Logo

Adidas Terrex

2010-09-03T10:51:00.006+01:00

4 days and 3 nights later we ran over the finish line in Keswick having just completed the World Series Adidas Terrex Adventure Race.

Unfortunately we had lost one of our team mates after a particularly challenging foot mountain section on night two but gained another, from a competing team that had lost 3 of their members.

There were so many ups and downs but a race full of experiences and for me, inspiration to do more.

In the name of sporting performance

2010-08-20T15:08:00.002+01:00

After having done my research and consulted those in the no about 'super foods', that increase performance, I decide to put it into practice.

This smoothie can, so all the data indicates, turn you into Superman/woman in your chosen sport!

I'd like to introduce you to the Raw Organic Venison Liver Smoothie

Ingredients: 1/4 raw organic venison liver, 1 raw egg, 125ml unsweetened soya milk, a good dollop of honey

Okay so the first attempt at consuming this didn't quite go as planned! The smell is certainly going to take some getting used too.

Lets see how tomorrow goes....persistence is everything.

UK Ironman 2010

2010-08-02T17:11:00.002+01:00

10 minutes after the start gun for the UK Ironman 2010, held in Bolton, I was ready to quit.

I had made the big mistake of starting the 2.4mile swim that lay ahead of me near the front of the pack. This mean't that for the first 10 minutes I endured about 200 people swimming over the top of me and all I could do was gasp for breath and try and stay a float.

The two lessons of aggressive swimming that I'd attended at Cardiff Triathlon Club was really not enough to see me hold my own in such a strong and determined field. It was an instant reminder that I was racing against to fittest, toughest and strongest athletes in the country.

Somehow I managed to get to the edge of the pack of swimmers and as I got into my stroke, things settled down. I focused on my technique of long strokes and gliding through the water. From then on my technique didn't faulter but at the same time I didn't get a particularly fast swim.

I was very glad when the two laps of Pennington Flash were over and had a mini celebration with myself as I ran up towards transition. Phase 1 done - Tick!

It was now onto the bike for a 112 mile hilly cycle. I wasn't very speedy in transition, mainly because I struggled like hell to get my 'too small' wetsuit off plus I was really enjoying my cheese and ham sandwiches that I had made. 7 mins later and I was off on my bike.

I had borrow a Titanium Road bike from Qoroz which I'd collected the morning before but because I was late for registration I'd had no time to set it up. As i registered I was told that I had to rack my bike at the same time which mean't I only had time to put on my food bag and speedometer. I hadn't even ridden it to check if the cleats worked with my brand new dhb tri shoes.

Luckily all worked and I was off. In fact the bike was amazing. It made my Carbon Scott Bike feel like a Ford next to this ferrari that I was peddling.

Immediately I was over taking people by the dozens and this continued for 30miles until my chain snapped, as I was putting down the power to get me up a particularly nasty hill. 20mins later and after having got even the bike mechanic hot and sweaty as he could not fix the chain quickly, I was off again, chasing those that had managed to catch up with me in this time. For 112 miles I flew around the course and actually started to enjoy the Ironman. The route however was not very inspiring but the feed stations were always something to look forward to...another nasty Powerbar gel or energy drink that was doing all sorts of nasties to my stomach! It was fun trying the keep a good speed up and grab hold of a bottle of water or gel from the marshals as they held them out for us to grab.

The bike was soon over and I'd be on the go for about 8hrs. A marathon was what I had to look forward to next. We ran up and down the same boring roads three times, about 8.5 miles in each direction...it was sole destroying. I held a pace of about 10k an hour and just plodded on.

At one stage I broke into laughter at the agony I was experiencing, the monotony of road running and the loneliness I felt being surround by 1500 other focused, yet in pain, athletes.

I was soon joined by Channel 4 camera crew as they tried to interview me and ask me about the pain I was experiencing as I was running. Of course my speed almost doubled to try and prove I was fine. It didn't last long.

When I realised I only had 500m left to run, reality set in and as I ran up the carpeted home straight the clapping and cheering from Bolton Town Centre made it all worthwhile. I leaped over the finish line with a huge smile and lots of tears in 13hrs 8mins.

I have the Ironman 2010 medal and am now an official member of the club!

Ajax 10K Time Trial

2010-07-03T12:44:00.002+01:00

In my first 10k time trial, I managed to put in a 27min 44 sec time on a hilly course. Given my lack of training, I was rather pleased with my result.

It was supposed to be a Bank Holiday of training...

2010-05-31T16:46:00.003+01:00

I still have no recollection of what happened between 1pm and 2pm on Saturday 29th May. I have now been told I was in a bike accident.

I had been staying at a friends house in Pembrokeshire and we were out on our road bikes. After 35 minutes of cycling I was flat on the floor in the middle of the road on a steep decline right on a bend. In the wet conditions I have skidded and come off my bike.

Knocked unconscious and later only making some random noises, I was blissfully unaware of lying on the road for over 20 mins.

My first memory was of the paramedic clipping something onto my thumb in the Ambulance to read my heart rate. In A&E I was asked what hurt and at that stage it was left shoulder that was bothering me. I had only just come round so not too sure of anything. The doctor tugged and pulled at it and soon sent me off for a x-ray. The all clear was given and before I knew it I was ushered out of the hospital and sent on my way.

3 days late I'm lying at home with a terrible headache and a body that feels like it's been beaten to a pulp.

I have a good few weeks of rest planned. Recovery is my top priority to get myself fit for my summer of racing.

Terrex Team Training

2010-05-12T22:36:00.002+01:00

For our second training session, which happened this evening, we headed off up the Llangynider canal in 2 sea kayaks and a K2. A bit of a random combination but it worked.

Despite Martin and I taking a bit of a dunking, when we thought we were actually going quite well, it was a good couple of hours on the water and even better that the whole team were there.

The best way we could think of to warm up was to head off on a run so the four of us trotted up the tow path before heading through the forest and up onto the fell.

A great 3hr session and looking forward to the next.

This seasons races begin with Ironman UK

2010-05-02T19:01:00.005+01:00

With only 3 months to go until the start of the UK Ironman in Bolton, known for being one of the toughest courses, I've been zipping around on this beautiful bike. It's a Qoroz Titanium road bike. Weighs next to nothing and is an amazingly smooth ride. The riding position is very dynamic and ensures that every kilo joule of energy goes straight into going forward - Exactly what I will need on the 105mile Ironman ride that I shall be competing in on the 1st August 2010.

Besides Ironman, I'm on a real Coast to Coast mission this year with the Ireland, Scotland and Devon C2C's.

On top of that I'm really looking forward to the Terrex 4 day non stop expedition race in the Lake District, also in August.

It's going to be a busy year and I can't wait.

Karapoti MTB National Championships Race Report, New Zealand

2010-03-09T00:19:00.008Z

Before jetting back home there was one more race to be done. The fact that it was the MTB National Championships didn’t put me off, nor did the fact that it would be 50km of tough off roading. What is another 50km when i’d just completed a 2400km journey anyway.

With over a 1000 entrants, the start times were staggered with the elite categories setting off first, followed by the age group categories.

The race began with a Le monde style and as I splashed my way through the thigh deep river carrying my bike on my shoulder it brought back memories of the C2C. Feeling very at home with the first 3km road section I was soon bouncing along a 4 wheel drive track which was badly potted. Weaving my way around the pot holes and desperately trying not to crash into the other 100 or so people doing the same was actually really fun. The varying speeds of everyone mean’t that we were soon beginning to space out.

I was doing rather well but was stuck behind 2 guys cycling at a speed that was just a little too slow. The time came when I decided that I would try and pass them on an uphill section as I knew they would slow. As we began the climb, one cycled on the left and the other on the right and a gap opened up between them. I took the opportunity to cycle through but just at that minute the track narrowed and before I knew it we were all lying in a heap on the ground. Shit, it was totally my fault. The guys were fine and cycled off almost immediately but I on the other hand took a nasty gash to my arm and leg and there was blood everywhere. I pushed my bike to the top off the hill, assessed the damage and then got on with it. My pace dropped for a while as my confidence built again. I was now cycling with a tennis ball sized elbow.

