On the night of my 30th birthday, I was at a bar in San Francisco… I walked out of that bar at midnight, drunk. I didn’t even own running gear, I had some comfortable silk boxer shorts on – took off my pants – and took off down an alleyway stumbling south without knowing that a town called Half Moon Bay was nearly 30 miles away. When the alcohol wore off, I had this epiphany. I looked up and saw heaven – I saw the stars – it was the first moment of clarity I had since I’d given up running. It made me realise that perhaps I was on this earth to be a runner – I wasn’t happy being a business guy, it was making me miserable. I was comfortable, but miserable.
About the Author
Dr. Vikas Shah MBE DL has significant experience in founding, leading and exiting businesses to trade, private-equity and listed groups. He is currently a Non-Executive Board Member of the UK Government's Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ). He also serves as a Non-Executive Director for the Solicitors Regulation Authority, The Institute of Directors, and Enspec Power. He is Co-Founder of leading venture lab Endgame and sits as Entrepreneur in Residence at The University of Manchester's Innovation Factory. Vikas was awarded an MBE for Services to Business and the Economy in the Queen's 2018 New Year's Honours List. In 2021, he became a Deputy Lieutenant of the Greater Manchester Lieutenancy. He holds an Honorary Professorship of Business at The Alliance Business School, University of Manchester, an Honorary Professorial Fellowship at Lancaster University Management School (LUMS), and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration from the University of Salford in 2022.