I didn’t set out to build a brand.
I set out to run.
Like many people, I was looking for something more—more clarity, more energy, more purpose. I didn’t find it in a boardroom or on a spreadsheet. I found it somewhere between the quiet footfalls of an early morning run and the cold snap of a headtorch-lit trail.
Running gave me structure when life felt unstructured. It gave me pride when self-belief was shaky. And eventually, it gave me something I never saw coming: a mission.
That mission would become the 2x1x24 Challenge—a free, self-led ultra-style event designed for the “ultra-curious.” For the everyday runners who secretly wondered, “Could I go further?” but weren’t ready to leap into the chaos of 50-milers and drop bags and headlamps.
It would also become TrailKube—a physical product born from the panic I saw (and felt) before every race. The last-minute faffing. The kit chaos. The sinking “I forgot my…” moment. So I built a better way—literally.
But this post isn’t just about running or bags or TikTok or selling things.
This is about what happens when you stop watching from the sidelines, stop waiting for “ready,” and just decide to start building.
It’s about how I went from an allotment-watering, gig-going, day-job-juggling runner… to someone with a brand, a message, and a movement.
Not because I had all the answers.
But because I asked the right questions—and I kept taking the next step.