There were 3 big climbs on the race, one being a bike carrying section up Devils stair case. I did much better on the ups that the down as my physical fitness much out weighed my technical ability.

Towards the top of the first climb and after having cycled through a lot of bogs of mud and clay, my chain was sucking badly and I heard the all familiar ping as my chain snapped. I quickly turned my bike upside down and began to reattach it. It took me about 10 mins to fix and my chain was now becoming borderline too short. For the last 2 months I had been taking out links and not replacing them!

The downhills were fast and furious and I hung on for dear life. There were more technical sections to negotiate than I wanted, after all I was now a seasoned road cyclist!

The course was fabulous, winding in and out of the forestry, mainly on a 4 wheel drive track, which no 4 wheel drive would be able to drive along as it was far too rutted.

After having left my saddle bag open and having lost my combi tool and spare tube, it was lucky that I suffered no more mechanical issues. By this time I’d had 3 chain breaks but no punctures. The loop had now rejoined the same track that we road in on and I was flying. Back onto the 3km road section and I was loving it. I had the negotiate the river crossing again but this time misplaced my foot and completely submerged myself and my bike. We both needed a damn good clean anyway! I crossed the finish line in 4hrs 12 mins and came 10th female.

see www.karapoti.co.nz for race details.

6 days to go until summertime - New Zealand

2009-12-29T10:19:00.009Z

With only 6 days to do until I jet off to the other side of the world I'm still manically trying to organise all of my kit hire for the Coast to Coast Race as well as decide how on earth I will get my bike and everything I need for 2 months away into a very small box!

Tori has now left the UK and is on route to NZ as I write. She is spending New Year with her sister and will then meet me in Auckland when I land on the 6th.

Our trip is due to start on the 8th January 2010.

For the next 2 months my New Zealand Expedition will be reported on www.girlsbikenewzealand.com

Kayaking the Bristol Channel

2009-12-16T10:31:00.003Z

A beautiful winter morning in South Wales lent itself to some perfect kayaking conditions.

A 4hr round trip from Penarth to Flatholm was great training for my up and coming Coast to Coast Race in New Zealand.

We paddled against the tide in a ferry gliding style out towards Flatholm before taking a breather on the Island and a bite to eat. The return journey was spirited and we paddled hard to get over the confused waters and jump from eddy to eddy.

All in all a perfect day!

BBC Radio Wales

2009-12-16T10:26:00.003Z

Catch up with our interview about New Zealand here on Good Morning Wales (scroll to 1hr 51min into the show)

The first Eskimo Roll

2009-11-26T18:15:00.004Z

Finally ,I've mastered the technique of rolling in a kayak just in time for my Cook Strait crossing in January.

It wouldn't have happened though without the great help of Cardiff Canoe Club and almost 2hrs of pool training so thanks guys.

If anyone out there is trying to learn then persist! Top tip - don't think too hard!

Portugal XPD World Championships Race Report - Nerves of Steel

2009-11-15T22:15:00.007Z

As Helly Hansen crossed the finish line to be crowned the new world champions it dawned on me that level headed composure and pure technical genius was what these champions had way ahead of us.

Portugal XPD was to be the toughest Adventure Race ever and after 6 days of extreme endurance and amazing experiences it showed on all of our faces. To find out that Tom (the HH navigator) had competed in 4 previous world championships and not completed any of them but then on his 5th managed to win it filled me with great hope. The despair that I felt for not having completed the race began to subside.

Here is my story.....

On Sunday 8th November we sat nervously around the breakfast table in our hotel trying to force feed ourselves with what would be our last proper fill for the next 6 days. The night before, Paul and I had looked through the 69 maps that we had been given trying to ascertain a suitable route. The task ahead was overwhelming and so we settled with just numbering the maps in order. Just looking at the 900k course made us tired and this was what added to a morning of nerves.

STAGE 1 - 60k

Stage 1 was the Prologue which aimed to make the event more spectator friendly by having us tearing around the local community collecting check points and taking part in an array of activities, from climbing and abseiling, to playing traditional games such as Malha and Petanca. Chris, Paul, Gary and I took it in turns to do an activity with me collecting the team 30 points for climbing and abseiling. After 2hrs of running at quite some speed around Cassis the 5c climb was not the easiest to negotiate but I managed it with no dramas. Stage 1 section 1 was over and we claimed what was to be the only bonus check point for us of the race.

Our transition to skates took us almost 6 minutes which was not the slickest. I was nervous about this part as it was the phase that I had least experience in howeverl I got on with getting myself padded up and ready for the 12k skate that lay ahead.
At this stage we were delighted to see that we had made transition 5 minutes before the current World Champions – Orion Health of New Zealand. Our spirits were really high but as expected within 1 minute into the skate they flew past us as though they were on motorised skates. The Swedes were next, towing each other at a speed of probably 40kph. Our meagre speed of 14kph in comparison looked almost comical. At least we knew that all of the British teams and many of the other teams would be just as slow, if not worse.

Our transition to foot was slick and we now had a 20k run with 1000m of ascent to further increase our chances of collecting check points. The scenery was stunning as we wound our way up the lanes and through some beautiful villages. We were then off road on tracks and I had déjà-vu of being on Woodbury common as we clambered through gorse bushes. We were picking up more than just check points at this stage with all of us yelling as a thorn ripped down the side of our legs. Only Paul had made the sensible decision to wear long leggings. We decided that we would miss out one check point at this stage as our tactic was to not push ourselves to our limits on the first day as we may just pay for it later on in the race. We headed off to our next transition, the bike. It was a real relief to sit in the saddle and take weight off our feet after 3 hrs of running. Almost immediately as we were on our bikes we were taken off onto a single track and the next I saw was Chris hurtling though the air only to be stopped by a tree. He quickly brushed himself off and reunited himself with his bike. The cycle was pleasant with some ascent and descent. We soon arrived at our next check point which turned out to be a high ropes course. Paul and I nominated ourselves to do this so we harnessed ourselves up and ran up to the top of the course. It was great fun with rope bridges, Tyrolean traverses and monkey swings. I loved the variety. Back onto our bikes, we made the final transition on good form. This section was a 12k run which we flew. We arrived at the end of Stage 1 with 30 mins to spare in a time of 7 1/2hrs. Nick and Nat (Our support crew) met us at the end and provided us with everything we needed from food, water and fresh clothing to massages and physio treatment!

Stage 1 was over and we were really pleased with how it had gone. We now had a long journey ahead of us to take us into the mountains for the start of the nonstop race the next morning. Paul and our support crew set off in the mini bus towards the mountains of Portugal as Gary, Chris and I waited patiently for the organised transport. We ended up waiting about 3hrs and so didn’t arrive in the mountains until gone midnight. Looking forward to seeing our beds laid out and food waiting for us we were dismayed to find out that the driver had dropped us off at the wrong location. It wasn’t until nearly 2.00am that we were reunited with the rest of the team. A rushed pack, massage, stretch and some food and we were tucked up in bed for our final 4hrs of sleep before the race start.

STAGE 2 - 172k

Stage 2 began at the Castle of Lousa. It was high up in the mountains and the sun was beating down. It was a beautiful day. We all scurried around in nervous contention. Our rucksacks were very heavy as we had to carry all of our climbing kit as well as our wetsuits as canyoning was going to be part of this trek. I had read, in the briefing notes, that during stage 2 we would be climbing a total of 10,000m. Christ that’s higher than Everest! I felt good and was raring to go.
We had decided that we would head straight to the Canyoning check point as this tactical decision would put us ahead of the curve. We climbed on hands and feet up steep banks and wound our way along small tracks. 2hrs later we arrived, still feeling fresh at the Canyoning. We were delighted to hear that we were the first team to make it.

