Interview by Joana Melo, photo by Judy Zhou

Adrian Li is a British-born Chinese with a degree in Economics from Cambridge University. After working for JPMorgan he came to Beijing in 2006 and sold his first company, Idapted, and is now CEO and co-founder of airizu.com, a short term rental website for private accommodations. Agenda spoke with Adrian and he gave some insight on how he thinks his sports training has helped him get ahead in business.

Have you always been into sports?

I had exercise instilled in me in the early days of my education in England. While at school I had the opportunity to participate in many sports, particularly Judo, which I competed in for London in the UK University Nationals and won gold for the sub 63KG category. But after graduating I found it more difficult to schedule team sports versus individual sports such as running, so I’ve gradually gotten into endurance sports. I’ve since completed five marathons – a 70.3 Half Ironman and several Olympic distance triathlons.

How have sports been a vital part of your professional life, and how has that crossed over into your personal life?

I’ve always found sports and exercise to be a key part of my professional and personal life. In my business, exercise has been a great way to bond with my team. The process of training and working together in a sports context is just as powerful as any teambuilding exercise and has the added benefit of promoting your health and fitness. For example, we recently had around 30 or so of my team take part in the Beijing Nike 10K run in the blistering winter cold.

Exercise is also an important time for me to de-stress from work. Last year I took up Muay Thai, which has proven to be one of the toughest 60 minute work outs I’ve ever done. After a Muay Thai session I can emerge in a Zen-like condition, even after the most stressful day at work. However I also use my long runs as a way to reflect on all aspects of my business and oftentimes some of my best ideas come from a three hour run around Chaoyang Park.

It’s probably not surprising then that sport has crossed into many aspects of my personal life. I’m running the Hong Kong marathon this year with four of my good friends and my preferred holidays usually involve snowboarding, scuba diving or mountain climbing.

Do you find that people bond differently over sports?

I think people can bond over sports in the same way as any shared interest. However sports can have the added benefit of people working together towards a shared goal, while also contributing to their overall health. When I trained for my 2009 Hainan 70.3 Ironman I did so with a former colleague who, to this day, I share a special bond with because of the painful training that we had to endure together.

What are the top five professional things you’ve learned from doing sports?

I’ve learned goal setting, planning, measurement, teamwork and commitment – as with starting a successful business, completing a sporting event requires all these key components. Last year a group of ten of my friends set the goal of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, which is 5,985m high, in August. The trip required a lot of planning and coordination, especially as we were flying in from five different countries for the challenge. We shared equipment lists, training plans, progress and travel schedules to ensure we arrived totally prepared for the climb – as a result we had a 100% summit success, versus the park average of around 30 percent.

In business, you need key performance indicators (KPIs) to know how your business is performing – exercise training needs similar indicators to know how you are improving. I’m fanatical about measuring my run training. I log all my runs using Run Keeper on my iPhone and track my speed, cadence and heart rate using a polar watch and footpod. Finally, as in business, some sports are dependent on the functions of a complete team and its commitment to success.

What are the best sports for aspiring business people, especially if they want to connect with people?

Golf has often been cited as a great business sports because it requires you to make many decisions over the course of a four-hour, 18-hole game. It also tests how people deal with frustrations – hitting a bad shot can reflect on how one does business. Taking up golf may be a worthwhile investment if you can afford the time. On the whole I’ve found that many successful business people also take the time to do some kind of sport or exercise. I think this is because they apply their work ethic and thirst for success to not only their business, but also to all aspects of their lives. So I think it is best to do whichever sport you’re drawn to – you’re bound to meet people.

What are your favorite entrepreneurial books?

My favorite entrepreneurial books include The Rockerfeller Habits by Verne Harnish, which talks about how to set strategy and align your organization to it; Switch by Chip Heath which discusses how to create organizational change; and most recently, Steve Job’s biography.

What are your favorite places to exercise, or to hang out afterwards?

My favorite places to run include Sunlin Park north of the Birds Nest stadium where you can run without having to dodge traffic and people. They have even marked out three, five and ten km trails. I also like running around Chaoyang Park when I’m doing shorter distances.