The 1000-day run streak that brought Jessica Baird Walsh newfound purpose

The run for a reason

In July 2022, Jess committed to running 5km every day for 30 days to prove she could push through hard times. Now over 1000 days into her run streak, she’s unlocked a resilience that extends to life’s greatest challenges and is on a mission to raise $1 million for the Indigenous Marathon Foundation.

It wasn’t until Jessica Baird Walsh found herself in the highly competitive environment of a Sydney University Arts/Law degree that running found her. As a kid, she’d passed the time outdoors, riding horses and bikes until colour drained from the sky, making the most of the farm she called home outside Coffs Harbour. But despite a penchant for activity, competitive sports eluded her. Even when she took up running, an awareness of how far the sport could take her barely registered. To Jess, it was simply a tool to manage her mental health and the consistent pendulum swing of life with its soaring highs and crashing lows. 

“Because I haven’t ever thought of myself as sporty, one of the things that running has done for me is to give me confidence, and a deep sense of resilience and belief in my own capability,” says Jess. “By doing something that I didn’t think I was good at, and didn’t think I was capable of, running has become a way that I have taught myself to push through barriers, beyond my self-imposed limitations.” 

Those self-limiting beliefs hit a crescendo in July of 2022. Having just left a business she had co-founded, Jess was left wrestling with self-doubt. “Although I knew leaving was the right decision, I began to question my ability to push through hard times.” 

Seeking to prove to herself that she could do hard things, Jess made a commitment to herself. For thirty days, she would run 5km a day. It would mean a month of showing up in the eerie stillness of pre-dawn, or on tired legs after a day of work; a month of running through sickness, joy, grief, and every emotion in between; a month of choosing the hard path rather than the route that proved most convenient and comfortable. Since making the decision to simply put one foot in front of the other, Jess hasn’t looked back. Quite literally, the run streak has now gone over 1000 days and the 5km has bumped itself to distances of 10km, 50km, half-marathons and ultras. 

As Jess will be the first to tell you, the practice of running daily has been transformational. Now, she’s using the act of running to give back as she continues her run streak in the hopes of raising $1 million for the Indigenous Marathon Foundation. Here, Jess shares in her own words how running changed her life, the lessons learned in doing things that prove challenging, and why she is committed to making a difference. 

“I work full time, have three daughters and a dog. Running every day is not convenient. There are a lot of days I don’t want to run, but the consistency is the point. Starting with an achievable 30 day goal and making it a non-negotiable set me on a path to having the discipline required to push through when I am not motivated, and has enabled me to set and achieve much bigger goals in running and in life. It’s true what they say - you don’t rise to the level of your motivation, you fall to the level of your discipline. 

Within that first month I could already feel something shifting within me. The ability to push through discomfort, keep a commitment to myself, and embrace hard things is so empowering. I knew I had to keep going, but I had no idea it would bring me here and would never have predicted what a huge adventure it would become. 

After two years running every day, I had more than achieved my personal goals and began to think about whether I had an opportunity to make a contribution to something more significant. I was at a personal inflection point when I had a serendipitous encounter with a man named Charlie Maher. Charlie was the first graduate from the Indigenous Marathon Project, and is still an Ambassador for the Indigenous Marathon Foundation. 

I found myself running behind him around kilometre 25 of the 2024 Sydney Marathon. After fixating on his yellow singlet I decided to research the Foundation. I crossed the finish line and started researching almost immediately. The reason that I chose to fundraise for the IMF is because their mission to build and celebrate resilience through running is deeply aligned with my own reasons for running, and with what running has given me. 

By nature I am a very purpose-driven person. I thrive with a challenge and a ‘why’. Fundraising began as a way to try to pay forward the incredible gifts running has given to me by supporting the work of the Indigenous Marathon Foundation and to build and celebrate resilience and leadership in Indigenous communities through running. This mission is was what initially motivated me, but I am ten times more committed to supporting their work now that I have had the privilege of meeting and getting to know some of the seriously, seriously impressive young Indigenous leaders who have participated in the IMF’s programs, and hearing about the impact running has had on them - along with the ripple effect in their communities. Seeing what these people are going on to achieve across all areas of life - sport, education, work, entrepreneurship, leadership, academia, advocacy and politics - is deeply inspiring. I want better outcomes for First Nations Australians, and it’s a privilege to be able to make a small contribution in a way that feels so authentic to me.

From thinking I could never run five kilometers to running my very first half marathon in my mid-twenties and going on to run full marathons, ultra trail marathons, and now running more than 1000 days consecutively, running has given me so much. It has been a constant. As well as helping me through hard times it has been a doorway to adventure, achievement and new friendships. 

I have truly run rain, hail - even snow! - and shine. Along with lots of very early starts there has been fun, friends, great conversation, beautiful scenery and good times. For me though, the lessons always come from the times I don’t want to run. This has included running through deep grief, illness, injury, jet lag, hangovers, and depression. It's taught me that life is really about putting one foot in front of the other. It's about continuing to push and continuing to build, step-by-step, towards who and where you want to be. From the perspectives of both personal momentum and confidence, that has become something that is foundational to who I am today. The belief in myself that I've been able to build as a result of my running practice has been transformational not only in my running, but in every area of my life. I feel like I have rebuilt myself from the inside out.

The big lesson for me has been not to underestimate yourself, or the power of leaning into, and enjoying, doing hard things.”

You can keep up to date with Jessica Baird Walsh’s journey and donate to her cause by following her here. 

Originally published as The 1000-day run streak that brought Jessica Baird Walsh newfound purpose