Before we could begin our scramble, we had a 60m abseiling to do that would land us directly into a fast flowing pool at the top of the stream. I was first to descend. It was really exhilarating and I bounced off the rock with my feet. As I neared the bottom I decided not to jump straight into the water and instead clung onto the almost vertical rock to await the others. I had no idea how long they would take, so didn’t want to risk getting cold waiting in the water. Paul was next down, with Gary and Chris a little slower behind. We all jumped into the pool and swam across to begin our scramble. The water was cold and took my breath away as it filled up my wetsuit. Still with back packs on our backs we began what turned out to be a 90min scramble along the massive gorge. The water behaved erratically with some places being very calm, and others like a rushing torrent. We plunged into pools, jumped from rock to rock and on occasions even leaped off high rocks into yet more cold water. We collected our much deserved check points and marched on towards our bike transition.

Here we were met by our support crew and lots of lovely food. Ahead of us lay a 120km bike journey that would take us into the night and through to the next day. We were in Esporao and I don’t think anything could have prepared us for the journey we were about to go on.
We peddled off in reasonable comfort and began our technical off road Mtb section. I was slow on the off road tracks particularly on very steep descending sections but I preferred to be safe than sorry, also with Paul stopping every 10mins or so to check the map allowed for the team to have a breather.

We began to climb some of Portugal’s highest mountains. At one stage we were on the road cycling on our lowest gear for over an hour. Each revolution of the pedal took maximum effort. We didn’t talk much as all as our efforts were focused on getting to the top. The weather up top was misty and very windy. I didn’t really have a chance to get cold as I was working so hard. After 8hrs of peddling we arrived at Fajao Schist Village where we were greeted by the press and some very cheery supporters. We were given soup and sandwiches which were much needed. I was eager to get going so, after a good fill and everyone back on form, we peddled off. Here was where we made our first navigational error when we descended too much and hence faced yet another steep climb. Our progress on the bike was good, but towards the end we made yet another navigational error and over shot our last check point by a good few K. We decided as a team that we must go back and get it so we peddled hard. I had really perked up at this stage and felt strong. It was amazing how highs and lows come and go. After over 11hrs we arrived at our next transition at the Loriga Natural Swimming pools. We all replenished our food supplies and topped up with much needed water. I did an interview with the media guys and before we knew it we were now off to face a further 24k trek.

As we trekked up the road, Gary and Paul were first to need to rest their eyes, so to avoid having to stop, Chris and I took their arms and lead them whilst they closed their eyes for the ascent. During this trek we maintained a walk/jog pace where we walked up hills and jogged on the flat and down hills. There was a lot of up! Towards the end of this trek my feet began to suffer from the pressure so the lads kindly took my backpack for me. This made all the difference and now I was flying ahead. We overtook a few other teams on the road. At this stage Chris was navigating to give Paul a rest. Every 2 k I would ask how much further and the answer always seemed to be 2k. I took a quick look at the map and saw that Chris had strategically missed taking into account that the zig zags on the road would add at least another 10k. After a lot more 2k further comments I decided to stop asking. For me the most difficult thing to manage is my own expectations so I fixed a 4hr further duration in my head which would certainly get me to the end. It did.

STAGE 3 - 215k
Stage 3 began. We arrived at our next transition slightly behind time yet with a few other teams. Chris’s feet were now blistered quite badly and the final pace into transition had slowed up considerably.
Stage 3 was next. We spent about 20 mins in transition eating and seeing to our feet. I went for my usual toilet stop. The next section was a downhill mountain bike for 59k. I was very nervous about this as I knew that downhill mountain biking was my weakest discipline. We clambered onto our bikes and set off. We were now 36hrs into the race without sleep. It was beginning to show. We raced down the road before taking a sharp turn off the road to the downhill section. Gary cycled next to me urging me to let go of my breaks so that I would cycle at the speed of the others. I was cycling at a comfortable speed that I could manage. Again with dusk now falling I didn’t want to risk anything. Paul was up ahead and Chris behind. As we descended my confidence grew and I was able to move a little faster. Up ahead I saw that Paul had stopped and so I slowed to a stop and before I knew it Chris came hurtling overhead and smashed straight into Paul. Arriving at the scene, I saw that Paul had a puncture and Chris was lying motionlessly on the ground tangled up in his bike. I ran over to Chris but he urged me to leave him alone as he was in shock. I checked that he could move everything. He was complaining that his side hurt so I gave him a handful of Ibuprofen and then left him alone to recover. In the meantime Paul was busily trying to change his punctured tyre. The pump I had been carrying was really useless and took 4 minute to fill just one tyre so Paul decide to resort to gas but managed in the process to puncture the tyre again. At this stage I took over repairing the puncture whilst, Chris, Paul and Gary began to assess the damage on Chris’s bike. They found it had a bent tyre and broken breaks. Puncture fixed and bike bent back into a semi ride able state we were ready to set off after about 40mins of faffing, but then Gary saw that he too had a puncture! An hour later we were off again. Shortly after this episode we were onto the road and cycled straight into our next transition which was to be a white-water kayak but because we arrived after 3.30 we had to endure an 18k run instead.

We had a fast transition and off we went on our run. Paul’s navigating was first class and Paul and I lead the way with Chris and Gary a little behind. Again we jogged on the flats and downhills and walked the ups’. We collected all check points enroute. I felt really strong at this stage despite no sleep still. We rolled into the Mountain bike transition and decided that an hour’s sleep was absolutely necessary. Luckily our support crew had foreseen this and had our sleeping bags laid out for us in a nice warm room. We all slept instantly for an hour. On being woken by our support I lay in utter despair as it dawned on me that I would have to leave this comfort to endure yet another night on my mountain bike in the high mountains. This next ride was to take us to the highest mountain in Portugal! Our support crew had to wake us twice. I sat up in my sleeping bag, the others were still asleep so I shook Chris and Gary who lay on either side of me and Gary had to shake Paul violently to get any motion. We all crawled out of our bags and rolled onto our bikes as though it was natural to be doing such a thing. We waved goodbye to Nick and Nat and set for the hills. Again the weather was mean, visibility was low and the wind was ferocious. On the top of one of the mountains we caught up with Team Nike and I’II always remember their comment ‘Hey, you guys are tough!’ To be told that by previous world champions felt good and it spurred me on. Dawn was beginning to break as we hit a very fast section by road. We had 50k to cover but luckily it was virtually all downhill. We rode together drafting, taking it in turns to be up front (well I managed about 5 mins up front, the lads did most of the work!) We averaged 37kph which was great speed. Towards the end of this cycle I felt my right knee spasm and something gave. I was in excruciating pain and could now only pull with my right leg and not push. We had only about 7k to go so Gary towed me. As we reached Castelo Branco where the skate transition was, we stopped at a bakery for a quick fill. Whatever it was I ate was very unpleasant and, with my knee in a lot of pain, I just lay on the pavement outside feeling miserable. I was really eager to get to the transition so that I could go to the toilet and rest for a second. As we arrived at the transition my nerves began to build as I knew I now faced a 20k inline skate, all steep downhill for the first 10k and all steep uphill for the second 10k. My feet and ankles were swollen and my knee was bringing tears to my eyes. I tried really hard to compose myself as I got myself padded up and my skates on but as I slipped my foot into my boot I could no longer hold back the tears. I was painfully tired, in a lot of pain and felt like I was holding up the team. This, my conscience, would not let me forget. As soon as the media caught sight of my distress the camera was put in my face and I was asked on camera what was wrong. I was too distressed to lie and try and make up a better story, so I just let it all out. Time awaits no woman so I decided that the quickest way for me to now make progress was on foot. I picked myself up and began to run. I know the lads were concerned about this as they thought progress would be too slow, but it was all I was capable of at this stage. I was slightly relieved to see that there were others running at this stage too and those on skates were not really moving at a pace faster than me on foot. I kept up a steady run until we got out of the town. As I managed to get a grip, I then decided it was time for me to don my skates and give it a go. Chris was on his trikke so that I should be able to hold onto the back on him as we descended the steep hills that lay ahead. I began to skate and as we neared the first large descent I clung onto the back of Chris. Unfortunately the Trikke that he had been given had very bad brakes and a really wobbly wheel so this tactic did not work. The only thing I could do was take off my skates again and run. After a couple of k we arrived at the check point where we all had to remove our skates as the descent was now a serious one. I was way up ahead as I figured I needed some time to compose myself to ensure that I would get on my skates at the bottom. I knew that it was all uphill from now on and not being afraid of hard work I was glad to don my skates. Once I got into the flow of it I was good and moved at a respectable pace. It just showed that I allowed my mind to overrun my body’s ability....again! From now on it was all a mind game.

