The Participants

Jonathan is the President and CEO of Teck Resources - a leading Canadian resource company focused on responsibly producing the metals essential for global development and the energy transition. He has worked at Board / ExCo level across a range of roles with passion for transformational change and organisational culture.

Mikael Staffas is the President and CEO of Boliden since 2018. He has been a member of the top management group at Boliden since 2011, first as CFO and then as Head of Business Area Mines.

Mikael is the Chairman of the boards of the International Zinc Association and the Employers' Association of the Swedish Mining Industry. Deputy Chairman of SveMin and the Swedish Association of Industrial Employers. Member of the Executive Board of the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise and member of the boards of International Copper Association, ICMM, Industrikraft, SNS and Kemira.

Gareth’s executive career was with De Beers, where he was CEO. He is now chairman of Ninety One asset management, which has substantial mining investments and Enquest, which specialises in decom of late life oil and gas assets.

Corinne Smit is Newmont’s Global Head of Sales & Marketing. She has over two decades of experience in senior managerial roles within mining. In 2024, Corinne was recognized as a WIM100 “100 Global Inspirational Women in Mining”. Corinne loves a fitness challenge, having completed multiple half iron man races and century road biking events!

Rohitesh “Ro” Dhawan is the President and CEO of the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM). He leads the Council of 24 CEOs of the world’s largest mining & metals companies in voluntary leadership actions that raise the standards of responsible mining. He serves on various Boards and is Chair of the BecomingX Foundation. He is married to Marisha and they share a lifelong commitment to improving the lives of street dogs around the world.

Faheem is the Co-Founder of Lori - a technology start-up empowering people to navigate life with autoimmune conditions. Before that he spent 11 years at M&C Saatchi where he was a Partner & Managing Director.

Paul is the Founder and CEO of BecomingX, a learning and development company he set up with Bear Grylls to create a world where everyone can realise their potential. He works with some of the world’s most inspiring and iconic people to demystify what it takes to succeed and to help people build the confidence and skills to succeed. Despite having done many adventures, running is far from his forte.

Marie-Cécile is Orano Mining’s Resources and Reconciliation Manager, leading a team of 9 colleagues through their geological modelling and resource estimation journeys.  During her professional career, which was mainly international, in a wide variety of cultural environments, she has worked on topics concerning several commodities (uranium, nickel, manganese, copper and gold) and on different stage and mining operations type (underground, open pit, exploration). Whatever the continent, she has always managed to run frequently and every week, for nearly the last 20 years, but has never run in an underground mine and never a marathon. She’s looking forward to being a part of this incredible adventure!

Marco leads the Accenture mining industry practice. Marco is Brazilian and Portuguese and has lived in the UK, Belgium, and Colombia over the years. He is an enthusiast of cycling and running and has a passion for cooking.

Anaïs is a 30-year-old HR professional based in France. She has been working for the past two years at Sibanye-Stillwater as an HR Business Partner for Europe. Passionate about sports, she trains regularly through running, indoor cycling and yoga. Dedicated and goal-oriented, she integrates sport into a balanced lifestyle, using it as a way to challenge herself and maintain both physical and mental resilience.

Will works for ICMM, advancing environmental sustainability across the mining industry and its value chains. Passionate about creating positive social and environmental impact, his interests include biodiversity conservation and restoration, harnessing the power of circularity, and transforming the systems that drive the climate and biodiversity crises. He enjoys spending time outside - whether it's hiking, playing sports, or meeting new people (even if that’s 1,120 meters below sea-level!).

John works for ICMM as their Policy & Government Affairs Principal, leading efforts with governments and intergovernmental organisations towards making responsible practices in the mining sector normative. Prior to this, he spent 10 years in the world of energy, driven by his passion to bring abundant, clean and affordable energy to every corner of the world. However, John is happiest when outdoors and hiking amongst his beloved mountains - be it in his native Scandinavia, Scotland, or the Himalayas - or navigating the madness of London's roads on his bike. Having grown up in a family of endurance sports fanatics, being part of this record-breaking attempt fills him with such excitement - and nerves!

Ralph has been working in the mining industry for over 30 years and currently serves as the Supply and Commercial VP for MINSUR. Through some medical episodes, he has learned that mental strength and dedication are essential for achieving great goals. Running’s not only his way of staying in good shape; he also finds it the perfect time for relaxing, organising his thoughts, and demonstrating that everything is possible when you love what you do. As always, this amazing experience is dedicated to his lovely wife and kids.

William is proudly South African, married with two boys. He has a professional mining industry background specialising in Sustainability spanning over 30 years, eleven of which have been with AngloGold Ashanti. He is an avid runner having started his running hobby in 2017. To date he has completed 7 Comrades marathons (90km) and a number of Ultra and standard marathons. Running is his passion, a way to introspect, reinvigorate and reflect. He is looking forward to participating in the deepest underground marathon in the world. This offers an exciting challenge.

