Lee Ackerley, Founder Story

I've always loved running.

Growing up, I was the "fast kid" who was always looking for one more lap. But in Texas, football is king. By high school, Friday night lights replaced track practice, and I traded running shoes for shoulder pads as a 230-pound offensive lineman.

It wasn't until college that I rediscovered my passion for running. Without football, I needed a new athletic outlet, so at 19 I signed up for my first marathon. That single race sparked a lifelong obsession — one that has since led to more than 45 marathons, 20+ triathlons, and an Ironman.

Along with a passion for distance running, I discovered a genuine secret to life: find what you love and charge for it.

Find what you love, and charge for it

Which is when I became a running tour guide, leading locals, tourists, and complete strangers on 5Ks through the city while sharing stories about its history, neighborhoods, music, and breweries. It was the perfect side hustle.

I watched people who were skittish, nervous, and had never met become fast friends by the end of our running tour and watched relationships develop in settings that had no alcohol.

Same tours, same magic

In 2012, I moved to Austin to work in tech and also started Austin running tours as a weekend side hustle. Same tours. Same magic. Same proof that people are craving in-person experiences and connection.

At the same time, my "real career" was taking me in a completely different direction. I started in tech sales, worked for startups, and eventually landed in fintech and banking.

The other side of success

As my salary went up, my lifestyle went down. Business travel quickly became a never-ending cycle: fly into a new city, drop my bags at the hotel, spend the evening drinking with clients trying to get contracts signed, wake up exhausted with a hangover, sit under fluorescent lights all day eating banquet food, then head back to the hotel bar and do it all over again. Every conference felt the same. It was Groundhog Day — with more alcohol, more pressure, and less purpose, and always flying back home 20 pounds heavier with a hangover.

I was still in my twenties, but my body felt decades older. Around me, I watched people who had spent 20 or 30 years in the industry living this same lifestyle. Stress, burnout, heavy drinking, pills, and unhealthy habits had become part of the culture, and I wasn't immune to it myself. It felt like a slow death — a status quo that no one seemed to question. That's when I realized I didn't want that life for myself, and more importantly, I didn't want it for anyone else.

"Can you also do yoga?"

Over the next few years, my little running-tour side hustle began to evolve. Companies started calling me to organize social runs for their employees for conferences, happy hours, and company-wide events. Before long, they weren't just asking for a run — they wanted yoga classes, meditation sessions, breathwork, volunteer experiences, and team-building programs.

Every conversation sounded the same:

My answer was always the same:

At the same time that companies were asking for healthier alternatives to the traditional happy hour, I was watching millions of dollars being spent on conferences, entertainment, and events that often left people feeling worse instead of better. Very little of those budgets were invested in experiences that actually improved people's health, relationships, or well-being.

I realized this wasn't just a side hustle anymore — it was a real business opportunity and a chance to help change corporate culture.

Founding Swift Fit Events

I went all in and founded Swift Fit Events, betting that the future of work would prioritize wellness, human connection, and meaningful experiences over excess. I believed companies wanted a better way to bring people together because I had lived both sides of that equation myself.

Getting people to change their habits and companies their culture is never easy, but we're still growing, learning, and building toward the future that we deserve.

And I'm still running.