Mina Guli standing in the empty Leeu-Gamka Dam in Beaufort West Photo: Kelvin Trautman
How far would you push yourself for a cause you believe in?
Australia 30 April 2019: Mina Guli doesn’t like running. “On a scale of one to ten, where would you rate running?” the 48-year-old CEO was asked recently in an interview with US network CNN. “One,” she answered emphatically.
Despite that, she just attempted a physical feat so extreme most people would consider it impossible – running 100 marathons in 100 days across the world. Why? Because in today’s crowded media landscape, it was a sure fire way to draw attention to what is probably the greatest threats facing our planet – the global water crisis.
Last night, The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), aired an in-depth interview with Mina on Australian Story, about her #RunningDry campaign, why she did it, her experiences, the inspiring #RunningDry community that was born from the campaign and why she will definitely be back for more.
In 2019, the World Economic Forum ranked the water crisis as the fourth greatest global risk to our world in terms of impact. By 2030, it is estimated demand for water will outstrip supply by 40 per cent.
Mina Guli, named as one of the 50 World’s Greatest Leaders by Fortune Magazine in 2016, became galvanised after she discovered the concept of “invisible water” – the water that goes into the production of the things we use, buy and consume daily.
“To produce the beans for a single cup of coffee takes about 140 litres of water,” she says. “And about 200 litres of water is used in the production of a disposable cup. That invisible water represents 90% of our personal water consumption every day.”
With the water crisis in mind Mina created the NGO, Thirst, to raise awareness of water scarcity and began ultra-marathon campaigns to highlight water crisis hotspots around the world. In 2018 more than halfway through her #RunningDry campaign attempting to run 100 marathons in 100 days, Mina’s body literally broke. Facing permanent injury, she thought all was lost.
No one expected what happened next as individuals and running communities from around the world that had been touch by Mina’s #RunningDry campaign started contributing miles for her while she could not run.
“She’d always set out to raise a community of people who wanted to save water, says Mina’s mother Catherine Guli. And every day since then, that’s what happened.”
Australian Story’s “Running On Empty” shows the extent to which someone will push their body to raise awareness and create change. To watch this episode produced by Winsome Denyer and Amy Bainbridge, watch here.
Mina and her #RunningDry team have been nominated as a finalist in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Action Campaign Awards. Voting closes on Wednesday 01 May 2019 in the evening so make sure you vote quickly – to vote visit www.minaguli.com.
To find out more about what you can do to stop our world from #RunningDry visit:
Website www.minaguli.com
Facebook @MinaGuliWater
Twitter @MinaGuli
Instagram @minaguli
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