Wilfred is Head of Technical for Newmont. Before taking on this role he was the General Manager of several of the operations in the Americas. He loves endurance sports for the challenge and the freedom of being in nature. This underground marathon marks the end of a comeback from breaking a hip in a bike accident.

Benjamin is a keen enthusiast of both running events and mining operations. He studied Earth Science at Oxford University and has experience working on mines in Southern Africa. Currently he is working with London based mining houses at Morgan Stanley.

Josephine is Standards Manager at ICMM, where she has worked for 4 years. She is passionate about driving positive impact at scale within the mining industry, and she sees this as a great opportunity to help reshape public perceptions of mining and support two remarkable charities.

Augustus is a professional dog runner, passionate animal lover, and endurance athlete based in London. In 2025 he’s taking on the incredible challenge of running from John O'groats to Land's End to raise money for the superb Wild at Heart foundation. When not training or running with his canine clients, he enjoys life in London and what the city has to offer.

Terry is the Chief Strategy Officer at the World Gold Council and has broad experience across the gold supply chain. Prior to joining the World Gold Council, Terry was a Principal at Marakon Associates, a leading strategy consultancy. He's (some of the time) looking forward to running his first marathon!

Tricia is the Group Head of Social Impact for Anglo American and has been with the company for more than 12 years, based in London UK. She is taking on this challenge because she thinks it can be a powerful way to change perceptions about mining, about women in mining and what is possible when you have the support of courageous colleagues.

Greg is a scientist with a strong interest in climate solutions and expertise on energy technology and the energy transition. He has worked in the field of nuclear fusion for 15 years before switching to the non-profit sector. He is currently Chief Scientist at Quadrature Climate Foundation.

A seasoned ultra runner, he is looking forward to this new challenge.

Nicolas is CEO of Orano, involved in all the steps of the nuclear fuel cycle, from mining to spent fuel reprocessing.

A running enthusiast, he has already run 10 marathons - but never in an underground mine!

A proud dual US-Canada Citizen, Chris was raised in Europe and Asia. Today, home is Seattle, in the beautiful Pacific Northwest where he lives with his wife, MaiKhoi, and 9 yr old son, Cole. Chris is an active CrossFitter, snowboarder and mountain biker. When not spending time outdoors or with Cole, he leads the global mining and metals practice for Egon Zehnder.

Chris has run a half marathon before, but this will be his first full. He is fired up to do this with a great crew and to raise awareness for mine safety and in support of BecomingX and Wild at Heart. LET’S GO!!

Nicolas is the Country Manager for Accenture in Spanish-speaking South America, where he works with amazing teams to help organisations grow and transform. But beyond the office, he’s a passionate runner. He’s completed several marathons including five of the World Marathon Majors and taken on several ultramarathons—including the unforgettable Marathon des Sables. Running is his way to stay grounded, challenge himself, and connect with others who share this crazy love for going the distance.

Fabiano Burns is the Director of Briquette and Pellets Operations at Vale, where he has proudly worked since 2002. He is married to Bianca and is the father of Maria and George. Outside of his professional role, Fabiano is passionate about endurance sports, with a focus on marathons and long-distance triathlons, including Ironman races.

Fabian is the Co-founder of aosenuma, a strategic sustainability consultancy based in Mexico City and committed to driving positive impact within the mining and energy industries. He is passionate about social innovation and entrepreneurship with a career rooted in purpose-driven work.

Running is a meaningful new chapter in his life, one that has helped him deepen friendships and embrace a healthier lifestyle. He wants this team challenge to be an example of effort and perservarance for his 3 children, Paloma, Almudena and Joaquin.

Toni is a technology degree apprentice and a proud member of the Alpine Run Project, a community that gives young people from inner-cities access to incredible trail running opportunities.

With a background in sprinting during her childhood, Toni took up long-distance running in 2024 and fell in love with the challenge. She’s passionate about the sport, the sense of community it creates, pushing her own limits and is looking forward to running her first marathon!

Claudio works in the El Teniente division of Codelco, Chile. He is currently the divisions Operations Manager.

One of Claudio’s favourite sports is running. He has run approximately 65 marathons and is delighted to connect sports with mining. Key elements include discipline, respect, and collaboration. He hopes it will be a great experience.

Claire is a 23-year old trail runner from London, UK. She is super excited to be representing the Alpine Run Project at the World’s Deepest Marathon!

Ignacio Bustamante is 54, married, a father of 5 amazing kids, with over 3 decades in the mining business.

He has run New York (2013) and Chicago (2015) marathons and is looking forward to his third one!