zero.performance

nurturing the human need for progress

Yesterday evening we gathered for the first time with a group of 10 people to launch zero.performance.

We are starting off with 10 runners but are aiming to have 24 runners in total, made up of 12 women and 12 men. We also want to have at least two people at all times who have more or less the same level of performance, so that no one ends up doing their long runs and interval sessions alone.

This team is a performance-oriented group which will represent Kilometre Zero in the competitive running world. It will focus on distances such as 5k, 10k, 21k and 42k. These races are open to everyone who signs up but zero.performance shows up at these races as individual athletes, part of a team.

Also part of the team are physiotherapists, a coach, and a dietician, for now. The coach is necessary of course but the other two roles appeared a little by chance since some runners practice these jobs outside of running. These coincidences will be, we believe, a big strength for this team and not something most amateurs have easy access to.

All athletes in the team will have similar race goals and train together twice a week, minimum once a week. They will also be wearing the Kilometre Zero colours and embody the Kilometre Zero values. The 10 founding athletes were selected based on these values and, as I will describe later, their internal desire for progress.

Behind the existence of zero.performance is a strong belief that performance matters and that participating isn’t everything, whether that’s in sports or in life. In fact, sport is a great learning ground where we can practice what it takes to perform and then take these learnings and apply them in the real world.

We believe that performance is an important decision we can make. It means that we bring our best to the table, every time. And in the context of zero.performance, to perform is to give our best to improve, and help the team improve. As long as we do that, we are doing the right thing. If at the end the outcome is still not what we wanted that’s fine and a learning lesson we take with us to progress further. This is how we improve performance.

Performance also implies courage because to improve, to push back our limits, we must face pain and fears and overcome them. Practicing being courageous will allow us to perform better in every other area of our lives. Ultimately, it will improve how much we can show up in life for others and for ourselves. It will allow us to give more of ourselves to whatever the other things are that we are doing.

Without performance there wouldn’t be progress. A zero.performance athlete is someone who feels a deep need and determination to progress. We believe that zero.performance will nurture this need. Doing so successfully will “shape” people who are better prepared to create meaningful progress in the real world.

The need for progress is also what will keep us going when we have to suffer and be courageous during hard workouts. If what drives us are our insecurities, Strava stats, Instagram likes, bragging rights, or anything similar, we won’t last. But most importantly, we will be worthless, when it really matters, and for the people who need us.

That’s all I have to say about zero.performance for now. I will leave you with a quote from Caleb Olson, the winner of the 2025 edition of the Western States 100. He’s an incredible athlete and a very articulate writer.

“Trail running is a privileged thing to be able to do. We don’t need to go make ourselves suffer, covering these long distances as fast as possible. If we’re choosing to spend our time and resources doing this, it likely means other parts of our lives are pretty good. If you’re like me, you might already have everything you truly need. In theory, it should be easy to sit back and enjoy that. In reality, that feels like such an unproductive, meaningless way to live. It’s like in a race: if you’re not moving forward, you’re being caught. Sink or swim. It’s not even about others catching up, it’s about needing to feel internal progress. Maybe that’s a superpower that allows athletes to push limits, or scientists to expand human knowledge, or entrepreneurs to grow businesses.”