The worn-out soles of Hannah Cox’s trainers reveal a remarkable story. Patched with car tyre rubber and caked in orange dust, they have covered far more ground than a single marathon.
As thousands of finishers from Sunday’s London Marathon may struggle to walk down stairs, swearing “never again,” consider running another 26.2 miles. Then another, and another—for 100 consecutive days across India. And keep in mind that until 18 months ago, Cox had never run before.
This is the epic, emotional adventure etched into those shoes.
For years, Cox, 41, had dreamed of a specific route through India, but wasn’t sure how to travel it. After her father’s death in 2011, she became fascinated by her Indian heritage, particularly a 4,200km corridor used by the British in the 19th century to enforce a controversial salt tax—a barrier that included the Great Hedge of India.
In the summer of 2024, a friend asked if she was “still obsessed with that hedge.” That conversation sparked the idea. She hadn’t expected him to suggest, “I think you should run it.” But the seed was planted. Cox joined a local running club in Manchester, starting with 30-minute runs three times a week.
As her fitness grew, 5Ks turned into 10Ks, and she focused on back-to-back running days—essential for her eventual challenge. Training milestones like “20 20 20” (running 20km each weekday for 20 days) and seven marathons in seven days across the UK convinced her that “Project Salt Run” was viable.
She assembled a support team, acquired a van, and set a goal to raise £1 million for environmental charities. While physically and logistically prepared, nothing could ready her for the chaotic roads and the illness she would face.
“Everyone tried to put me off at first—people just didn’t believe I would actually do it,” Cox says.
On 26 October last year, she set off from the Attari-Wagah border between Pakistan and India, heading for Kolkata, just miles from where her father Deric was born. She stuck to the historic route, running 42km some days along highways (“boring as hell”) and other days through nature reserves, canals, and farmers’ fields.
She encountered cows, snakes, and goats on the road, with drivers often on the wrong side of highways. A collision with a motorbike left a scar on her right leg, and she occasionally needed a police escort through regions known for fatal tiger attacks.
The heat, dust, and smog were relentless. Even after two weeks of heat-chamber training, the conditions were unlike anything she had experienced. Illness caused her to lose more than 10kg during the challenge.
One surreal moment came on day 24 when she met Richard Branson at the Taj Mahal. “He was hosting a charity cycling event. I was feeling worse and worse. The evening before, he invited me to dinner at an expensive hotel. I sniffed an Old Fashioned cocktail and thought, ‘oh my god, I’m going to be sick.’ I ran to the fancy toilets and threw up everywhere. The next day, I still had to run a marathon.”
Cox completed her 100 marathons in 100 days, finishing at the London Marathon to tremendous support. “I couldn’t stop crying,” she said. “I was exhausted but overwhelmed by kindness.” Her trainers, now a symbol of her journey, will be preserved as a reminder of the impossible goal she achieved.
