What Jess McClain taught us about fun
Work Hard, Play Hard, Have Fun
The Mindset Shift: Work Hard, Play Hard, Have Fun
Most leaders treat hard work and fun as inversely related. That having one means sacrificing the other. We assume that if a team is laughing, joking, and just having an absolute blast, than they aren’t giving their best. In the same way, we think that if we want to be elite, than we have to submit to the grind, a lonely and grueling journey.
In reality, finding and having joy in the midst of your grind, isn’t an alternative to hard work, it is actually the result of it.
The Sideline Story: Jess McClain’s Runcation
In the world of elite marathon running, the standard lifestyle of the professionals involves running, fueling, napping in recovery boots, and obsessing over splits. Jess McClain, the top American female finisher at the 2026 Boston Marathon, is proving that the fastest way to the finish line might just be to actually enjoy the ride.
Now, she credits her record-breaking success to what she labeled her “runcation” mentality. Even after a devastating pacer error cost her a national title in Atlanta earlier this year, she didn’t spiral. She felt the frustration, pursued the actions she could control, and while doingthatthen went back to her “other buckets”—her dog rescue work, her husband, and her community. By keeping it fun and maintaining a life that exists in addition to running rather than instead of it, she’s found a gear that the specialists can’t seem to touch.
Earlier in her career, she was all about that hustle and finding glory in the grind. Spending race weekends sitting in dark hotel rooms with her legs in a recovery apparatus and obsessing over every detail of the training that led up to this and what would be at race time. The results she got were injuries, burnout and plateaued results. So she took a break. Pursued a career in marketing and then came back to running as an “amateur” running on her own time and way.
Since returning to the sport with a mission to keep it fun, she has hit her stride; running career-best finishes and times, including this past weekend in Boston. She credits her success to what she labeled her “runcation” mentality. Even after a devastating pacer error cost her a national title in Atlanta earlier this year, she didn’t spiral. She felt the frustration, pursued the actions she could control regarding the race, and while doing that went back to her dog rescue work, her husband, and her community. In building a life that exists in addition to her sport rather than instead of it, she has found that the harder she works, the more fun she has. And the faster she runs.
3 Actionable Insights
1. Fun isn’t just a reward, its part of the process
Most leaders unintentionally create an environment where work feels serious and celebrations come at the end of an outcome, or even at monthly birthdays- if at all. That leads to tension, not excellence. We need to recognize that our best work comes when everyone is engaged, relaxed, and able to be themselves.
Action: Bring the enjoyment alongside the work, not after it is done. Fun and Intensity aren’t mutually exclusive. Put on some music, add some humor, laugh!
2. Control the controllable’s in a setback
After the egregious pacer error in Atlanta, McClain didn't spiral out of control in part because she controlled the controllable’s and let the rest go. Leaders often get bogged down by market shifts or corporate pivots they can’t change, which sucks the fun out of the work and breeds resentment, and takes up valuable energy.
Action: After a project failure, set back, or missed goal, give the team 10 minutes to voice frustrations, feel the feelings, and then shift the focus to what is actually in your control, and the actions you will take.
3. Leading doesn’t always mean you push, sometimes you need to pull
When teams underperform, most leaders instinctively hold tighter and ask for more. More accountability, more process, more pressure, more control. They double down on the very conditions that are already wearing people down. Adding more pressure on a drained team doesn’t produce better results. Sometimes the most strategic move a leader can make is to loosen the grip, reconnect people to the meaning behind the work, and create some space
Action: The next time your team hits a wall, resist the instinct to add more pressure. Instead, get a pulse on the energy and joy levels on your team, maybe a break is just what they need.
Final Thoughts
We often think that if we work more, hustle and grind, we will achieve more. If you truly want an elite team for the long term, its not feasible that they sacrifice their entire lives for the work. The teams that can find the joy in the performance are the ones that will get the best results, and reach their own personal best.