EP194 - He Died Surfing. 15 Months Later, He Finished the Moab 240 | Patrick Yalon

Patrick Yalon’s story is one of the wildest comeback stories we’ve had on Run the Riot.

In July 2024, Patrick went surfing at Ocean Beach in San Francisco. A freak accident drove his head into a sandbar, leaving him face-down in the water and completely unable to move.

His friend John eventually found him, pulled him from the water, and began CPR.

Patrick survived, but the road ahead looked completely different. His legs weren’t moving. He underwent a major spinal fusion surgery, spent weeks in rehabilitation, and was told that walking again would take a tremendous amount of work.

But Patrick had something sitting in the back of his mind:

The Moab 240.

It became what he calls his “North Star.”

His mantra became:

“If I can stand, I can start.”

Incredibly, just months after the accident, Patrick showed up at the starting line of Moab 240. Still recovering, still dealing with pain, and nowhere near fully rebuilt physically, he made it 144 miles before finally deciding that continuing could cause serious damage.

For most people, that would have been more than enough.

For Patrick, there was still unfinished business.

He returned the following year—15 months to the day after his accident—and faced brutal rain, mud, lightning, damaged feet, exhaustion, and everything else a 240-mile race can throw at you.

This time, he finished.

And there was an incredible full-circle moment waiting for him: John—the same friend who had pulled Patrick from the water and helped save his life—joined him for the final 40 miles to the finish.

In this conversation, Patrick and I talk about much more than ultrarunning. We talk about gratitude, faith, resilience, recovery, purpose, suffering, and what happens when life forces you to discover what you're actually made of.

Patrick also shares the book he has written about his experience, his continued recovery, and why he now thinks of the years since his accident as his “second life.”

In this episode:

How Patrick went from rugby and surfing to ultrarunning

Why he jumped from shorter ultras straight toward Moab 240

The surfing accident that nearly took his life

Realizing he was paralyzed while face-down in the ocean

The friend who found him and performed CPR

Spinal fusion surgery and learning to move again

The tiny movement of his big toe that changed his mindset

Why “If I can stand, I can start” became his mantra

Showing up for Moab only months after his accident

Making it 144 miles during that first attempt

Why he knew he needed to go back

Rebuilding himself physically and mentally in Thailand

Returning to Moab 15 months after the accident

Surviving brutal storms, rain, mud, and lightning

The emotional moment when he yelled, “I’m still here”

Finishing the final 40 miles with the man who saved his life

Gratitude as a tool for getting through suffering

His upcoming Tahoe 200

The book he has written about his story

What it means to make the most of a “second life”

Follow Patrick

Instagram: @bodiezepha415

You can also find Patrick Yalon on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Run the Riot

If you're working toward your first ultramarathon—or your farthest one yet—make sure you're subscribed to Run the Riot for more conversations about ultrarunning, mindset, training, and doing hard things.

Episode Sponsor — Mount to Coast

I’ve been putting miles into the Mount to Coast R1 road shoe and T1 trail shoe and have been impressed with their comfort and durability for endurance training.

Use code RIOT10 to save 10% on your order.