Our story is about a man named Jacob Thankachen who took on an inspirational journey, covering 250km across seven emirates in only five days. Spectacular photos are shared by Supplied.

When Jacob, who's known for his prowess in ultramarathon running, was invited as the guest of honor by the esteemed GEMS Modern Academy in Dubai for their Sports Day, he had no clue that his life was about to take on a new, meaningful direction.

At that event, after delivering a motivational speech, he had a remarkable encounter with Nargish Khambatta, the school's Principal. His son, as it happens, is a student at GEMS Modern Academy.

Khambatta posed a challenge to Jacob, inviting him to run a daunting 250km across all seven emirates of the UAE as a fundraising initiative. The goal was to raise money for a school in Nepal.

Jacob, never being one to back down from a challenge, had this to say: “From the moment in 2016 when I participated in my first-ever marathon – and went all-in with the full marathon, not the 10km or half-marathon undertaken by beginners – I knew I craved life's challenges.”

After taking on this exciting and meaningful mission, Jacob committed himself to a full year of intensive training in order to make the Run Nepal project a reality.

At 45 years old, he dedicated countless hours to his preparation - beginning his day with a 5km run, and ending it strengthening his physical agility on tennis courts.

Jacob, who runs an IT company in Dubai, achieved the extraordinary feat last month, completing the grueling 250km journey across the seven emirates in a mere five days.

GEMS Modern Academy seized the opportunity to associate with Dubai Cares, leveraging Jacob's awe-inspiring journey to raise necessary funds.

Looking at the response from the community, Jacob expressed immense joy and gratitude. Enthusiastic parents from the school contributed Dh 10 for every kilometre he ran, and some generous souls even donated over Dh 2,000.

In his life packed with remarkable running accomplishments in India and the UAE, from marathons, ultramarathons to Iron Man, the Run Nepal project had a special place. It brought him immense joy that he was making a difference to underprivileged children in Nepal.

The successful completion of this initiative has fueled Jacob's spirit. He's now eager to pour more of his energy into such charitable endeavours. He also showed gratitude towards the government of Dubai for providing residents with top-notch facilities.

He said, “Imagine the reality in some parts of the world where children are deprived even of basic school education. I would love to be part of such initiatives again, to do what I can to help such causes."