From the Editor's Desk

Lessons from the “pain cave”: What marathoners can teach investors

In the 1968 Olympic marathon in Mexico City, Tanzanian runner John Stephen Akhwari crossed the finish line hours after the race was over. The medals had been handed out, most of the crowd had gone home, and the stadium was nearly empty. Yet there Akhwari was, hobbling on a bloodied, bandaged leg, determined to finish. When asked why he didn’t quit, his response was simple and profound: “My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race. They sent me 5,000 miles to finish it.”

That story stuck with me — not just because of Akhwari’s grit, but because it seemed like the perfect metaphor for resilience: not quitting, even when every logical instinct tells you to. It also made me feel slightly guilty about skipping my morning run because I “needed more coffee.” (In my defense, the coffee did seem urgent.) As I thought more about Akhwari’s experience, it became clear that the lessons marathoners embrace extend far beyond the track. They’re a blueprint for enduring challenges in business and investing, where setbacks and grueling stretches are par for the course.

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