The Hard Way: The Greatest Endurance Story Ever Told
If you want clear, unfiltered advice on how to live smarter, get fitter faster and overcome life’s challenges, you're in the right place – The Hard Way.
In this edition, Joe shares:
- The forgotten family motto behind a great endurance feat
- Why Spartans across six countries are uniting this weekend
- Whether suffering with purpose still works
Joe De Sena here, writing from New York this week. I’ve been reading about Ernest Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition again, and one line from his family crest stopped me cold: Fortitudine Vincimus — “By endurance we conquer.” That wasn’t marketing. That was how they lived. Shackleton didn’t flinch in the face of cold, hunger, or isolation. He didn’t ask for guarantees, and chose to move forward regardless.
It reminded me of you.
We’re in the middle of May’s “Push Harder” campaign, and this weekend Spartans from Australia, Italy, Mexico, Japan, the Netherlands, and Slovakia will prove what Push Harder really means. From the heat of Queensland to the cliffs of the Italian coast, from muddy hills in Mexico to the highland forests of Chiba and wind-whipped beaches in Zandvoort, races are happening in every time zone. None of them care how you feel when you show up.
You either move, or you don’t.
That’s the thing most people forget. Suffering isn’t the side effect, it’s the method. Shackleton understood that. Since him, the world has softened, but the mountain, trail, and weight hasn’t. What’s changed is the standard we’re willing to accept.
“Difficulties are just things to overcome, after all.”
You Ask, Joe Answers
Q: “Joe, how do you know when you’ve pushed hard enough?” — Maria T.
A: "You don’t always know. But if you’ve got anything left, you haven’t pushed hard enough." — Joe
Do you want to reclaim that standard? Start here.
Join the Spartan Run Club and train with people who don’t wait for perfect conditions. Hit this week’s beginner-friendly workout designed as a classic strength and conditioning smackdown. And if you’ve already earned it, wear it. The enduring gear is there—but it means more if you bled for it first.
If you want more of these real conversations about discomfort, mindset, and what it takes to push through, check out my Hard Way Podcast. I’ve been sharing a lot of thoughts there lately, along with some amazing guests who know what it means to suffer with purpose.
Shackleton didn’t ask for comfort, and neither should you.
Hurry up.
Joe
