What are you dreaming of?
We routinely encourage our clients (and friends and family, for that matter!) to dream big and aim high, and we try to live true to our words: in his keynote addresses, Kenton talks about the high levels of personal ambition and drive that have led to his unrivalled success on Everest; our friend and ICC keynote speaker, Anna Hemmings describes the high levels of dedication and focus she needed to become World Champion in her sport, and translates this back to real-world leadership challenges; and all development initiatives facilitated by Jazz include high-performance as a central theme, on the understanding that with high-performance comes success.
However, we also often hear: “I really admire what that person has done, but I couldn’t possibly do it”, or “I’m not an elite athlete so I don’t know if this would work for me…”
This week, Hannah Cox has proven to the world that we do not need years of experience, or conditioning, or expertise to achieve an enormous goal. We simply need a clear purpose, a community of support, and a willingness to embrace uncertainty and the unknown.
Hannah Cox, aka Project Salt Run, has run 100 marathons in 100 days across India. She was following an old Inland Customs Line, a forgotten colonial route that was once used to control people, resources and wealth. She ran the route so that it could be reimagined as a symbol of change.
Hannah is a 41-year-old entrepreneur who, until October 2024, had never run a marathon. She is a passionate believer that we can achieve a peaceful, sustainable future, and she set herself this challenge to find out ‘what happens when ordinary people act with purpose’. Hannah set off from the UK in October 2025, knowing that she didn’t have enough money to complete the challenge, but believing that this would change.
She ran along dusty roads in the Indian heat and humidity, being met by her support crew at key points every day. She found an old bus that her and the crew slept in, ate in and worked in – conditions that not many of us could cope with for 5 days, let alone 100 days. She posted regular updates on social media and talked passionately about the environmental charities that she was raising funds for. And of course, she overcame endless challenges along the way – dehydration, stomach issues, injury, route changes, tiredness, dangerous roads, and more.
Not only did she keep putting one foot in front of the other, day after day, she was overwhelmed by the kindness of her support crew and the people of India who she met each day. She received numerous offers of food and drink, she ran alongside bare-footed children, and she was given places to stay. It is safe to say that she experienced true Indian hospitality and a culture of kindness.
We are so impressed with Hannah’s extraordinary achievement. She taught us that progress comes by showing up every day. She spoke regularly about her purpose, and it was clear that this was motivating and sustaining her throughout. One thing, above all, really stuck with us. Before she commenced this audacious challenge, Hannah said “I’m not afraid to fail, because the future is built by those who show up”.
Thank you Hannah!
If you would like to support Hannah’s chosen charities, you can do so here.
She was a guest on the Cool Conversations podcast in September, speaking about her ‘Why’. Listen here.
