Dylan Efron Told Us the Most Physically Demanding Thing He’s Ever Done—and It Had Us Reaching for Electrolytes
The Efron brothers (you know the ones) have always been outdoorsy. They grew up in Arroyo Grande/San Luis Obispo, California—a laid-back Central Coast town where downtime was plentiful and weekends were spent exploring outside, not hanging out at the mall. As they got older, both brothers leaned into adventure, but Dylan especially has carved out a name for himself as the more rugged, adrenaline-chasing spirit.
Just take a peek at his Instagram. Sure, there are some brand deals sprinkled in, but the feed is mostly shirtless shots (six-pack fully accounted for), deep-water soloing adventures with friends, boat days with his dog, and hikes with Cortizone-10 Itch Relief Cooling Spray in tow.
Efron has racked up countless extreme outdoor adventures around the world—trail running, mountain biking, rock climbing, and beyond—but he recently told Men’s Journal that the most physically demanding thing he’s ever done is training for and competing in Ironmans.
"It was when I was working at Warner Brothers, I think I liked the structure," he recalled. "Being in the office all day, I had to balance that out with just punishing myself. And so I was running to work, which is a nine-mile run. I'd bike home. I got really into triathlons, and I was pretty competitive."
If you’re at all familiar with Dylan’s background, then hearing he was dominating most of the triathlons he entered probably won’t surprise you. Before Hollywood and producing gigs came calling, Dylan was all in on the idea of going pro as a triathlete. He wasn’t just participating—he was winning. So much so, in fact, that one of his competitions put him around the top one percent of participants.
But it wasn’t without a serious cost to his body. Dylan recalls one of his first Ironmans where he literally coughed up blood—and for someone who’s been training hard his whole life, you know it had to be rough.
Still, he calls it one of the most rewarding experiences he’s ever had—pushing his body to the absolute limit and coming out stronger on the other side.