What running 270km taught me about leadership, life & identity
Sometime at the end of 2025 a big idea started to percolate in my head- to run the Great North Walk from Sydney- Newcastle. 270km on trails I’d never ran before, elevation gain of more than Mount Everest- and I wanted to do this with the support of my husband and not an organised event.
Part of this was the appeal for me. I’ve run a 100km race before, cycled across a continent, done an Ironman and many marathons and ultramarathons- all with the knowledge that there will be aid stations and medics and clear signage and mostly accessible support. This trail, on the other hand had long areas with no 2WD access, no phone coverage and limited access to shops or supplies. Not to mention the long stretches without seeing even a single day walker. In 2026, my year of unleashing my potential, it seemed appropriate for me to try and find my running edge. I was looking forward to stepping into the unknown. And, let’s be honest, having nothing to do each day except run, eat and do my best to recover in short stints, had its own appeal!
At some point in the training, I read Unstoppable Velocity by Keith Abraham and his thoughts that we should set a big goal each year that changes us. Last year, I cycled across South America. In fact, most years recently I’ve ticked off one or two bucket list items with my husband. Life is short- I believe in taking the trip! But how have I been changed by this last run? It’s hard to put into words- but I’ve tried below!
Identity upgrade
When we do something big, we have to level up. We need better support, we need to be clearer on our non- negotiables, we need to be courageous in stepping forth into the dark. This is true in life, leadership and business. In my working life, I’ve evolved from employee- sole physiotherapist- business owner - leadership consultant. Every single time has required its own upgrade. And running is no different. I’m not necessarily going faster, or winning, or having things go my way. But, in the same way I know that I can set up and scale a successful business, I now know I can run 270km.
Resilience
Resilience gets bandied about a lot as endless pushing through. Whereas often, it’s just putting ourselves out there to do things we’ve never done. This was one of those things. And there were plenty of resilience building moments along the way! Night 1- with my pacer & friend Salome, we hiked for over 3 hours in the rain through trails that were now creeks, only to be forced to turn around by flash floods. Night 2 - navigation errors adding up to 3 hours onto our finish time and up to 10km on our route, all while my foot pain got progressively worse. Night 3- the most horrific, almost unwalkable trail I’ve ever been on. And did I mention the leeches?!
Patience & emotional regulation
I ran 80km of the course over 2 days, 6 weeks before the weekend- so I already knew it was more technical and would take me longer than I’d initially predicted. But the reality turned out to be even longer. Due to the weather, late sleep ( I had a total of about 6 hours of good sleep over the course of 3 nights on the run!), going into the event sick, the foot pain which showed up halfway through and the terrain, the whole event took at least 8 hours longer than my longest prediction. Time stopped mattering - all that mattered was cadence and getting it done. Even when we had to turn back, or got lost, we approached it with calmness and a ‘get it done’ attitude. And in leadership and life- emotional regulation and patience are essential skills.
Setting a massive goal like this could invite the question, ‘who do I need to become to do this?’ I didn’t consider this- but maybe I should have.
When I look back at some of the patterns, they’re extensions of what was already there for me with running.
- I became somebody who was more focussed on the present and the journey, than the destination. In training- new trails and more focus on the logistics of nutrition and pack carrying than I’ve ever had before. In the run- I focussed on the changing landscapes and putting one foot in front of the other, rather than the distance covered.
- I became somebody who realised even more how important running is to me- for my support networks, for thinking time, for space, to explore places so few people get to go.
- I became more grateful for this extraordinary life and the opportunity to live with agency. Which I am passionate about helping other business owners do. On my arm, in permanent marker on the start day, I wrote 3 things. ‘To become extraordinary, start to do extraordinary things’. ‘ What a privilege to be tired from something that so few people get to do’ and ‘Live your life doing things you’ll look back and think, ‘I can’t believe I did that’ . For days after crossing an inauspicious ‘finish line’ in Newcastle on a Tuesday after Easter ( the finish line was the trail head sign with my husband cheering me on!) , I kept thinking, ‘I can’t believe I did that!’ . Right now- my foot and knees can still believe it- but that will pass.
For now, I’ve just come back from speaking and presenting in Brazil and it’s time to start thinking about my next summits! I hope the journey forwards continues to provide more lessons and positive changes.
Originally published in my 20% More newsletter on LinkedIn on 24 April 2026.
Ready to close your Ambition-Capacity Gap?
Join my free 30-minute Significance Shift masterclass (25 November or 7 January, 12.30pm AEST), or reserve your place in the founding cohort of Accountable to What Matters, starting 13 January 2027.
