificent experience.

The best moments for me were being on the trail with Karel. It was a fantastic experience and made me understand why he does this.

‘Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.’ - Karel Sabbe

How Did a Running Dentist Become a Pro-Sponsored Athlete? 7 Lessons I Learned from a World Record-Winning Athlete That Will Propel You to Success

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