A CRICKHOWELL woman who had never previously raced further than a half marathon (21km) completed three times that distance in the Dragon Seeker 60km from the Severn Bridge to Cardiff city centre.

Sian Holley, a former pupil at Crickhowell High School, said the Dragon Seeker race was her first ever ultra marathon and at the finish “parts of me hurt that I didn’t even know I had”.

Sian, whose mum Sandie still lives in Crickhowell, came in eighth overall and was the third woman to cross the line. She said her biggest adversary was the heat, especially as the sweltering temperature seemed to be trapped by the hedges bordering the narrow country lanes the runners ran through making it feel even hotter.

Sian, who now lives in Bishops Cleeve, near Cheltenham, ran the race on Saturday, June 2. She said she made the decision to run it back in January and has been training furiously ever since. The 34-year-old, who moved away from Crickhowell after finishing High School when she was 18 to go to college, had her colleagues at British Military Fitness Cheltenham helping her to get through her training.

Last month’s race finished outside the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. Crossing the line she was able to raise the Welsh flag, but says in retrospect it might have been a mistake to hold it above her head for so long as it made her arms hurt.

On the same day her older sister Kathryn regained her World Powerlifting bench press title in Malta. Kathryn herself had been a long-distance runner before taking up weightlifting during a break from running when she was injured.

Sian said of her Dragon Seeker run: “Prior to embarking upon this journey the furthest I had ever run was a half marathon, a mere 21K, or a third of the Dragon Seeker. Training began in earnest back in January. I am very fortunate to belong to British Military Fitness Cheltenham, there was a group of us who encouraged each other to sign up for the race.

“One of the instructors, Mark Day, wrote a training plan for us. Little did I know back then exactly how much work I would have to put in and how much grit and determination I would need on race day!

“Fast forward to the event, we’d been training in near perfect running conditions and had done a lot of hill work and varying routes. Lo and behold race day dawns bright and clear! A little too bright and clear, there was not a cloud in sight and temperature started at 23 degrees steadily rose throughout the day.

“By the time I had completed the first 21K and reached the second checkpoint I was beginning to wonder what I was doing. I had developed a massive blister on my foot requiring surgery (think rusty scalpel and antiseptic wipes…). Fortunately, Mark was on hand to perform surgery.

“Meanwhile, the temperature continued to rise, and while some of the route was scenic there was a lot of monotony and the country lanes only trapped the heat. It was hot and sticky and unforgiving. Parts of me hurt that I didn’t even know I had. Eating and drinking was a challenge, everything was so dry and at each checkpoint I was willing it to be over, I just wanted to rest. Mark was brilliant, on hand for sports massages and stretching where needed. He helped me and everyone else get through it.

“The final checkpoint is where it all started to hit home. I had just under 5K left and the end was in sight! I had my Welsh flag ready to wave across that finish line and I could almost touch it!

“The last few hundred metres are indescribable. There are no words to describe how amazing that felt! I was so proud that I’d got this far and I could see all my friends and partner cheering me on, it was out of this world, I was so emotional.

“If I could do anything differently I might not hold the Welsh flag above my head for as long!”