“I’m Proof That Anything Is Possible — How I Went From Being a Non-runner to a 2 Hour 33 Athlete”
Lessons on goal achievement from one of Britain’s fastest women
Five years ago, Anya Culling worked full-time and ran as a hobby. She entered the London Marathon in 2019 and finished with a respectable “everyday runner” time of 4h 34 minutes, placing her 7,546th among the female racers.
Re-entering the marathon in 2022, she finished in a blisteringly fast time of 2 hours and 36 minutes, qualifying her as an elite athlete and earning her a place on the England running team.
I find Anya so inspirational, an example of how ordinary people, juggling their interests alongside a 9 to 5, can achieve extraordinary things when they put their minds to it.
Being an “everyday runner” myself and wanting to improve on my marathon PB of 4 hours 40 minutes; I was keen to understand how she has increased her fitness so much in such a short space of time. Having rifled through various interviews and listened to one too many podcasts a few themes emerge, lessons that I believe can be used to achieve any goal.