We arrived at our next transition after 3hrs of skating. En route the media crew had caught up with me and informed me that I should not worry about my performance as the carnage behind us was of an even greater scale. This made me feel so much better. Again a quick fill up of food and water and we were off to the kayak. None of us had expected a 6k portage to the kayak so we struggled along with dry bags, a kayak trolley and all sorts of other things, which in retrospect we really didn’t need! It was a beautiful sunny day and I walked along in just my bra and race bib. At this stage we were joined by a number of other teams. After an hour and a quarter we arrived at the water’s edge, but about 200m too high. Here we had to load our very heavy sit on top kayaks onto our kayak trolley and roll them with all of our dry bags down a very steep and rocky path to the pontoon where we would launch our boats. We were not very slick at this but got safely into our kayaks and off on our way. I paddled with Gary in the back and Paul and Chris paddled together. It was a beautiful lake surrounded by impressive mountains climbing up on either side of us. We paddled well and at terminal speed for our boats. After 3hrs we arrived at the dam where we had a short portage of about 500m. This time our drills were slick. We were out of the water dibbed at the check point, kayaks on trolley and re-launched in no time. We were all focused and did our jobs in harmony. Again we paddled and by now the light had retracted behind the mountains. Before long it was pitch dark and we had to use our common sense to navigate our way to the end. I was up front deciding on whether to go right or left. At one stage we managed to get grounded and Gary was quick to leap out of the boat to push us free. We were unaware of how long we had to go until the end and I was really eager to keep pushing hard as we faced our first cut off point here. The lads seemed somewhat more relaxed but none of us knew whether we had a long portage on the other side or if transition was right on the water’s edge. Cut off was at 9.00pm and it was now 7.30pm. We paddled continuously until we caught sight of the end. It was such a relief. We leaped out of our boats and then began the final push to get to transition in time for the cut off. We made it at 8.15. Here we took some time to eat and change out of our wet clothes. It was here that I first saw some of the lovely messages that we had received from people back home. It was so nice to see. By now we were completely delirious with tiredness. None of us could make sense of anything and it makes me laugh when Nick and Nat said that they had stood with each of us one by one and told us what kit we had to pack for the next phase. I remember vividly at one point picking up a pair of leggings and wondering whether I should wear them, pack them or eat them!! My brain was not in a fit state.

STAGE 4 - 219k
Stage 4 had begun. At 8.45 we dibbed out of transition as we had to do so before 9.00. We were waved off having been told that we had an 8hr trek ahead of us and so I had prepared myself mentally for this. Before we could begin our trek we had to rejoin our kayaks for a 30min paddle up the estuary. This time I paddled with Paul up front. As we paddled we passed beneath a huge bridge and Paul and I started to talk about the fact we may be jumaring up it. We came to the conclusion that that would not be possible as we did not have our jumaring kit with us. As we arrived at the water’s edge we got out of the kayaks and Gary was now in a bit of a state having got his nice dry clothes wet. He quickly changed and we were on our way. We had been told to follow the tape that was hanging from random branches to the bottom of a cliff. As we arrived we realised that it was a 30m jumar. Shit we didn’t have the kit with us! As we scrambled through our bags we found that we had in fact packed them in the last transition, but were so delirious did realise we had. We could however only find one jumar. The queue to the jumar was about an hour long so we decided to grab a much needed hour’s sleep. I had insisted that Paul take the group shelter so that we could sleep, so we wrapped ourselves up in it and Gary and Chris were quick to sleep. With Chris’s sleeping came way too much snoring so Paul and I tossed and turned for an hour before rising with not even a minute of sleep between us. In a compete state of fatigue, both physical and mental, we began the jumar. I fixed Chris up with my jumaring kit and talked him through the ascent. We still could not find the second jumar but when Chris checked once more in his bag he found it. Ironically he was already half way up the wall at this stage! Paul then got Gary rigged up, as Gary had not jumared before, but in his stage of fatigue managed to put the basic on upside down. I was really surprised at the lack of safety. We were completely delirious people being trusted to tie ourselves safely onto the rope at 2.00am in the morning. I was next to go up and slowly made my way. I struggled really badly but made the progress needed. I had practiced a lot of jumaring but when trying to do so in the state I was in was a whole other story. As I reached the top I took myself aside to try and calm myself down. I was upset that it had caused me so much stress and pain. The rope had pinched my hands through my gloves about 10 times and my neck had been rubbed raw with the sling. Paul was last to ascend and we were immediately onto our feet. We dibbed in and set off on our 8hr trek.
The night was pleasant. It was still and the stars were out. As we trekked we talked only of how far, how long and how much our feet hurt. We’d been going for about 3hrs when we entered a village called Vinagra. Here we saw a sheep barn that we decided to rest in for an hour. We found it very amusing to say we had spent the night in a manger in a village called Viagra!! Again we unrolled the group shelter and set to sleep. This time it was Chris’s shivering that kept me awake for most of our hour. Luckily Paul managed to get a good hours’ sleep in. It was important for our navigator to be thinking clearly at all times. As we rose Chris’s shivering became worse so I told him to fold up the group shelter and keep busy. I was really surprised when he said he had extra clothing in his bag. The principle is to layer up when stationary and unlayer when moving. We set off once again into the darkness. This time we did not run at all. We plodded along at a pace that was only to get slower. As we moved, Chris’s blisters got gradually worse and our pace steadied up. I was feeling real pain in my feet from sole bruising. I had opted to wear my rocklites as I thought we would be going off road, however 70% of the trek turned out to be on road. Gary was struggling with leg pain but Paul seemed okay. Paul kindly took some of the weight from my bag to ease my discomfort. We had been on the go now for almost 6hrs but still not collected any check points. We were now on the edge of a lake looking for a check point which proved rather difficult to find. The sun was now up in full flow and we all protected ourselves from it by wrapping our Odlo jumpers around our heads and covering our necks. Once again I was down to wearing just my bra and race bib and later in the day to just my knickers. Luckily we didn’t see anyone else on this trek apart from the odd cow!

Our trek went on and on and each step now was a shooting pain. I tried to breathe away the pain and focus on calming my senses down. If I tensed up in my feet it would hurt more, so I tried to spread my feet. Every now and then I’d managed to control the pain and feel none but sometimes the pain was so excruciating that tears would well up in my eyes. Cardiovascularly I felt fit and wanted to stride out but the group pace was very slow. Chris’s blisters were now what were dictating the pace. We later calculated that we were doing 2.9kph. That was very slow. We hiked on. We were now back on the roads and some very long straight roads at that. I paced out in front to try and up the speed but our pace remained constant. We had now been on the move for 18hrs and everyone’s moral was at an all-time low. I was constantly fighting with myself to stay strong and stick in there but I was beginning to struggle just not knowing how much further we had to go. I tried to look at the map but with 3 or 4 different maps it was difficult to do so and still move. Finally we came across a small village with a cafe where we stopped for 10 minutes and literally bought them out of sandwiches. Having packed for an 8hr trek meant that we had run out of food and water hours before. I had previously shared out all of my sandwiches early on in the trek and was now really paying for it. We bought 3 sandwiches and a packet of crisps and devoured them immediately. There were no pleases or thank yous just desperation from all of us.

We reluctantly picked ourselves up and continued. Again the trek went on and on and we were now nearing the 20hr mark. Moral was even lower than before and I was barely hanging in. On the outside I seemed okay but from inside I was in pieces. Once again we stopped at a little old ladies house to try and fill up water. I lay in the road with my feet in the air to try and encourage the blood to return to the rest of my body. My feet and ankles were now 3 times their normal size. I could not think, just lie. As Chris, Gary and Paul returned from the house I began to get myself up. I could feel myself going dizzy and I felt sick. I tried to shout out to the lads that I think I was going down but words just would not come out. I collapsed in a heap on the floor and as soon as I did so my breathing rate quadrupled and I was gasping for air. I did not know what was happening. I went completely numb and could not feel my head. I remember thinking that there was a vein bursting out of my head and the next I remember was the little old lady from the house opposite (who happened to be a nurse) putting a blood pressure monitor on me and feeding me natural yoghurt.

