Everything You Want Is on the Other Side of Hard

Summary

From the fastest marathoner in the world over fifty—and maybe the planet’s most determined underdog—an inspiring tale of resilience, redemption, and personal transformation that recounts Ken Rideout’s rise from a childhood cradled in poverty and criminality to a thriving job on Wall Street to struggles with addiction to athletic superstardom.

Born into a broken family just outside of Boston, Ken Rideout’s early life was marred by drugs and crime. At just eighteen, he found himself working as a corrections officer in a prison where his stepfather had been incarcerated, and his brother would later serve time. Despite the bleak expectations set by his family, Ken harbored dreams far beyond the confines of his upbringing.

Ken’s broke free from the gritty streets of Boston to the high-stakes world of Wall Street, where he carved out a successful career with top firms like Cantor Fitzgerald and Natixis. Yet, beneath the veneer of success, he battled a decade-long addiction to opioids, spending his hard-earned wealth on pills. The turning point came with the adoption of a daughter from overseas—a wake-up call to become the father and man he always dreamed of being.

Running became Ken’s salvation. With unwavering determination, he willed himself to run vast distances. In three years, Ken transformed from a “running nobody” to the world’s fastest marathoner over fifty. His mantra: Win—or die trying. In the book, Ken shares his awe-inspiring achievements, including winning the Masters’ Marathon World Championships in Chicago at age fifty-two and conquering the Gobi March ultra-marathon, one of the world’s toughest races. Through sheer resilience and grit, Ken rewrote his story.

Everything You Want Is on the Other Side of Hard is for anyone ready to fight for the life they want—because, as Ken has proven, it’s possible to turn the impossible into reality.