Robbie Balenger has always been in it for the long run. In his 30s, he went from running successful restaurants, to running marathons, to running across the United States. Now at 39, the pro endurance athlete and ultrarunner is running back his greatest challenge yet. Starting August 18, Balenger will be competing in Leadville 100, a grueling, high-altitude 100-mile race through extreme Rocky Mountain terrain.
Ahead of the race, Balenger turned to Lifeforce to take his training to new heights. In addition to his typical routine — which involves twice daily runs and speed drills — the athlete is now working closely with his Lifeforce team to implement a personalized health plan, including new supplements, cross training, dietary shifts, and sleep tracking. “I’m feeling really, really confident because I'm applying myself and I'm giving myself all these advantages that I've never had in the past like good data, guidelines of what to do, supplements, and weight training,” Balenger says. “Just so many things going for me that I've never utilized before.”
Balenger also has a new goal propelling him forward — living longer and stronger for his family. While longevity wasn’t on Balenger’s radar previously, his priorities have shifted now that he and his wife are expecting their first child. “I’m going to be a parent, and this health journey is about wanting to be the best version of that possible.”
He’s already got a head start. We sat down with Balenger to hear more about his running journey, how he maintains mental resilience, and the tools that are helping him go the distance.
What first inspired you to get into running?
I started running as a way to become more accountable to myself and the responsibilities that had come into my life. When I was 29, I was running some really successful restaurants [in Austin, Texas]. At the same time, I began dating a girl, who's now my wife, and I was partying really hard. She said, ‘Hey, there are other ways to deal with this stress,’ and she invited me to run. It was two-and-a-half miles and that was all I could do. And then, she unleashed the monster. I just kept going further and further. Eventually, I left the restaurants and pursued running as a more established part of my life.
Once you started running, what kept you coming back and adding miles?
I was always seeking to progress through distance. I ran the Philadelphia Marathon, and then my next race was a 50K, then a 50-miler. For me, running was a great place to process things. After I left the restaurants, as a form of contemplation about what I wanted to do next in life, I landed on running across the United States. Running has become a path to growth. I grow a lot amidst big runs and in the training that leads up to them.
What does your training routine look like now?
It's a huge contrast from a year ago. Previously, it was very simple. I would have said, ‘This week, I'm going to run 20 miles a day, every day,’ and I would just rely on that. In the last year though, everything has become more refined. I have a coach now, and with that, everything is very focused. Although I’m training for a 100-mile race, 50% of my time is put into track work like speed workouts that you would traditionally find in much shorter distances. My ethos is, ‘We know I can go the distance. Now, how can I get there faster?’
On the weekends, I do back-to-back really long runs and incorporate some cross-training with mountain biking. So this weekend I did a 22-mile run on Friday, a 25-mile mountain bike on Saturday, and then a 32-mile run on Sunday.
Do you incorporate strength training into your cross-training?
That's a huge new component as well. Previously, I almost felt as though strength training would take away from my running. But through an injury, I was forced into the gym. I messed up my ankle skiing and I couldn't run. I thought, ‘Well, here's the chance to create this habit that you've been putting off.’ I got in the gym and found that it progressed my running so much. It's incredible how much it's helped.
I also want to find more full fitness as I get older. I've got the heart. I've got the lungs. But if we don't have the muscle with which to operate in the world, you're going to get frail and deteriorate pretty quickly. I'm looking for longevity in this. Strength training is a vital part.
You’re training once again for the Leadville 100, one of the most grueling 100-mile races out there. What will success this time around look like for you?
I ran it in 2021, but it was the last part of a 63-day effort in the mountains. I called it the Colorado Crush. I ran the Leadville Marathon in June, the Leadville 50 in July, and the Leadville 100 in August. Between the marathon and the 50, I ran the Colorado trail, which was 485 miles, in 11 days. Between the 50 and 100, I summited all 58 peaks over 14,000 feet in Colorado. So when I lined up for the Leadville 100, I was tattered to say the least. I finished it in 27-and-a-half hours. This year, my thesis is, ‘OK, that was doing it under distress. What does it look like if I just prime everything for this one race? Can I see how far I can take it?’ My goal is to finish in less than 20 hours.
How do you maintain mental resilience through a challenge like that? What do you tap into when things get tough?
I've learned that's where the growth happens. Once you've had those experiences and you've learned so much from this, you're chasing that dragon. So when you meet the exhaustion, you invite it in. The more you do it, the more you become comfortable with the uncomfortable and that's really, I think, what I've done a good job of embracing.
On a more practical level, how I deal with it is to become very present. You can't really think about what's to come or what you've already done. All that matters is that quarter mile, and you just keep doing that.
How has your approach to training and overall wellness changed in the last decade?
Running has always been a very spiritual practice. It's a place for me to be introspective, and I'm leaning more into that side the older I get. Right now, I feel like I'm in a place where I'm really seeking these fundamental lessons.
