The Swift Fit 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, and found myself logging regular miles along the Charles River in Boston, one of America’s most storied running cities. At 19, I signed up for my first marathon. That single race sparked a lifelong obsession, which has since led me to complete more than 45 marathons, 20+ triathlons, and an Ironman.

In true entrepreneurial fashion, I piggybacked off my newfound hobby to start a side hustle as a running tour guide. I led locals, tourists and complete strangers on 5K runs through the streets of Boston, sharing stories about its history, neighborhoods and culture. It was the perfect side job, and one in which I learned my first lessons in the power of human connection as I watched complete strangers develop real relationships over the course of our runs.

In 2012, I moved to Austin to work in tech sales, eventually landing in fintech and banking. As my career progressed, my lifestyle faltered. Business travel quickly became a never-ending cycle of flying into a new city, drinking with clients, waking up hungover, sitting under fluorescent lights all day, and heading back to the hotel bar to do it all over again.

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.

At the same time, my running side hustle was not only still going strong in Austin — there was demand for it to grow.

I went from organizing runs for mostly locals and tourists to working with major companies to facilitate social runs for conferences, happy hours, and company-wide events. Soon, they also wanted yoga classes, meditation sessions, breathwork, volunteer experiences, and team-building programs.

At the same time that I was experiencing major companies asking for healthier alternatives to the traditional happy hour, my own industry was spending millions of dollars on entertainment and events that left people feeling worse instead of better.

That's when it clicked.

What if even a small portion of those billion dollar budgets could be redirected toward experiences that actually improved people’s health, relationships or well-being?

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

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 to elevate their culture is never easy, but we’re still growing, learning and building toward the future that we deserve. And I’m still running.

Lee Ackerley, Swift Fit Events Founder & CEO