A Carlisle man and his family are backing a world record attempt in the Lakes later this month which is aimed at raising awareness of women’s health.
Andrea Mason, of Blackpool, is tackling four world records, by swimming 65km, cycling 800km and running 44km up three mountains – in just five days.
Keith Richardson, of Carlisle, said: “We are originally forces families and have been friends for a lot of years so we are going to give our support.
“Her dad Stuart was a leading figure with Penthathlon GB for many years and was very highly thought of before he retired.
“She has her own back-up team with her at the various locations but she will be cycling through Carlisle on her way to Scotland. I will certainly be out at Eden Bank to cheer her through and I’m hoping she might have time for a quick stop and chat.
“It’s a remarkable challenge but is something she has been doing for a few years now, including South Africa where she spends five months of the year.”
The Cumbria leg of the attempt will be a swim of Windermere and a climb of Scafell Pike, cycling to both and to the rest of her targets.
The challenge includes swimming Lake Bala in Wales, Windermere and the 41km long Loch Awe in Scotland.
She will also run the 978m peak of Scafell Pike, Ben Nevis at 1345m and Snowdon at 1,085m and she will cycle between each location.
Her incredible efforts are all to get people talking about women’s health.
The 40-year-old says: “I have set myself a big challenge, especially trying to complete the whole course in five days, but my motivation to raise awareness of female menstrual health has never been stronger.”
The endurance athlete had started to notice painful symptoms around the age of 23. She lived with this for 13 years before she was diagnosed with endometriosis and cervical cancer in 2017.
Endometriosis is a debilitating condition that causes painful, heavy periods and severe lower back/abdominal pain.
Tissue similar to the womb lining starts to grow around the ovaries and fallopian tubes. It can lead to infertility, fatigue and bowel and bladder problems.
Andrea started setting herself endurance challenges to help her to manage chronic pain caused by her condition, and give her something to focus on after having a hysterectomy.
And she has been on a mission to get people talking about women’s health issues.
She said: “To this day, people still find it difficult to talk openly about women’s reproductive health matters. This should not be the case; we should talk about periods and related conditions such as endometriosis like we talk about a common cold.”
Andrea had missed several smear tests before she was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2017. She set up the charity Lady Talk Matters in 2020, to provide a global education platform, and encourage people to go for their smear tests.
She said: “One in three women already do not attend their smear test and one in 10 women currently have endometriosis. More than ever before I want to raise awareness around these issues.”
She is also tackling the bigger issue of the taboo surrounding menstrual and reproductive health, which means many conditions go undiagnosed.
“Despite improvements, the menstrual health education is substantially below par both globally and in many schools within the UK. We need future generations to grow up feeling confident talking about this.”
Through her Sea to Summit Extreme she raises funds for the non-profit Lady Talk Matters.
The international charity was founded by her in 2020 to address issues surrounding women’s reproductive health matters, and she has established a centre in Kayamandi, South Africa where affordable reusable sanitary pads are manufactured and distributed free of charge to girls and women in the local community. She hopes to expand the charity’s work to other townships.
Her first event was in September 2019, when she completed “what most believed was an impossible challenge,” swimming 34km across the English Channel, cycling 900km across France and then climbing Mt Blanc – all in just 4 days and 20 hours.
One year later, it was the Mt Blanc Triple Crown, swimming 38km around Lac Annecy, cycling the grueling 330km Tour Du Mont Blanc and running 170km on one of the toughest trail runs in the world, the Ultra Trail Du Mont Blanc – all in just 4 days, 23 hours and 40 mins.
On the last day, she began at 4am and ran 90km in three stages to finish just over 24 hours later.
Andrea’s four record attempts will be to become:
- The fastest known person to swim Lake Bala, cycle to and run Snowdon.
- The fastest known person to swim Lake Windemere, cycle to and run Scafell Pike.
- The fastest known person to swim Loch Awe, cycle to and run Ben Nevis.
- The fastest known person to swim and run the longest lake and highest peak in Wales, England and Scotland, cycling between them.
