Joseph Michael Kai-Tsu Liu, known to friends and followers as JMK, was born in 1981 in Richmond Hill, Ontario, and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico. The third of 10 children, with eight brothers and two sisters, he grew up in a crowded household where attention was scarce. That upbringing, he says, became a quiet motivator, instilling a drive that would later fuel his most ambitious undertaking: the Run to the End journey.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Concordia University in Montreal, JMK set out on his first extreme run, a staggering 4,654 kilometers from Montreal to Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Mexico. By car, the route takes roughly three and a half to four days of continuous driving. On foot, it demanded between six weeks and three months of relentless endurance.
Following that physically punishing feat, JMK conceived an even more demanding challenge: running from Canada to Cabo San Lucas barefoot. While not entirely unshod, he opted for XeroShoes, minimalist footwear designed to mimic barefoot running. With that choice, he launched what became known as Run2theEnd, a grueling transcontinental project aimed at raising awareness about mental health.
Now based in Todos Santos, JMK has made the town his home and training base for six months as he prepares to resume what he calls “running to the end of the world.” “Todos Santos has become my healing and training hub, physically, mentally, and spiritually,” he said. While training there, he has taken up surfing, volunteered with the Todos Santos Firefighters, helped introduce QR Map to support local businesses, and provided affordable transportation for residents and visitors, particularly those staying at the Todos Santos Hostel and Libra Hostel.
More than 40 sponsors have joined the project, including Tourism Mexico. What began as a way to stand out and inspire others evolved into something more personal. “The project started as a way to prove that the impossible is often just unexplored,” JMK said. “Years later, after life lessons and counseling, I realized I was also running to cope with bottled-up energy from childhood trauma. Running became my therapy, my way to process pain, to feel that I matter, and to show that we can create our own path instead of simply following society’s script of job, marriage, and house.”
Updates and photographs from JMK’s journey can be found on Instagram at @runningtotheendoftheworld.
