Fear to Freedom: How Rich Soares Found His Path Through Endurance Sports

Fear has a way of stopping us in our tracks but also be the first step to a freedom we didn’t know could exist. When the high school track coach approached Rich Soares in 1984 with an invitation to join the team, Rich declined. “I think I was afraid of putting myself out there and failing,” he recalls. Little did he know that this moment of hesitation would later contrast sharply with his future as a five-time Ironman finisher, coach, and leader in the endurance sports community.

Finding Running as an Escape

For young Rich, running initially served as a solitary pursuit – a way to cope with family challenges and find personal space. “My parents got divorced when I was 10… I just needed space,” Rich shares. This early connection with running, though private and protective, planted seeds that would later bloom into something much bigger.

Through college and into his early career, Rich’s relationship with running remained sporadic. As he entered the consulting world, late client dinners and frequent travel began taking their toll. It wasn’t until his mid-30s when a doctor’s warning became the wake-up call he needed.

A Doctor’s Warning Sparks Change

“Every number is going in the wrong direction,” his doctor told him. “Cholesterol is going in the wrong direction, BMI is going in the wrong direction, weight’s going in the wrong direction.” This stark reality check prompted Rich to make significant changes, starting with finding a local job in Denver that wouldn’t require constant travel.

His return to fitness began modestly – with a single mile. “That’s all I was capable of doing,” Rich admits. “I got done with that one mile pretty beat up. But I thought, I’m going to go out tomorrow and I’m going to do it again.”

Taking the Leap into Marathon Training

As his endurance improved, Rich found himself on a registration page for the inaugural Denver Marathon in 2006. Faced with two options – the half marathon or full marathon – Rich made an uncharacteristically bold choice. “I’m doing this. This is happening,” he remembers thinking as he registered for the full marathon. The fear from high school came to be a freedom, for Rich, when he pressed that registration button.

This decision is a significant shift from Rich’s typical mindset. “Based on my previous experience with running and my trial with running, not being a big enough risk taker to join the track team and do it privately… I think maybe at the point where I was picking it up again, I was in more of a growth mindset and I was trying to change.”

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The First Triathlon: A New Beginning

While training for the marathon, Rich discovered the complementary benefits of swimming and cycling. Armed with a 50-pound mountain bike and basic swimming skills, he spotted a sign advertising a local sprint triathlon. “I’m already doing this,” he thought. “I can do 10 laps in the pool. I’m training for a marathon. I’ve got a bike, I could do this.”

His first triathlon experience proved transformative, particularly during the bike portion. After renting a road bike for the race, Rich found himself amazed by the difference. “It was like going from a Jeep to a Corvette in my mind,” he says. His enthusiasm was so evident that immediately after the race, he told his wife, “I have to buy a road bike.”

Building a Community Through Shared Experiences

Rich’s journey from participant to community leader began after completing five Ironman races. In 2016, he launched the Mile High Endurance Podcast (later rebranded to 303 Endurance), driven by a desire to share knowledge and experiences with other athletes.

The transition to coaching came unexpectedly when a podcast listener reached out for guidance. “I actually was a little taken back,” Rich admits. He agreed on one condition – that he would first get certified. After completing his USAT Level 1 certification in 2017, Rich found his true calling in helping others achieve their goals.

Creating Lasting Impact

Today, as the owner of 303 Triathlon, Rich continues to build and nurture the endurance sports community in Colorado. His approach focuses on education and connection, offering consistent weekly podcasts and monthly webinars featuring local experts and athletes.

“Education is empowering,” Rich explains, “and just having a community, a place where people can come and we can engage them is so important.”

Looking back on his journey from that first mile to where he is today, Rich reflects on the power of gradual change: “It seems like it happens so slowly when it unfolds… you just don’t even realize that the change has happened until you look back.”

His advice to others contemplating their own fitness journey? “Lean into it and find the habits that work for you to keep going in the right direction. Those habits, those daily habits that move the ball, it’s a game of inches every day, moving the ball forward every single day. It’s not just on Super Bowl Sunday, it’s every single day.”

If you have a fear of taking that first step, do it anyway and find freedom along the path. Fear doesn’t have to stop you. Instead, use it as way to launch yourself forward. Take the risk and bet on yourself. Before you know it, you’re crossing finish lines in life that you once thought were impossible to achieve.

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