All I can remember thinking was that the journey was not going to end here. Paul sat next to me and held on to me which I took great comfort in. My shaking had stopped and my breathing had returned to normal. I was adamant to continue. I had heard the lads discussing calling an ambulance and our support crew, but I could not let our journey end here. I was going to continue. After maybe 30 min I was back on my feet and this time Paul carried my rucksack for me. I still felt rather dizzy but better. Again I had no idea how far it was but set myself once again a 4hr target that would surely see me to the finish. Once I got walking again I felt better. My feet continued to be excruciating, but my mind was strong again. Again I walked at a good pace but once again the pace was slowed by Chris’s blisters. After a further 2hrs we arrive at transition. I saw Nick and fell into his arms. He led us to the check point which had cruelly been placed at the back of the castle. We all dibbed and managed a very quick group hug. None of us were really talking much at this stage just wondering what was next.

We got to our bikes and I ate pasta immediately. Nic and Nat came and sat with us and Paul then said, “Maria, are you going to tell the others what happened”. In my state of mind I really felt like the lads were trying to blame me for the terrible stage that we had just had and this made me excruciatingly sad. I was determined to get onto my bike but said that I would need an hours’ sleep first otherwise it would be dangerous. Given the late time we had arrived into transition meant that we would miss our next cut off, but for me it was about getting to the end. When Paul realised that we would miss our cut off he then expressed his wish of not wanting to continue the whole way to the end by bike. Gary also said that he did not want to continue with what had just happened to me and Chris said very little at all. Paul then announced the decision was made. We would pull out. I broke down in tears.

The lads were quick to get in the van to fall asleep and I sat outside on my holdall for sometime just trying to piece together what had just happened. Was it my fault? Why did we decide what we did? What could have changed our decision? Had we slept for an hour and then decided would our decision be different?

After finding no answers I too crawled into the van and fell asleep instantly.

The disappointment will stay with me for a long time but at the end of the day it was the decision we made at the time and place we were at and the state of mind we were in. Who knows, had we set off on our bikes that evening for a 95k cycle along the roads, anything could have happened. It took nerves of steel to make the decision we did and I think it will make us all stronger and wiser for the next time around.

Inline Skating in Hyde Park

2009-10-02T10:46:00.003+01:00

With only six weeks to go before I fly out to Portugal for the World Championships you can imagine my panic when I learned that we would be doing a 60K phase on inline skates! Having never been on skates before I signed up immediately for some skating lessons.

Here we are, Adam, Paul and I practicing our drafting technique. At this point I had been on skates for about 3hrs in total...in my life!!!

Coast to Coast Race Report

2009-09-01T12:33:00.009+01:00

Apart from feeling like I've been beaten up and in a complete world of my own, I have actually had one of the best weekends of the year!

Coming 2nd in this 30hr, 4 day adventure race across Great Britain has filled my with an amazing sense of achievement.

Running around St Bees Head

Myself and over 100 other competitors raced from Whitehaven on the West Coast to Robin Hood Bay on the East Coast, taking in the highest mountains on route by foot, paddling our way across the Waters of the Lake District and crossing the Yorkshire Dales by bike.

Day one began at a very sociable hour of 10.00am with a 12k coastal run from Whitehaven to St Bees Head. Hilly but beautiful I was at the first transition in sub an hour where Emma (my support crew) was well prepared with my bike and resupplies for the next leg, a 27k bike over the Western Lakes. My transition was fast but as soon as I was on my way I took a wrong turn since I had not yet orientated my map. Luckily it only took me a few minutes to figure I was on the wrong road and as soon as I corrected my mistake I was flying along the small lanes and into the third transition before I knew it.

The next stage was almost comical. It began with a paddle the length of Crummock. The wind had picked up and we were warned to stay close to the Western shore not to experience too many gusts. I was racing so the straight line I took. At one stay the gusts were so strong it blew my paddle right out of my hand. I had to work hard to stay upright and being alone on the lake it was at times a little daunting. As soon as I arrived at the edge of the lake I had caught up with a few others and it was here that the fun (or not so much fun at the time) began - THE PORTAGE.

I scrambled out of my boat and furiously attached the portage trolley to the kayak. I grabbed the handle on the boat and started running. Within second the wheels fell off so I rearranged the bungees and tried again. Once again the wheels fell off. I looked around the corner and realised that in fact it would not be possible to wheel the kayak and hence resorted to carrying my 28Kg kayak over rocks and through bogs. After about 10 mins a hit a grassy field and decided that I should give the wheels another go, once again I managed about 2m's at a time before they fell off. The funny thing was that the others that I was with were having exactly the same problem so that as soon as one of us fixed ourselves up and began to run with a smug face the wheels would fall off. Next I had to negotiate a very small path along a stream followed by a car park full off cars. I literally picked the boat up and threw it over the style only to miss a very posh looking car by about a foot. I was now on the road and had only a few hundred meters to go. I gave the wheels one last try and this time it worked. I ran happily down the road with my kayaking bobbing along behind.

As I reached the shore of the next lake, Buttermere, the wind had eased slightly and this paddle was fabulous.

I was glad to get rid of my boat at the next transition and on with the running shoes. Hail was falling and it was very blustery as I fought my way up to Robinson, then down Cat Bells for

the final section the Swim across Derwent water. I flew across the water in my wet suit in less than 7 minutes and then the final run into Keswick town centre was somewhat of a spectacle as onlookers wandered why I was tearing around in a wetsuit trying to find the finish line! Day 1 I finished way up the leader board and was able to retire to the comfort our our youth hostel with a smile on my face.

Swim across Derwent Water

Day 2 began around 7am with a road cycle to Thirlmere. I cycled hard and fast and over took a number of others but only to miss the turning and cycle an extra 4k! I arrived at the transition furious with myself for having missed the turning but as soon as I saw my kayak I re focused at the job in hand.

Paddle across Thirlmere Water

The boat I was using was a big old plastic bath tube that only wanted to go left! This really didn't help and I had to dig really deep to keep up a good speed. My left side was in pieces after this 1hr30min non stop paddle, however as I arrive at the transition Emma informed me that I was only minutes behind Nicola. How I managed to paddle faster than Nicola in a Surfski I'II never know!

The next stage was a run over Helvelyn. I was adamant to make this a good one so I focused and pushed with every step. As I descended off the mountain I really let myself go and managed to arrive at the next transition at the same time as Nicola. The next kayak was really long, the whole length of Ullswater. I had hoped that my centreboard would have been fixed that would help me keep in a straight line but it hadn't and so I endured another 2hrs of left side paddling. The wind was very strong as I watched others capsize. I made a real mistake not to drink during this paddle and so when I reached the other side I was completed out of energy. I had a long 47k bike to do before the end of the day. In transition I ate some proper food and drank some electrolyte and within 4 minutes I was on my bike.

Once again my navigation slowed me down as I cycled an extra 12k due to bad route choice. Still I came in second and was rather pleased with the result.

Into the Yorkshire Dales the day began with a run from Kirby Stephens over Nine Standards. Having made so many navigational mistakes I was 100% focused today and as I set off, I ran at a slightly slower speed ensuring that I checked off each and every feature as I ran past. The run was muddy but the sun was shining and it was a delight to be out in the country. Again I ran along for the first 50minutes and just below the summit as I was over taking a few other teams someone over took me. The run off nine standards was fast and furious. I pushed really hard and held a good place up amongst the lads.

