Check out our interview with best selling author, entrepreneur & plant-based ULTRA endurance athlete Eli Wehbe. Pretty sure you already know Eli from his motivational IG stories about running, fitness and healthy lifestyle, but now, you can learn more about him in our exclusive interview.
Follow Eli @eliwehbe
Hi Eli, please tell us a little about you?
Author, entrepreneur & plant-based ULTRA endurance athlete.
Describe yourself in 3 words?
Resilient, Witty, Go-Getter
How did you get started into the entertainment business and of course into running and the healthy lifestyle?
Nightlife hospitality started for me around 17 years old & I continued to pursue that career climbing the ladder to the top from dirt scratch. I had always been into working out & running 2-3 miles here and there, then I got a challenge from a few notable faces and if you know anything about me, I don’t back down from anything. From there it turned into a long-life amazing journey. As for diet, I’ve been plant-based now for 4+ years that all started out for diet only, then it turned into a full lifestyle. (I dive heavily into all these topics in my new book/memoir MASK.)
How has this changed your life?
It put me on the path of living my truth & being able to be of service to others while doing what I love at the same damn time.
What is the best and worst part of the kind of running’s and training that you do daily?
Every day is just as difficult as the day before. No excuses though, I get up and get it done. You build the mental strength with the daily discipline from keeping that daily routine on point and you just understand what kind of suffering you’re in for. Physically it’s just as hard if you are running anywhere from 15-20+ miles a day back-to-back in the mountains with elevation & technical terrains. (I usually stick to running 80-100+ mile weeks when training for a race + a 60-minute core work out + ice plunge for recovery)
Do you ever get nervous before a long race?
I get super excited!
The most important thing when you are preparing for a race is?
Be in competition with nobody but yourself.
What’s your advice for the newer short and long distance runners?
You have to set a goal, be extremely disciplined & no matter what, stick to the f*cking plan!
Now tell us about your experience at the Black Canyon 100k race? That’s impressive! Congrats 🙂
haha well, shit, that race was BRUTAL, but BEAUTIFUL. I think about 200-300 people had dropped from the race, the heat was crushing people, the race was no joke & a lot of the terrain was super technical. You will have to take me out on a stretcher dying before I ever give up, that applies to every aspect of life. Always remember, you can never defeat a MF who never quits 🙂
How do you prepare for a very demanding competition like this?
Honestly, I was out for MONTHS with an injury, came back with 5 weeks of solid training on an injured foot somehow, decided to run 20 miles every other day and it got me in great shape for it. Everyone is different though, I’m a grinder, I like putting the daily work in, I feel super conditioned and ready for anything when I stay ready for it all!
And how do you recover after a long and hard race like Black Canyon?
Most of the time, I’m back at it in a day or two, this race I took off about 5 days from running, but still worked out daily, the grind does not stop ever for me.
Now talking about Social Media, can you share some tips for keeping your Instagram account interesting?
I believe you have to be of service to your followers, you have to listen to what they want and what they like, I do my best to motivate, inspire and keep people pushing no matter how shitty they think their current life situation is. I bounced back from the worst and if I was able to, you can too!
Tell us about your Amazon top seller and top rated book “MASK?” That’s amazing! Congrats
“Eli Wehbe lived at the white-hot center of Los Angeles nightlife. More than a decade of hustle, scramble, and hard work put him at the pinnacle of the life he always wanted: celebrity friends, beautiful women, fast cars, popularity – and plenty of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. He achieved his dream – and it left him empty. Then, a tragedy threatened to destroy him and everything he worked for.
In this raw, honest, and vulnerable memoir, one of America’s nightclub greats – a man who literally had his name in lights in Hollywood – shares his story and reveals the naked truth behind Los Angeles after dark. Riveting from first minute to last, Mask describes the backstabbing, insecurities, and hollowness that drive the nightclub business and the people within it.
After plunging to the depths of despair, Eli refused to give up, embarking on a profound journey of self-discovery and reinvention. Mask chronicles his ultimate odyssey from teen outcast to Hollywood mogul to extreme athletic achievement – an inspiring American story of creation, failure, and redemption.”
Now that you proved that being honest and telling you story has motivated a lot of readers, are you thinking in creating a new book or a podcast or something to continue motivating people around the world?
Most definitely! I will continue to use my platform to keep inspiring & motivating the world. I always say continue doing & being you, because you are inspiring people who pretend to not even see you. I knew if I could change one life by writing my story, that’s all that mattered to me in the entire process of making my story into a book. As for a podcast, crosses my mind daily! New book?? hmmm, “Mask OFF” 🙂
As a popular Influencer you are followed by so many people. How do you feel about that pressure of doing always the right thing, and encourage people to follow their dreams?
You must do you, no matter what anyone says. You must have crystal clear “tunnel vision” & stick to the MF’n plan! You must find the strength to maneuver through whatever bizarre adversity comes your way in this lifetime with strong resilience. Not giving a single f*ck about the opinions of others, is the first rule to being truly at peace with yourself. You must figure out what your greater purpose is in this life, how you can be of service to others, and more importantly being able to live your truth all at the same time.
What did you learn from your biggest failure?
No losses, only lessons. If you work hard enough, I promise you, you can come back from ANYTHING.. that light at the end of the tunnel is always there!
What would say are the greatest lessons you learned so far creating the book?
That you can do anything you put your mind to & I mean anything. I had no prior writing skills & never had even finished an entire book up until I started to write my story. I had the help of nobody and figured it out.
How would your best friend describe you?
Sarcastic Loving Asshole who wears his heart on his sleeve, but will do anything for those he loves 🙂
What book should every entrepreneur read?
“The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari” – Robin Sharma
What is your favorite healthy food?
Quinoa Bowls/Salads with tons of veggies, nuts, avocados, beans, etc.
And your favorite cheat food?
Anything plant-based pasta, pizzas, burgers, etc.
How would you explain your fashion style?
Does anyone have any black T’s?
What is your own definition of happiness?
When you are no longer in competition of winning or losing. Just concerned with truly being yourself & making a real impact/difference in the world.
Best advice ever given?
This answer could go on for days for me, but what popped in my mind this second was.. One day you will look back on any horrible life experiences you once believed were the end of the world for you and be grateful you went through every one of them.
Where do you see yourself and your career in 5 years from now?
I have some fun projects in the works so we will just have to see where this lovely life is going to take me 🙂
What do you think of Social Media?
Can be amazing or toxic, whatever you let it be, it’s going to be. You choose your content, you decide what you look at, so that’s really up to you.
Where we can follow you?
Right now I’m pretty much only using Instagram. @eliwehbe
Book: “Can’t Hurt Me” – David Goggins
Quote: “The more voluntary suffering you build into your life, the less involuntary suffering will affect your life.” – Tim Ferris
Movie: Gladiator
