I grew up in a small town where there was no long-distance running coach, but I really wanted to run and dreamt of participating in the Olympics. This was a quarter of a century ago, so I looked for training ideas in paper books about runners of the past, from Paavo Nurmi to Ron Clarke, and even in bodybuilding manuals! I achieved a lot – my marathon PB is 2:16:53 – but, unfortunately, didn’t make it to the Olympics.However, while chasing my dream, I acquired the skills that allowed me to build a career fast, first in journalism and then in banking. In 2015, I founded Running Expert to help people who love running but do not plan (and this is wise) to sacrifice their career, family relationships, etc., for it. To help achieve outstanding sports results – the company motto is “Make Amateurs Great Again” – and at the same time get a good ROI from running in the form of such extremely important soft skills as perseverance, determination, self-confidence, time management, and many more.A striking example of my success in making good on this mission is Sergey Ionov, a managing director of a City of London investment bank. While his job kept him busy from 60 to 70 hours a week, he was able to finish 3rd in the Badwater 135, “the world’s toughest foot race”! After this performance, his already successful career received an additional boost.I know that people of this kind are constantly searching for new challenges, so in 2024, I’m organizing the Issyk Kul Six-Day Challenge for them. This is a tough test of endurance: you will have to run 460 km in 6 days instead of the ~250 km in races of a similar format like MDS, and at an altitude of 1,600-2,000 m above sea level.The daredevils will be rewarded with absolutely stunning scenery, including the snowy peaks of the Tien Shan, the Martian-like canyons, and the Issyk Kul itself, as well as the feeling of being a trailblazer that comes from participating in the first ever run around the world’s second-largest mountain lake.