As I ran into transition I was focusing on the next leg so that I could make my transition fast. Again I ate some food, banana, pasta, pancakes put my bike shoes on and in under 3 minutes I was away on my bike. This phase was a Mtb phase so we road over mountain tracks and across some very muddy paths. At Swaledale the transition was at a beautiful Castle, although time for viewing was not at the forefront of my mind. I did however have to change from my nobbly tyres to some slicks which would allow me to ride at greater speed on the road. With the help of Willow and Emma the tyres were changed and I was quickly on my way. It was at this transition that I saw Nicola and we raced off together on the road. This cycle through the Vale of York to Northallerton was beautiful and as I navigated my way without mistake I arrived at the end to a cheering support team. Day 3 was over and only one more remained.

Finish of Day 3

The next day began at 5.30am with a continuation of the cycle through the vale of york. I set off at great speed again and as I was nearing Swainby for my first transition I took a very nasty fall on the road. The road was steep and I had not for forseen the very sharp bend coming up. With my slicks on I had little grip on the road and when the back tyre began to swerve as I slammed the breaks on I though it best to try and ride the corner so as I lent into the corner the bike flew from underneath me and I bounced along the road. I lay in shock for about 10mins. Luckily I was still mobile and so I scrapped myself off the road and peddled very slowly into transition. My support team saw that I was badly in shock but I wanted to keep moving and get onto the next stage so before I knew it I had my running trainers on and after some quick refuelling I was off on the run over Carlton Bank. I jogged very slowly to begin with and could really feel my hip and elbow hurting. I took some painkillers and tried to up my pace. It was only when I returned home that my doctor advise me of a suspected fractured hip bone!

Running over Carlton Bank

The run took over 2hrs and then it was back onto the bike for a long hard push against the wind across the North Yorkshire Moors. I spent a lot of time on my own here which was tough. As I descended into the Esk Valley I joined a few other teams . I decided that I would not stop at the next transition and instead push through so I was in and out of that transition in less than 10 seconds. My energy levels were very low but I knew that I always had extra reserves so once again dug deep. This was possibly the most difficult leg of all. The wind was against me and the hills were mean. I put my head down and cycled hard counting each rotation to try and make the time pass. As I joined the disused railway line I was passed by a few guys but managed to muster up some final energy to cycle hard into the finish.

The race was over and I had come 2nd Solo Female. I was 19th overall out of the 44 teams which was an amazing achievement.

Open 24 Race Report & Broken Arms!

2009-07-28T11:37:00.002+01:00

With just days to go before the Open 24 race I received a call from Zoe saying that she had broken her arm in 2 places during a trailquest race she was doing. She had taken a nasty tumble from her bike and managed a clean break across her radius.

That evening I made a number of called to fit ladies that i knew but the notice period was just too short. Luckily someone alerted me to the fact that there was another female racer who also had lost her partner and so i was fast to make the call. Elizabeth Adams agreed to join me for the weekend.

The race began and Elizabeth and I were first out of the starting blocks to collect the check point values and off we went on our bikes. As we peddled furiously down the lane I was planning our route based on check point values and distances. I'd taken a call that in the 5hrs we had to get to our transition point we should easily be able to cover approximately 40km which mean't travelling at an average speed of 8k. We got the first 3 check points fairly easily but our speed was drastically slower. Unfortunately I didn't have a tow and so we needed to stick at a pace that was manageable for both of us. After check point 4 we had a long climb on very rough terrain and ended up pushing our bikes through these bogs. Again our pace dropped and i knew we needed to speed straight towards the transition in order not to miss the cut off. We got there with 12 mins to spare and unfortunately had to miss out the gyhll scrambeling worth 175pts in order not to miss the cut off point.

On to the foot section and we collected 6 check points, our pace was a little better as we jogged around most of the course. It was nearing 10pm and the light was fading. We got to transition 2 where we were about to endure a long nightime mtb section. Luckily it was mainly on road and bridleways however we were soon to find out that the bridleways were so badly over grown that on occasions we had to cut out way through the throrns and bracken! At approx 1.00pm we arrived at the Castle where we had some special stages such as absailing, chambre of horrors and orientering. This was great fun and we flew around the course. Our spirits were high. At this point we were also informed that the next stage, the kayaking stage, had been cancelled due to poor weather. I was gutted.

We mounted our bikes again and continues on with stage 3 which had now become an even longer accumilation of stage 3 &4 to make up for the lack of kayaking. The kayak stage was where I was hoping to make the most points so it was a real shame this was cancelled. After 9hrs on our bikes we arrived at our next tansition with an hour to spare. Elizabeth was very tired as I'd been really pushing her around the course and we were both suffering from rather sore bottoms!

More and more teams arrived at the transition and everyone by now was looking exausted. It was 6.00am in the morning and we'd all been going for 18hrs.

Next stage was a beautiful coastal run of 13k with 8 check points. I was feeling very fresh and ready to run. We all set off and Elizabeth did really well to keep a jog up for the whole section. We completed the course in a little over 2hrs. Finishing this stage we arrived at our final transition point where a further 4hrs of biking was ahead of us. We had decided to collect just a few check point on the way to the finish and get back with plenty of time to spare. This we did. I think Elizabeth could have killed me when i suggested we try to pick up an additional 3 check points. She informed me tht she may just blow up and could we please head straigh back. This we did and it was great to finish suc a challenging course.

It was a great chance for me to focus on getting lots of navigation and tactics practice in. We learned that we were good in transition with minimal faffing and this really helped the race to flow smoothly. All in all it was a very fun race that i would certainly do again. Learning point however is to put loads of mossi spray on before being attacked - I've not been able to sleep for 2 days due to the damn itching!!!

Mt Blanc Diary

2009-07-06T14:19:00.011+01:00

The Summit of Mt Blanc, 6:10 on July 2nd with Adam and Dan

With little time for faffing due to our weather window we set off for our first camp the day after arrival in Chamonix. We had decided on the Gouter route after a visit to the The Maison des Guides in the town centre. The route itself is technically straightforward with the biggest danger being the volume of traffic (human traffic!) and the dreaded Grand Couloir which is notorious for rock fall and avalanche risk.

On the morning of the 30th June we took the telephrique up from Les Houche and began our long trek up to the Tete Rousse where we spent our first night. The beginning of the trek was beautiful, passing through forest and winding our way up towards the great glaciers that lay ahead. Arriving at the top of the railway the trek turned into a slate type scramble. Goats were abundant and regularly jumped into our path. It was at this stage, approximately 2200m that our heavy laden packs were beginning to be felt. Unlike most climbers who stay in the huts, we had decided that we were to camp and snow hole and hence had to endure the extra weight. We took our time as we were confident that we would arrive at the Tete Rousse with plenty of time and so we did.

It was at this point were the snowline lay but we were able to pitch our tent on the rocks where the snow had melted. We were lucky to stumble across a small stream and hence had the perfect camping location. It also gave me the option to sit and contemplate the grand Colouir that lay 50m's to our right and 100m's further up that we would be facing the very next morning.

This is me at our camp 1 sporting a very cool look of shorts, knee high socks and alpine walking boats!

The view from our tent that evening looking down over the glaciers and crevasses.

The second day was fairly short - up to the Gouter hut. Crossing the Grand Couloir turned out not to be a massive issue as we were there early about 8.00am which was a few hours before the sun would begin to heat up the couloir and rocks would begin to fall. Dan went first and ran at the speed of lightening. I was second taking it a little slower as to not to fall of the 1ft wide path that would lead to immenent danger and Adam followed shortly after. I had really worked myself up over not very much at all. I think it was just the though of what if I trip and fall or what if a rock hits me then I fall. I had also heard the statistics of this being the place where most people are killed. It was on our return journey along this stretch when I found out why that was!

The route immediately turned into a full on scramble which was great fun and probably the part of the route that I enjoyed the most. For most of the time we were on hands and feet pulling ourselves up over the rock. The sun began to stream down and I was glad to be wearing shorts!

We flew up to the Aiguille de Gouter in no time where it was now time for crampons and axes to make their debut. It was about 11am when we began to dig our snow hole to pitch our tent in. After a quick refuelling and about half an hour of melting snow for drinking water we decided that we should practice a bit of crevasse rescue drills and Alpine moving as none of us had been out on expedition together before and we all had our own experiences and techniques for dealing with things.

