How a man raced for 24 hours straight
A story, quote, and lesson about how far perseverance can take you
Endurance isn’t about ease.
It’s about showing up, again and again, when your body and mind beg you to stop.
No one embodied this more than Edward Ramsden Hall, a British racing driver who accomplished something so extreme that it’s never been repeated (and probably never will): he completed the 24 Hours of Le Mans all by himself.
It was 1950, and Hall was 50 years old, hardly the typical age for endurance racing. Le Mans had always been about teamwork: two drivers trading off in shifts to prevent fatigue from turning fatal. Hall had a co-driver registered on paper, but he never used him. For 24 straight hours, Hall pushed through exhaustion, blurred vision, and the constant roar of the track.
He didn’t win. But that wasn’t the point.
He finished.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is not just a race, it’s a test of will, grit, and relentless focus. For a man to do it solo, without rest or sleep, was unthinkable.
And yet, Hall did it. He showed the world that sometimes, the limits we think are fixed are actually flexible. You just have to keep going long enough to bend them.
“Green overalls, old boy!”
- Hall’s response when asked what the toilet arrangements were if he never left the cockpit for 24 hours
In life, we all face our own “Le Mans”, those seasons when the obstacles feel endless, and relief is nowhere in sight. We may not have a crowd cheering us on. We may not even have someone to tag in when we’re tired.
But Edward Ramsden Hall teaches us this: you are stronger than you think. You may bend, but you won’t break, not if you keep your hands on the wheel. Sometimes the only way out is through.
So if you’re facing a challenge that feels overwhelming right now, consider this:
What if you’re more resilient than you’ve ever given yourself credit for?
What if you, too, could finish the race?
Great read!
Wow. What a great store about life and extremely applicable to the great challenges we face today in a very changing world where we need to be persistent in pursuing things in a very uncertain world. And I loved that the attitude was key to do thinks that were unthinkable. Thanks for this great example.