Both sprints and marathons have starting lines, and the people lined up behind them are equally pumped up to start running the race. Adrenaline courses through the veins of a marathon runner on the starting line as surely as it does through the runner of a sprint waiting for the gun. And each kind of runner looks towards the finish line for their race, the end goal in sight.
And yet – what happens between the start and finish of a marathon and a sprint couldn’t be more different. In a sprint, the effort is focused in to mere seconds or perhaps minutes, and the runners push hard, giving everything they’ve got with each foot traveled. It doesn’t matter if they collapse after only running a few hundred yards – so long as they got over the finish line first, they’ve won. The start is critical, as it makes up a huge percentage of the race, and as the race is run, a tiny stumble spells doom. It’s a very unforgiving race – everything must be done just right, or there’ll be no trophy.
A marathon is something altogether different. Everyone knows as they leave the starting line that they’re going to be running a long time, and that if they don’t pace themselves they’ll never make it to the end much less have the best time. The start is important, but pales in comparison to sustained progress. Even a large stumble disappears in to the noise of the race so long as it doesn’t result in any physical damage. And the race is as much against the clock as it is against the other runners, with everyone striving towards their personal best.
Now, I’m more of a sitter than a runner, so I know these things not from experiencing them but rather from watching Chariots of Fire and talking to people who have run marathons. But what I do have lots of first hand experience with is building businesses, and I can tell you that there are important, enduring lessons to be had in this comparison for anyone thinking of starting a business. The external view of entrepreneurship, and the view of many just starting out in it, is that it’s a sprint: all the energy focused in to a small period of time for a huge pay-off at the end. Yet once you have a few months of a new business under your belt you’ll discover that it’s really a marathon, with the focus being on endurance and constant progress. Going really fast turns out to be overrated, and envisioning and constantly moving towards a finish line that is well out of sight is what separates the winners from the losers.
Those who approach business as a sprint quickly burn out. They run the first few months, maybe even the first year or two, with a gusto that seems enviable. And yet, as time wears on, they tire and start to get discouraged, and often collapse well before the half way point. Those who realize they’re embarking on a marathon, however, get off to a good start, and yet quickly fall far behind the sprinters. But soon enough they catch up, and then gradually leave those less prepared behind.
As you think about the business you want to start (I know you have one!), are you prepared for it to be a marathon? Are you ready to stick it out for years to make it a success? Big, sudden success stories are usually the product of years of quiet persistence, or as Sam Walton said of Wal-Mart, “Like most other overnight successes, it was about 20 years in the making.”
So which are you planning to run? A sprint, or a marathon?
I like “sprint” as a metaphor for software development – I find that I’m more focused and productive as a developer if I focus really hard for a short period of time (1-4 weeks maybe) and then let up.
But you’re absolutely right that the business side is much better run as a marathon than a sprint. I have an adviser who has sold three companies, and started his fourth a few years ago, well into his fifties. His advice: be tenacious and committed. Don’t “fail fast”, like some VCs recommend. Instead, stick with it and keep improving over time.
Jon, great point about sprints being a good metaphor for development: keep it short, simple and focused.
On the business side, it seems like the important thing is to “fail fast” at things we’re not passionate about, and stick it out on things that we love and can be the best in the world at. We tend to get the two flipped, though. A great related book is The Dip by Seth Godin.
It’s helpful to think of intervals as well. Don’t think about running 26.2 all at once. Think of running a mile at a time. Each mile is an iteration. Pace accordingly.
There are some iterations you can run faster than others. There are some you need to walk.
Great point, Nathan. I think not getting overwhelmed by the big picture is particularly relevant in light of the fact that we never have any idea what mile 15 is going to look and feel like while we’re running mile 2. Probably understanding doesn’t come until mile 14, and maybe not until we’re actually running mile 15. Getting overwhelmed before we get there is a waste of energy better spent just running the current mile well.
Seems that there are a lot of insights tucked away in this analogy, and a bunch of them aren’t even accessible to me since I don’t run! Thanks for the added insight.
Nice post.
Reminds me of Agile adoption as a result of the escalation of Agile to buzzword status. Many organizations sprint towards Agile by reading a couple of books and simply integrating the practices. Those folks often run out of gas because the never got to the finish line. Maybe, in order to be successful, Agile needs to sell itself as a marathon runner instead of a "Sprint"er…