2018 Triathlon Circumference of Wales
I started filming with the BBC for a new vegan cooking show that was to air January 2019 called Dirty Vegan with a production company called One Tribe. There was a challenge that I always wanted to do (not going to name it as it’s still on my list to do and will be happening at some point in the next year or so) but it was going to be a bit too much for the budget so we tried to keep it closer to home and came up with the idea of doing a triathlon of Wales.
I knew no one had done this before so was excited to get training ready for the off. I had so much on my plate at the time, long days filming Dirty Vegan so i barely had time to train as I was on shoot for about 14 hours a day but I got in what I could and that would have to be enough. I guessed I’d just have to use my mental strength to push me though the miles.
I jumped into the sea at Penarth seafront at about 6am just as it was getting a little light. The cameras were ready along with support boats (my coach Mark Whittle was on the boat and was gonna be with me for the duration of the triathlon. I gave my mother and father a hug and jumped into the sea to start my 20+ miles of swimming with the tide heading west towards Porthcawl. I knew I had 6 hours in the water swimming before the tide turned and I would literally wouldn’t be going anywhere, if anything the tide would be pushing me backwards. After 6 hours I jumped back into the support boat, we marked the spot where I stopped ready for us to come back in 6 hours time to start agin until I reached Porthcawl. I arrived at Newton beach Porthcawl the following morning, I then had to get dressed in my bike gear and head off on my mission to hug the whole coast of Wales also taking in Anglesea until I arrived at the start point of Offas Dyke in Prestatyn.
The bike ride was a mission but highly enjoyable taking in the amazing views and sights of our beautiful country Wales.
Don’t get me wrong, it was tough also especially when I got to Anglesea knowing i had to clear the circumference of it before getting back on the mainland. In my head I also had to do Holyhead as its also a part of Wales. I didn’t want anyone to question why I didn’t take in Anglesea or Holyhead when I’d finished because after all I said I was going to circumnavigate Wales and when I said that I meant the WHOLE of Wales so it was important to me to tick it all off. I arrived at Offas Dyke and got welcomed by the Mayor of Prestatyn which was nice. He congratulated me on the distance I had already traveled and wished me luck on my last push back to Cardiff running via Offas Dyke.
Offas Dyke is very long well, it’s a 177 miles from Prestatyn to Chepstow and 9,000ft of elevation so it’s a beast of a run/hike. My mission was to get going as I had to be in cardiff in time to enter the Cardiff half marathon (that was my aim, to finish my mission off by getting to Cardiff in time for the cardiff half) and I wanted to get to my starting point by Penarth pier where I started my mission 2 weeks earlier.
I became ill on the run and lost 2 days so I had to make up a lot of milage. In the last 2 days of the run I had to run 97 miles if I was to get to Penarth in time and get a little sleep ready to start the Cardiff half marathon the following day. I remember reaching Penarth at about 1am the day of the Cardiff half. I was broken and absolutely ruined but so stoked that I made it around Wales. All I had to do now was get to my hotel, have a bath and get a few hours sleep ready to run the Cardiff half marathon.
I woke the next day in bits but only had 13.1 miles left to go before I could say I finished my mission of circumnavigating Wales. I really enjoyed running the Cardiff half and soaked up the atmosphere which is always great. I crossed the line, met my family then went to celebrate with a few beers.
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