Shelley, my wife, is expecting and this will be our first kid. Previously, longevity has not been on my radar. I've always thought, ‘I'm here for a good time, not for a long time.’ And now — as we've started to talk about having a family and it's becoming a reality — all of a sudden I'm like, ‘No, I want to hang around.’ If I'm going to have a child at 40, at 60 when they're 20, I still want to be able to be engaging with them and truly living my life. Staying accountable to fitness is a huge part of that.
Is that what inspired you to join Lifeforce?
Truly, for me, it was finally deciding to be accountable. I'll be honest, initially, the Lifescore [which calculates your biological age, quality of life, and longevity risk] intimidated me. I was like, ‘I don't know if I want to know that.’ It's almost revealing. And then, there's a point where I thought, ‘Well, I do want to be accountable to the person I am. And if I am putting in any effort into this thing, this thing that is running, why not give it 110%?’ And that means not hiding from anything and really starting to learn.
What is the most impactful thing you’ve learned as a Lifeforce member so far?
There's a lot of noise out there, especially with supplements. There are so many supplements to choose from. I have all the resources in the world to find out what's out there and what to use, but I was using none because it felt like a fool's errand if you don't have the data to back it up. So just hearing, ‘Hey, these are your markers. This is the list of things that will improve those’ has been super beneficial for me. I was so excited to start taking all the supplements because there’s something there to tell me, ‘This is what you need.’
And I have a health coach in my pocket, essentially. I can just text her at any time. To have a team of people that are clued into your specific needs is such a new and amazing part of the wellness healthcare culture. That didn't exist five years ago, so to get to take advantage of that feels like a privilege and really awesome.
Have you shifted your diet and lifestyle habits since starting with Lifeforce?
With my health coach, we started to look at my macros and track to make sure I'm hitting enough macros and enough calories. That has always been a huge issue of mine as I ramp back up training.
Also this year, there's a huge change in my whole approach. I was completely plant-based for five years. When I ran across the US, it was to create conversations about better food choices and promote the efficacy of a plant-based diet. I'd still say I'm very, very plant forward, but I found that animal protein is definitely something I need right now. And so, having all of this bloodwork and having the clinician and health coach to consult on that to really figure out where the balance is, I'm really, really stoked on that.
Take us through what you eat on a typical day.
We start every day around here with a smoothie with plant-based protein, frozen fruit, kale, and some greens like AG-1. One thing I'm learning through working with my health coach, Christina, is that early morning protein is really what my body needs. Before I was running fasted, but now as the miles are adding up, I’m realizing I need to get more in earlier. It also allows me to take supplements [like Vitamin D+K and Methylation] in the morning.
I usually have a three-egg sandwich after my run. And then, gym work and I’ll have a pretty hearty lunch. As of late, I have been incorporating meat, and it's been bison predominantly. So I'll have a bison burger two days a week. Animal protein is not in my diet every day. At dinner, we're really big on brown rice and legumes and veggies.
What does your recovery and sleep routine look like?
I sleep seven-and-a-half hours if everything is ideal, and I recently started using the WHOOP wearable to track my sleep. For a couple years now, I have been using a technology called NuCalm. Essentially, you put on headphones and an eye mask and it drops your brain into alpha theta waves. I'll do a NuCalm nap in the middle of the day, anywhere between 30 and 50 minutes. That helps my body to rest and digest all the things I put in that morning and then come back to the rest of my day pretty well-balanced and able to do life.
OK, now for some rapid-fire questions.
What’s the most intense challenge you’ve put yourself through?
Running across the United States.
One thing you won’t do?
An Ironman.
One food you can't live without?
Avocados.
The weirdest place you’ve ever slept?
An alley in Anchorage, Alaska. At 21, I quit college and decided to move to Alaska. I got there and didn't have enough money to get a hotel, and my bus didn't leave for eight hours. So I just slept in an alley in Anchorage while I waited for my bus to take me to Denali National Park.
Music or no music when you run?
For training, music. For actual events or races, no music.
What’s on your training playlist?
I'm all over the place, truly. It goes anywhere right now from Willie Nelson to Lil Baby.
What’s one thing that people mistakenly assume about ultra runners?
Probably that we’re running from something.
What are you running toward? What is your ultimate purpose for taking charge of your health?
I think my wife said it best one time when we were down in the bottom of the Grand Canyon, and she looked at me and said, ‘The reason I run is so that I can always do stuff like this when I want to.’ And so, it's like by taking care of yourself and optimizing, you get more out of life. The big thing is extracting the most out of life. And the more in tune I am with myself, the healthier I am, the more I can enjoy this pretty cool thing we get to do called life.
To follow Robbie’s journey, find him on Instagram at @robbiebalenger. And to start prioritizing your health and longevity, learn more about Lifeforce and join Robbie HERE.
Co-written with contributor Allie Baker.