Ken Rideout: Opioids Controlled My Life for Years Until Running Saved Me!

Dec 25, 2025

Ken Rideout is a marathon champion, entrepreneur, and author who transformed his life after years of opioid addiction. He reveals the harsh realities of his dependency and how running became his lifeline. Ken shares his journey from a troubled childhood to finding purpose through endurance events like the Gobi March. He discusses the importance of daily 10-mile runs in his recovery and the emotional battles faced by his family, including his wife’s cancer diagnosis. His story is a powerful testament to resilience and the quest for a better self.

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ANECDOTE

Wakeup Call And Running As Refuge

Ken describes waking up on the bathroom floor while his wife discovered his addiction and confronting years of opioid use.
He recounts taking up running and punishing himself with 10-mile daily runs during withdrawal as a replacement for drugs.

ANECDOTE

Chaotic Childhood Normalized Addiction

Ken recalls growing up in a chaotic, sometimes violent household with a heroin-addicted uncle present.
He says the environment normalized addiction and instability during his formative years.

ANECDOTE

Paper Route Discipline As A Kid

Ken tells the paper-route story: waking at 5am in all weather to fold and deliver papers for shoes and small comforts.
He frames it as the only way he knew to get what he wanted as a kid.

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