As an ultramarathon runner, there’s one rule I always try to follow: “Nothing new on race day.” This means that during a race, I don’t try anything untested—no new gear, no new food, no new strategies. The reasoning behind this is simple: race day is the culmination of months of preparation, and the last thing I want is to face a major setback caused by a new piece of equipment, an untested nutrition plan, or an unfamiliar approach that I haven’t tried out on the trails. My ability to make it to the finish line of a 100km trail race depends on me sticking to what I know works and what I’ve practised time and time again.
Interestingly, I’ve found this rule has a direct parallel in the world of business – no big moves untested. Leaders should consider adopting a similar mindset when communicating new ideas, strategies, or products—especially when addressing broad audiences like employees, customers, or stakeholders. In business, “nothing new on presentation day” (or “nothing new in the boardroom”) should be an unspoken rule. This doesn’t mean you don’t try new things, it means that you should be iteratively testing your new things over and over again before ‘the race’.
One of the core reasons for the “nothing new on race day” rule is the risk of unexpected issues arising when trying something untested. In ultramarathons, new gear or clothes could mean chaffing or blisters, new foods could mean you’re doubled over beside the track heaving your guts up. Your training is not just about your fitness; it’s also about getting all the pieces of your race day strategy worked out – testing your shoe and sock combo, practising with your poles, and finding which gels sit well. You test it all on your lower stakes training runs so you have it all locked in come race day. Similarly if business leaders present untested ideas or strategies to a broad audience, there’s a significant risk that it could backfire if not tested.
Before going public with new ideas, it’s critical to test them on a smaller scale. This is particularly important for new initiatives that could impact employees, customers, or the company’s bottom line. Just as I test a new nutrition plan on training runs, business leaders should test new strategies through experiments, pilot programs, or small-scale trials – even if small and informal. Testing and getting feedback helps uncover potential flaws, identify areas for improvement, and assess whether the approach will resonate with the target audience. If something goes wrong in a controlled, smaller setting, it’s much easier to address it before the concept is rolled out on a larger, high-stakes stage.
Another reason I follow the “nothing new on race day” rule is that when I step into a race, I need to know exactly how my body will respond to the food, gear, and routines I’ve been practising—I need to know what to expect. I don’t want to be distracted by surprises or burn cognitive load second-guessing myself—that stuff should be on auto-pilot so my mind can be focused on surviving the ‘pain cave’.
Same goes for leaders. Presenting something too new or untested can create uncertainty and undermine confidence in the leader’s judgment or performance. If you don’t know your message well its hard to deliver it with confidence.
Sidenote: Visual storytelling can play a key role here as well. The right visual can quickly establish credibility and clarify complex ideas, making them more predictable and easier to understand. For example, a visual timeline or roadmap can help stakeholders see the logical progression of a new initiative, reassuring them that it’s been well-thought-out and tested. But I digress.
In ultramarathons, there’s always the possibility of something unexpected happening—whether it’s bad weather, an injury, or hitting the wall. But the more I determine my tried-and-tested methods during training, the more I’m able to mitigate those risks when it matters. I know how my body reacts to specific foods, what gear will keep me comfortable for hours on end (or not), and which mental techniques will help me stay focused and motivated. I did complete the last few kilometres of one race by repeating the mantra ‘left foot, right, left foot, right foot’. By preparing in advance, I reduce the chances of facing unmanageable surprises on race day and I stay mentally strong because I know I have risk mitigation strategies in my back pocket. I’ve heard many people describe ultramarathon running as just a series of small problems to be solved over a long distance. The more of those potential problems you can predict, the better.
Similarly, business leaders must understand that every decision carries some level of risk, and risks need to be carefully managed through smaller-scale testing ahead of time. Business leaders who fail to test before communicating broadly are essentially gambling with their company’s reputation, customer trust, and financial stability.
Trust is a cornerstone of both ultramarathon running and business leadership. As a runner, my crew trusts that I will stick to what’s worked during our training—because we’ve proven together what I can handle in the field. The same is true for business. Employees, investors, and customers need to trust that the ideas and strategies presented by the leadership are backed by solid research, testing, and experience.
When a leader communicates a new idea without first testing it, they risk damaging that trust. If the untested idea doesn’t perform as expected, it can lead to disappointment, frustration, and even loss of confidence in leadership. However, when a leader communicates something that has been tried and tested, it demonstrates a commitment to reliability and quality.
In both ultramarathon running and business, success is built on careful preparation and testing, consistency, and the ability to manage risk effectively on the move. As an ultramarathon runner, the “nothing new on race day” rule keeps me grounded and helps me avoid unnecessary surprises. Similarly, for business leaders, the key to success is to test ideas, ensure reliability, and only present what has been proven in smaller-scale environments.