Just as I was in the middle of pretending to pull Adam out of a crevasse the most amazing thunder and lightening broke out and before I new it I heard yells come from Adam who had been struck by the lightening. Luckily it was only mildly but we were fast to retreat back to our tent. Just before we got in the tent we heard another yell from a loan climber who had also been struck by the lightening and managed to panic so much that he fell over and stuck his crampon through his leg. Both Adam and Dan ran to his rescue and helped him down to the Gouter Hut that lay about 100m below. I in the meantime ensured that our belongings were safely stored in the tent as the wind had also picked up, the snow was falling heavily and the atmoshpere was totally electric. Adam returned minutes later and said come on lets go down to the gouter hut to take shelter. Still with my crampons on I made the massive mistake of taking hold of the cooking tin and with this formed a complete electrical circuit and was too buzzing like a fly in contact with electricity. I had my hood up and my whole head began to buzz. The tin dropped from my hand and I quickly ripped my hood off. Adam laughed really hard when he saw me standing in the middle of a thunder, lightening and snow storm with my hair standing on end. I was slightly less amused and retreated back into the tent with Adam quick to follow as the storm got worse. A few minutes later Dan returned back with stories of his bravery in rescuing the fallen man and we sat in our tent for a few hours to weather the storm. We heard the helicopter arrive to evacuate the injured man.

By about 5.00pm the storm had passed and as the boys rested I resumed my role of feeding the troops. I crawled out of the tent and put on the dinner. Some delicious freeze dried fondue, chicken paella and carbonara. It turned out to be disgusting and none of us managed to stomach all that much. By now I was suffering fairly badly from the altitude. I had a contact pounding headache, not helped by being frazzled from the electrical storm and my stomach was churning. All I really managed to eat was some sour sweet chews. Adam was great at reminding me to constantly drink water and I sunk a few paracetamols to add to the mix.

We were all tucked up in bed by 7.00pm. I was totally sandwiched between the Dan and Adam and hence had a very cosy night despite the temperature reaching well into the minus figures outside.

Summit day was upon us. We all woke before the alarm at 00:30. Our drills were slick and I assuming my cooking role, the porridge was ready and snow melted within 15mins of rising. It was pitch black but the sky was full of stars which was a very good sign. It was not snowing but there was a real chill in the air but I still decided to be bold and start cold with just one base layer on and a Goretex jacket.

We roped ourselves together and left our forward camp at 01:30, the long trek began as we winded our way up the Dome du Gouter. It was far too steep to go straight up so we had to zig zag the whole way. We reached the top in 1hr45mins, still in pitch black the only light we had was from our torches so much of the dramatic scenery we were passing was missed.

As we dropped down into the col we could see our next step climb ahead of us, then onto the Vallot hut where we stopped briefly. My head was pounding and I had to hold back the feeling of sickness. Dan was also suffering a little from the altitude but Adam was blissfully unaffected by it having worked at altitude before. I found it so frustrating that the simple concept of walking and putting one foot in front of the other was to prove such hard work. It was tough and I suffered but by no means did I contemplate at any stage that I would not make it. I had constant words with myself and failure was not an option. We plodded on!

On the Bosses ridge, which was in places just a few inches wide we met other teams. It proved a little hair raising as we decided which team would step off the path and balance precariously on the loss snow that lead to a 4000m plunge. The sun had now begun to rise and the sheer scale of what we were tackling became apparent. The Alpine mountain range was the most beautiful scenery I had ever scene yet could in a flash become the most inhospitable place for man or woman to endure.

On reaching the summit I feel to my knees with great relief and muttered the only words that would come out of my mouth.....'we've done it'! We celebrate with a quick high five before facing the reality that we had actually only made it half way. We now had a full 4000m's down climbing to face as the aim was to be back in Chamonix that same evening.

The hike down revealed all the spectacular sights that we had missed on out way to the summit, some of it i was rather glad to have missed given the 'one foot wrong and I'm history' thought that was going through my mind. Roping all together meant that if one of us slipped the other two would dig in their axes with the aim of anchoring in to catch the fallen climber. The fallen climber would also attempt to carry out an ice axe arrest which stop the fall. Luckily we did not need to employ any of these techniques and our down climb went very smoothly. We met more and more team on their way to the summit with probably just over half making the summit. We met a number of people who had succumbed to the effects of altitude.

We were soon back to our advanced camp and after a 20min lye down we were all packed up and on our way back down towards the dreaded Grand Colouir. It was 11.00am by the time we made it there and being the first to reach it I sat and watched as a few other teams dodged the now very regularly falling rocks. This instilled fear into me and as Adam and Dan joined me at the start of the crossing I insisted that we should be roped up for this section and attached to the wire that went across the Colouir because should one of us get hit at least the other two can stop that person from sliding to their death down the Grand Colouir. We stood for a minute and took deep breathes. It was time, Adam in the front stepped onto the path. I was second and Dan at the rear.The pace was brisk and when we were half way across we heard yells coming from the onlooking teams 'rock fall' they yelled. Our brisk walk turned into a full on sprint and altitude sickness of not the three of us ran like the wind. The boulders started to fly past us erratically and one narrowly missed Dan as it skimmed passed behind his head. We scrambled to get off the path on the other side but some French teams were standing in the way waiting to make the crossing. I yelled at them and pushed them out of the way as we needed to get clear of the path as the boulders began to fall more regularly. Bent over with exhaustion we looked at each other and realised that we had survived the worst that Mt Blanc could throw at us.

After another 3hrs of descending we were happily enjoying a beer in the sun back in Les Houche.

Swollen feet and ankles, sore backs, a little sunburn, altitude sickness, electric shocks, snow storms and possibly some dehydration was all well worth the experience we had had and the sights we had seen.

We took the next day as rest and spent the day climbing on the nearby crags and enjoying a BBQ and red wine in the sun. That evening we went out to celebrate out achievement, and celebrate we did as we drank ourselves and each other under the table, danced to the early hours of the morning and some of us (ADAM!!) spending part of the night asleep in a hedge on his way home to the campsite! None of this did us or our poor bodies any good at all!

A wonderful adventure and looking forward to the next!

A summit of Mt Blanc

2009-07-03T10:22:00.005+01:00

At 06:10 on July 2nd, myself and my two climbing partners, Adam and Dan summited Mt Blanc.

We began our long ascent at 01:00 in -5 degrees after having spent the early part of the night in a snow hole at 3500m. The climb to the top of the highest mountain in Western Europe at 4808m took us along narrow ridges with 1000m drops on either side, over glaciers and past cravasses.

Having not spent any time altitude training I really felt the affects of being so high up. In two days I went from sea level to almost 5000m where the oxygen in the air is noticable less. I had a constant headache and felt nausea for most of the time above 3000m. It wasn't bad enough to stop me putting one foot in front of the other and reaching the summit.

The views were absolutley spectacular and I'II post some pictures, video footage and my diary of the expedition as soon as I get back to the UK.

I'm enjoying the sun in chamonix at the moment and plan to spent the day rock climbing!

2 day touch down before Mt Blanc

2009-06-27T14:57:00.002+01:00

I'm now back in my London flat on this beautiful sunny day after a 14hr car journey from Corpach in Scotland yesterday. I only have 2 days to get my things together before jetting off the Chamonix where myself and two friends, Adam and Dan, are going to attempt a summit of Mt Blanc.

I've been adjutated all morning by my travel insurance company who have put me on hold, hung up on my and transfered me to anyone in the company who definately can't help me at least 10 times. All I want to know if if the winter sports insurance that I have coveres me for mountaineering. Having no suceess and intereperating the small print in a pessimistic way I've decided to take out additional insurance. The BMC website was great as it only took me 5 mins to set this up - Thanks BMC!

Three Peaks Yacht Race Report

2009-06-27T13:44:00.010+01:00

We were accompanied by a full production crew from BBC coast on board Mistral on Thursday morning for our final training run, two days before the start of the race. (Babs the producer, Nick the presenter and Mark the sound man pictured above). It was a windy day, up to force 7 so we ensured they were all secured with life jackets and safety lines which proved rather important as the camera man and sound man stumbled around on board trying the capture our tacking manoeuvres. Both Babs and Nick succumbed to the rough seas and high winds and experienced bouts of sea sickness.

