Extreme sport is a mirror of life

Further, more challenging, more extreme — can extraordinary exertion become an addiction? — Opening question of ORF Sportstammtisch at the Radio-Kulturhaus, September 2025

Recently, I joined exceptional ultracycling world champion Elena Roch and renowned psychiatrist Prof. Michael Musalek at ORF Sportstammtisch to discuss a question that has accompanied me for years: why do we do extreme sport, and what does it teach us about life?

The evening’s central question was whether extreme sport is an addiction or a path to self-fulfilment. After more than a decade of ultratrail running, my own answer is clear: for me, it is a mirror of life, rather than an escape from it.

🔁 From burnout towards balance

I was close to burnout. The company was not doing well and neither was I. Whatever I did, I always took it to extremes.

That period became my turning point. I had built Smarter Business Solutions GmbH. Sixteen-hour days were normal, weekends did not exist, and I had completely lost myself. It is a familiar entrepreneurial trap: treating work addiction as a requirement for success.

Sport became a way back to myself.

You could say I replaced an addiction to work with an addiction to running — quite successfully.

That sounds paradoxical, but it helped me. Today, hours on the trail bring clarity and clear my head. Since finding that outlet, I have also become more productive and relaxed at work.

The problem was the missing balance and lack of awareness of what makes performance sustainable.

🧠 Body, mind and adaptation

We are not machines; we are a dynamic process. The body adapts, and so does the mind. — Prof. Michael Musalek

One of the evening’s most valuable observations was that the human body is remarkably adaptable, provided it has time and an appropriate progression.

I learned that the hard way. Early in my running life, I went out for two hours at full speed every day after work. The result was a slipped disc at 35. My cardiovascular system was ready for long distances before my muscles, tendons and joints were.

Three levels of adaptation

1. The cardiovascular system: adapts over weeks
2. Muscles: adapt over months
3. Passive structures — tendons, ligaments and bones: adapt over years

Since then, I work standing up, play table tennis with the team during breaks and deliberately move between tasks. The phrase “sitting is the new smoking” resonates with me more than ever.

Discussing the psychology of extreme sport with Elena Roch © ORF

🌄 Moving limits without breaking them

My question has always been: how far can my feet carry me? Now I know it is a very long way, but I still think there is further to go.

Ultratrail running is a journey of self-discovery for me. A single race contains life’s highs, lows, crises, euphoria and unexpected turns.

The parallels with entrepreneurship are striking:

• Plans meet reality. However good your plan, the mountain or the market may have other ideas.
• Perseverance matters. In the deepest valleys, you have to continue without knowing when things will improve.
• Teamwork makes success possible. That was true at the Grossglockner Ultra-Trail 2025, and it is true in business.

Even after the deepest low, another high eventually comes if you keep going.

For me, resilience grows through practice: kilometre by kilometre, decision by decision.

🧩 The red stop sign

When negative thoughts start spiralling, I picture a huge red stop sign in my head.

The technique I described on the programme has become one of my most useful routines in both business and everyday life.

Mental strength and perseverance in extreme sport © ORF

A three-step check under pressure

1. STOP: deliberately interrupt the spiral.
2. CHECK: why am I here? What hurts? Is it dangerous?
3. DECIDE: continue, adapt or stop.

When my body says no and my mind wants to give up, I ask why I am here, whether the pain is discomfort or injury, and whether I have reached a real limit or a mental block.

That pause helps me recover clarity and momentum instead of disappearing into a mental tunnel.

It shows how essential the mental component is in sport. Ultimately, those who manage it better are the ones who win. — Prof. Musalek

Elena described the same importance in her 24-hour cycling races: the ability to remain focused while exhausted can decide the outcome. In her account of the 2024 world championship, the mental strategies she used in the decisive hours were crucial.

🧘‍♂️ Mindfulness and the myth of perfect balance

LifeWorkTrailBalance sounds as though I have it all under control. I do not. I work at it every day.

Being honest about that mattered to me during the ORF discussion. I am an entrepreneur, father and athlete who struggles daily to find that balance.

The three parts are not equally weighted every day. Business takes priority during intense projects or crises. Training takes more space before major races. Sometimes my family needs all my attention.

What matters is recognising that imbalance and adjusting consciously. I now notice earlier when I am tipping too far in one direction.

For me, mindfulness means asking daily: what needs my attention today? Where am I spending my energy? What am I neglecting?

Time on the trail becomes a moving coaching session with myself. As I explain in my talks, I often make my best decisions while moving.

🏁 Playing the infinite game

I am playing the infinite game. I am not doing this for one race or a short-term success. I want to keep playing.

Simon Sinek’s idea from The Infinite Game shapes how I approach sport and entrepreneurship. The aim is to keep the game going.

Solidarity and consistency in the infinite game © Event organisers

My principles in ultratrail running are:

• Sustainability before speed: I would rather run for 30 years than go flat out for three.
• Learning before winning: every setback offers insight.
• Community before competition: running companions matter more than rivals.
• Health before heroics: being able to run again matters more than the current personal best.

In business, I want sustainable growth and fulfilling work. In family life, I want to go into the mountains with my children at 60, as a father who understands the value of consistency.

🤝 Elena Roch: dream big, prepare wisely

Meeting Elena Roch was particularly inspiring. A four-time winner of Race Around Niederösterreich and 2024 world champion, she embodies a sustainable approach to extreme sport.

Her “DREAM BIG!” philosophy combines ambitious goals, structured preparation over years, mental focus under exhaustion and community work, including road-cycling camps for women and talks.

She uses sport to inspire and enable others. That is what makes it feel like a calling to me.

🧭 What extreme sport teaches me about life

For me, extreme sport is self-reflection in motion: an environment in which to learn about myself under demanding conditions.

Five lessons stay with me:

1. Problems do not solve themselves, but movement can make them clearer.
2. Crises are temporary; even a deep low eventually ends.
3. Working together takes you further.
4. Preparation matters, and adaptability matters even more.
5. The journey matters; the summit is a turning point.

I bring those lessons into my work as an IT entrepreneur and my life as a father. Extreme sport makes me observe, understand and change myself.

Whether it is a crisis, pain or exhaustion, eventually the sun rises again.

The ORF conversation reminded me how valuable it is when people share real experiences and are willing to learn from each other. Extreme sport is not for everyone. But its lessons in mental strategy, resilience and mindfulness can help in a difficult client conversation, a relationship crisis or an encounter with your own limits.

Watch the full ORF Sportstammtisch recording.

For speaking enquiries about extreme sport, mental strength, burnout prevention and leadership, use the contact form or visit my speaker page.