EP194 - He Died Surfing. 15 Months Later, He Finished the Moab 240 | Patrick Yalon

Patrick Yalon’s story is one of the wildest comeback stories we’ve had on Run the Riot.

In July 2024, Patrick went surfing at Ocean Beach in San Francisco. A freak accident drove his head into a sandbar, leaving him face-down in the water and completely unable to move.

His friend John eventually found him, pulled him from the water, and began CPR.

Patrick survived, but the road ahead looked completely different. His legs weren’t moving. He underwent a major spinal fusion surgery, spent weeks in rehabilitation, and was told that walking again would take a tremendous amount of work.

But Patrick had something sitting in the back of his mind:

The Moab 240.

It became what he calls his “North Star.”

His mantra became:

“If I can stand, I can start.”

Incredibly, just months after the accident, Patrick showed up at the starting line of Moab 240. Still recovering, still dealing with pain, and nowhere near fully rebuilt physically, he made it 144 miles before finally deciding that continuing could cause serious damage.

For most people, that would have been more than enough.

For Patrick, there was still unfinished business.