Eleven Countries, Thousands of Kilometers, One Question: Who Am I Really?

This summer, a man will lace up his sneakers and embark on an extraordinary human and athletic adventure across all of Southeast Asia. His name: Steven Kittirath. His project: the Sabaïdi Run.

Steven Kittirath

There are projects born from a desire for records. And then there are those born from a wound, a void, a question left unanswered. The Sabaïdi Run belongs to the second category.

Through his media outlet Sabaïdi, and now with the Sabaïdi Run, Steven Kittirath tells a story: that of the invisible links between cultures, the roots we carry within us, and the paths we take to rediscover them. An ambitious program for this Franco-Laotian explorer, who is far from his first attempt.

A Man with a Thousand Lives

Before the Sabaïdi Run, there is Steven K. Content creator, documentarian, speaker, author — Steven Kittirath is the founder of Sabaïdi, the first Francophone Laotian podcast, Guinness World Record holder for the longest interview in an ice bath, and director of the documentary Panache, awarded in Rome in the Human Behavior category. An eclectic resume for a man who seems incapable of staying still.

He launched his media outlet in 2016, gave his first TEDx at the Palais des Congrès in La Baule in front of 500 people, organized a conference at the Grand Rex with an alligator on stage, and self-published his first book, Chemins, la forge de soi (Paths, the Forging of Self). Behind this extreme CV, one constant: the quest for meaning, with Laos as the guiding thread.

"Sabaïdi" — More Than a Greeting

Sabaïdi (ສະບາຍດີ): it's "hello" in Laotian, but it's also a way of being. A philosophy of gentleness, connection, and presence to others. It's this word that Steven chose to name his podcast, and then this running project, which for him represents far more than a sports performance.

The Sabaïdi Run is about running across 11 Southeast Asian countries to connect people, stories, cultures, and emotions. In a world where everything moves fast, Steven chooses to slow down to feel, meet, and share. A nearly counter-cultural statement in an era of timed ultra-trails and GoPro-filmed feats.

August 2026: Heading to Indonesia

The project will officially begin in August, with the first destination: Indonesia. From there, Steven will progressively traverse the eleven nations of the region — from Myanmar to Malaysia, Vietnam to the Philippines — carrying with him a microphone, a camera, and the conviction that every kilometer run on foot is an invitation to dialogue.

For the Sabaïdi Run is not just about chaining stages.It's a transmedia project, a living collection of stories. At every stop, encounters. At every border crossed, a new layer of Asian identity laid bare. Asia is for him an infinite source of stories, symbols, and creative forces.

The Forging of Self, Running Edition

What stands out in Steven Kittirath's journey is its coherence. On September 27, 2025, he had already run 58 km in 13 hours at the Chamonix stadium, over 1,200 meters altitude, after just two months of training. A dress rehearsal as much as proof of feasibility — and mindset.

Behind these projects, there is also a full-time job in parallel, doubts, highs and lows, and tougher moments. A marathon more than a sprint, in his own words. This honesty, this way of not glossing over the adventure, is perhaps what makes the man so endearing.

A Second Book, a Festival, and a Full Future

The Sabaïdi Run fits into a particularly packed year. A second book, this time traditionally published, will come out at the end of 2026. And the Asian Pop Culture Festival, whose first edition will take place on May 30 and 31, 2026, at Paris Montreuil Expo, will also benefit from the energy of this project.

Steven Kittirath is not just a runner. He is a keeper of memory, a bridge-builder between a France he inhabits and a Laos he carries. The Sabaïdi Run is its most physical, most visceral manifestation.

Sabaïdi Run — Follow the Adventure on sabaidi-run.com