Richard Bowles


Richard Bowles Director of Richard Bowles L+D is an Awarded International Educator, Speaker and Multi-Record Adventurer. Rated in the Top 25 APAC speakers. He undertakes risky adventure experiments; analyse those experiences in-depth, leverages them with neuroscience and psychology, and designs development programs that build the capabilities required to face the challenges of the modern world. His work educates leaders and teams worldwide; transforming people, careers and organisations.
As an adventurer, Bowles voluntarily puts himself through countless extreme experiences and stressful situations as a “giant life experiment" to learn more about what is required to overcome challenges among the chaos. Having survived volcano eruptions, crocodile-infested rivers, life-threatening foot infections, desert warfare and shotgun-wielding lunatics, he engineers his accomplishments in volatile, unpredictable and complex situations into real business success - think extreme adventures colliding with forward-thinking business acumen.
In 2012, Bowles became the first person to run Australia’s Bicentennial National Trail. Running from Healesville, Victoria to Cooktown, Queensland, he covered 5,330 km in five months.
Only two weeks after completing the BNT, Bowles ran New Zealand's Te Araroa Trail, at 3,054km becoming the first person to complete it.
In 2013 Bowles ran the Israel National Trail, covering its 1,009 km length in 13 days after a life-threatening foot infection delayed his original plan of 12 days.
Later that year, he became the first person to run an exploding volcano, Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra, after covering 800km from the east of the island to its west.
In 2014 Bowles completed South Australia's 1,200 km Heysen Trail, averaging 85 km a day in 14 days, smashing the previous 25-day record.
In 2017 Dr Ricardo Costa of Monash University approached Bowles about testing his endurance fitness. Bowles ran 50 km a day for a week on a treadmill in a 32 °C climate-controlled tent, while carrying 12 kg. This was to replicate multi-stage races and the nutrition requirements needed in desert environments.

Other adventure achievements