Rhys is a good friend of mine. I was lucky enough to run most of the final 3 days of his fkt attempt with him, supported by Cerys (like she didn’t have enough to do already). I managed to do 100 of the 148 miles Rhys did in those final 3 days and it was tough so how on earth was Rhys feeling after 21 days?
Me: So, you have just run 870 miles in 20 days, 10hrs and 36mins, from Chester to Chepstow on the Wales Coastal Path. How are you feeling one week on?
Rhys: Physically still feeling it, my body isn’t hurting exactly but it does feel pretty beat up and fatigued. I find myself without much of an appetite and my sleep patterns are like that of a child.
Mentally, I‘m absolutely over the moon and chuffed to bits. I keep reliving some of the moments in my head, the highs, the lows, the people. It was one hell of a ride.
Me: By anyone's standards, this is a crazy challenge, where did the idea for this come from and why now?
Rhys: My best friend Rusty told me to go for something bigger at the start of the year. At the time I didn’t realise it would have been this big. Being a Welsh lad, I’ve grown up on the Wales Coast path (albeit a very small percentage of it) and back in 2017 when James Harcombe set the record for the quickest time to cover the full 870 miles - I knew one day I would be following in his footsteps. I was meant to run Badwater 135 this year (again) but like all other races it got cancelled which left me with a window of opportunity to tackle the bucket list item of the Wales Coast Path. Which I took. Me: You’ve done some fairly crazy things in the past 10 years, but often in a small group. I know you had a lot of support from crew and support runners, but how different was this with no one sharing the same experience and challenges as you each day? Rhys: Man it was weird. The weight of the challenge wasn’t shared - it was all on my shoulders (or feet), but I relished it. Yes it was tough and it was lonely in places, but I wouldn’t have changed those moments - because it made the high’s that much better Me: You trained for Badwater in a sauna at home, so what was the worst weather you experienced, the heat on the Gower or the rain and wind on Anglesey/Llyn? Rhys: Give me the heat of the Gower any day of the week. My body is trained for coping with extreme heat and although it was freakishly warm for Wales, I preferred it over the consistent rain and headwind of Anglesey. Some people may call me a fair weather runner. Me: I've seen you in some bad states but manage to keep going, so I know you have an amazing ability to endure. Did you ever think about stopping or that you would miss the record? I’m thinking the final Saturday and our stop at Caswell bay in sweltering heat after that first 20 miles. Rhys: We’ve been through quite a lot together and there is something to be said about shared suffering - it lightens the load a little bit and you really helped me through that suffer fest. To answer your question - I never once thought about stopping - it wasn’t an option for me. My plan was being ripped up in front of my face and yes it was slightly unearthing to have all these different opinions flying around but they were all coming from a good place - because people cared. At the time, it was my make or break moment and I remember questioning why my plan was being changed for me. I knew my capabilities, I knew the high I would get from crossing into the Vale, the high I would get from running through my home town of Penarth. I’m an emotional runner and I just knew if I was in striking distance of the record then I’d back myself to pull out the miles which were needed. Me: Naturally, there would have been many highs and lows, what was your favourite experience and favourite day of the journey? Rhys: Apart from the finish line, day 16 was a day where I was told it would be a flat day (for the Wales coast path) and the elevation that day ended up being twice the height of Snowdon and I ran into that not knowing. Bring in the torrential rain and crappy wind - on paper it should have been a weak day for me. But, my body coped with everything Wales through at me that day. That day gave me a new level of grit, a new level of self belief and I just remember getting video message after message from my friends and family throughout the day - they were all the fuel I needed. It was a statement day. Me: And of course, the worst bit and least favourite day? Rhys: There were a few of these. Day 7 on the Llyn was pretty brutal, it was constant headwind, torrential rain and a bumpy old ride for the whole day. It was a dark day but I had some brilliant company join me in the random places and they really helped me grind out the miles. Me: You had people running with you for most days, were these all friends or did people just sometimes pop up out of nowhere and run with you for a bit? Rhys: They were friends and family but there were lots of random well-wishers just looking to help anyway they could. I think we must have had an army of 60 people join in the adventure and it was quite inspirational to have these people throwing down miles to help me achieve the end goal of the record. It’s shown me how amazing the people of Wales are! Me: Cerys was your lynchpin of the trip, masseur, nutritionist, logistics, laundry assistant and much more. Who had the harder job, you or Cerys? Rhys: Cerys, 100%! I’d still be stuck on Anglesey if it wasn’t for her. She was my rock and I couldn’t have done it without her. It is as much her record as it is mine. Me: I saw first hand the film crew getting in your face during some tough times, they were all lovely people but how hard was it at times to speak to them and did you ever feel like just shutting the van door and ignoring them? Rhys: It was weird to get used to at the start but after the first few days it became the normality and they became an extended version of the support crew. They were running long distances with me, carrying supplies, taking care of me when times were tough. I’ve made some really cool new friends because of it. Yes there were times when you just wanted privacy but there was a bigger message to be told from my suffering and the footage was needed to achieve this. Me: I was there at the end, along with loads of other people. Did you expect that kind of attention and celebration, or was that a big surprise? Rhys: I never expected that level of attention - I knew there would be people at the end but not that many. It was humbling to see all these people come out to see this feral Welshman cross a stone circle. It will live long in the memory and heart. Me: The media have asked you in every interview 'whats next'. Do you actually have some thoughts or are you just focusing on holding some of the postponed Pegasus events from now until the end of the year? Rhys: You know me pretty well, you know I would have already started thinking about the next challenge, it’s what we do, it’s how our minds work. Am I in a position to say what it is - not yet - I need to run it past Cerys first of all. :-) Me: It was a wonderful experience to share a few days with you, especially to be there at the finish line. No question, just thank you. Rhys: No answer, just thank you! You came into bat for me at a very tough time (on an injury) and I will always be there for whatever you want achieve in the running world. Bro’s for life.
Comments