Helen, our skipper, captured above with Nick Crane

The following day Nic Mcleod, runner, and i were woken at a most unsociable hour of 6.00am to be taken to the top of Snowden. Luckily Babs had organised for us all to catch the train to the summit where another day of filming began. This section was about the running legs. We spent a total of 5hrs on top of snowden taking and retaking footage of Nic and I running with Nick Crane. He interviewed us on our preparation and motive for wanting to do the Three Peaks Yacht Race and we talked about nutrition, clothing and the mental stamina needed to succeed in such a demanding race.

Visibility was very poor and it was drizzling and didn't take long for us all to catch a real chill. As part of the mandatory kit we had to carry was the blizzard bag which Nick was very eager to try out (Pictured above). It was quite difficult to get him out of it and at one stage we joked about it being warmer if all three of us were to get in it - hopefully they will use that part on the BBC Coast programme!

After months and months of preparation we were finally away. Our sail out of Barmouth was perfect and we crossed the line way up the field. It was a great racing start and we piped most of the favourites to the line. (Pictured above it Adele, crew, helming on the first leg).

The race was a real mixed bag of weather, tides, emotions and physical stamina. We experienced some hours of perfect sailing conditions, a nice force 5 off the beam, but also encountered more frustrating times of sailing against the tide with no wind. This meant even rowing at 90% max was not enough to stop us moving backwards. We probably ended up rowing over half of the race so all five of us now have some very conditions abs and shoulders. Rowing a 4tonne sailing boat against tide traveling at 3knots is no mean feat.

The running legs were tough. I have been really disappointed as I had trained hard for these but i made a very simple mistake early on which cost us the first two mountains. On route to Snowden we averaged a speed of 13.2km along the 13k stretch of road leading to the rangers path. Moving at that pace meant that I was running almost at my 10K pace which in turn depleted all of my energy stored and built up such high levels of lactic acid in my legs that when we reached the mountain I had nothing left. Climbing Snowden then felt like I was moving in altitude. The 14k road run back was even worse and I experienced incredible pain and energy lows. The leg took us 4hrs 37mins.

The next running leg began with a cycle to Ennerdale which Nic and I completed in a really good time. Road bikes are definitely the only option here. We cycled hard. As we transferred to the running section, about 6hrs of ascending and descending, my energy lows returned and the lactic acid build up had not cleared. Again it was a tough run and the fact that the temperature was soring and there was just no wind, even on the top of the mountains made it even more testing.

On our return bike leg we suffered 3 punctures but we we quick to resolve them and flew back at speed of 40kph. We completed the leg in about 8hrs55.

Back to the temperamental weather conditions we were sailing, rowing, going forwards, going backwards and we even considered dropping anchor at some points. There was a lot of luck as we played swings and roundabouts with the other boats. It was amazing that after 4/5 days of sailing we were still within a few hours of each other. We were constantly trying to read the winds and tides and make tactical manoeuvres. We optimised the use of eddies and the minute the wind dropped we were on the oars rowing our hearts out. The five of us didn't stop for a minute and we rotate out jobs. our sleeping was erratic as we were all so eager to be on deck trimming sails. We got on amazingly well and formed a really good bond and learned from each other constantly. We certainly didn't skimp on food and filled ourselves with gourmet meals that we had prepared before setting sail. By this stage we all had rosy sun blushed faces but this didn't hide the fact that none of us had washed for a good few days and our boat looked more like it had been crewed by 5 men rather than 5 young ladies!

It was almost 36hr before our Ben Nevis run and I was determined to do this one well. I was well rested and had fed my body almost constantly over the last few days. Nic and i once more set off, but this time I was not struggling. We bounded along the road for the first 6k and a nice steady pace and for the first time i was able to hold a conversation with her. As we hit the mountain and began the climb I was still powering along. We got to the steepest part of the climb just above red burn and went straight up as opposed to along the zig zags. I got stronger and stronger as I led the way and we flew to the summit in 2hrs19. We knew that a pair of elite fell runners had started 4minutes behind us in Corpach and by now were determined that they would not overtake us. We hurled ourselves down the mountain at times reaching 18kph. As we hit the road Nic said to me 'lets hammer the first k then we've got it in the bag'. The whole descend we could feel them about 20m behind us so we didn't let up for a second. The 6k road run back we ran so hard we didn't even get a chance to look back. I was pushing so hard that I even mistook the red bull that Jude, our shore crew, had handed me for water and threw it all over my face! We completed the leg in 3hrs51mins. They did not over take us and we even managed to overtake another team about half a k before the finish.

For me this run made the race. I'd been very disappointed by the previous 2 runs as it was all due to mis-managing my bodies' ability early on in the race. I've learned a very important lesson.

We finished thirteenth overall after 5 days and nights of sailing, running, cycling and rowing and celebrated our success with champagne into the early hours of Friday morning.

BBC Coast Three Peaks Yacht Race

2009-06-18T19:59:00.003+01:00

The whole team are now together and we have just finished a day of filming with the BBC for the programme BBC Coast.

By 11.00am this morning the boat was filled with a full production crew. A £70,000 HD camera and a force 8 gale do not go particularly well together as was demonstrated by both Nick Crane and Babs (the producer) being rather seasick. Despite all of this some great footage was taken.

We will be up for 6.00am tomorrow for a summit of Snowden to get some filming done of the running. Not really what we need the day before the race!

We also spent time today planning our running route and food drop off points, that will be vital to keeping us going.

It's all getting very exciting...and close now! We are a well prepared crew and can't wait for the starting gun to sound.

Lowe Alpine Mountain Marathon

2009-06-11T10:41:00.006+01:00

On Friday night, myself and 1400 other competitors gathered at Morvich in Kintail - ready to spend the next two days, running in the hills to the north of Glen Shiel.

After 2 days of racing, scrambling and throwing ourselves down the most dramatic mountain scenery in the country Daniel Dillion and I came in as 5th mixed team in the B class. We climbed 3 times the high of Ben Nevis and covered 45k.

PowerBar Three Peaks Yacht Race

2009-06-10T17:03:00.002+01:00

With only 10 days to go until the start of the 2009 Three Peaks Yacht Race my all female team and I are well prepared to take on this notoriously challenging and testing race.

Having raced in this very same race in 2007, when Keith Mander from Conwy added a post on sleepmonsters looking for runners for his new boat, I was first to contact him. As we chatted about the race I told him of my ambition to get together an all female team and with that he said if I can find the girls then he will lend me his boat. Such generosity is difficult to find so I am deeply indetted!

Between us we managed to pull together not just a team of girls but an elite team of female sailing and adventure racers and Helly Hansen UK have taken title sponsorship of the team.

Being the only all female team to take part in this race BBC Coast were quick to contact us to do some filming of our preperation. This can be seen on the Gower episode next year.

Over the last 2 months I have been in the hills of Wales, England and Scotland getting as many moutains in my legs as possible! All routes have been recce'd more than once!

Maria goes Aerobatics Flying

2009-06-10T16:40:00.003+01:00

So not really the most conventionl way to train for Adventure Racing but experiencing g force of +6 and -3 certainly did put my body to the test.

Having a brother-in-law who is an Aerobatics pilot means that I was very lucky to have the opportunity to accompany him on one of his training flights.

We flew upside down, we looped the loop, stalled the plane and did all manor of death defying stunts. I even had the chance to fly the plane myself.

Could this be a new element in Adventure Racing?

Adventure Racing World Championships Portugal XPD

2009-06-10T16:16:00.000+01:00

In conjunction with AdventureSportsMagazine, Odlo UK now have a place confirmed in the World Championships beginning on the 8th November 2009.

Once more Maria and her team will be racing non-stop across the central region of the country, covering a distance of 800km in 5 days.

It will be an opportunity to see the best teams in the world competing against each other at the highest level of Adventure Racing.