Latest news with #Arch2Arc
South Wales Argus
01-08-2025
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Monmouth man to take on one of world's toughest triathlons
Sam Weale, 44, from Monmouth, will attempt the Enduroman Arch 2 Arc triathlon this August in support of 16-year-old Will Taylor. Will, son of Mr Weale's friend Sam Taylor, lives with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The challenge involves running 87 miles from London to Dover, swimming at least 21 miles across the English Channel, and cycling 181 miles from Calais to Paris. Mr Weale said: "Will is such a friendly, determined young man, and the whole family inspired me with their tireless efforts to raise funds for the charity. "I've been lucky in my life and seeing everything they do, despite the challenges they face, made me want to do something to help." He hopes to raise more than £10,000 for Muscular Dystrophy UK. The family has already raised more than £250,000 for the charity through events like the Iron Will Triathlon. Mr Weale met the Taylors in 2022 through his cousin while preparing for a swim across Lake Windermere. Mr Taylor supported him during that swim, and the two have stayed in touch since. He said: "My cousin introduced me to Sam Taylor back in 2022. "I needed someone to support me when I swam Lake Windermere and Sam was kind enough to be my paddle support. "I met the rest of Sam's family, including his son Will, and from that moment on, I vowed to do something to help." The Arch 2 Arc is considered one of the most challenging triathlons in the world and has only been completed by 60 athletes. Mr Weale has focused much of his training on swimming, including two camps in Lanzarote and a swim across the Bristol Channel. He said the English Channel swim will be the toughest part of the challenge. The timing of the challenge depends on sea conditions, with a swim window between August 6 and 10. Susanne Driffield, community fundraising manager at Muscular Dystrophy UK, said: "The money raised in support of Will and his family will make a real difference."
South China Morning Post
02-03-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
How to gain weight the healthy way and a Hong Kong ultra athlete's counter-intuitive trick
When Mayank Vaid was training for the gruelling Arch to Arc Triathlon in 2019 – an almost 300-mile (480km) race from London's Marble Arch to Paris' Arc de Triomphe billed as the hardest triathlon in the world – one of his aims was to increase his body weight by several kilograms. Advertisement That was mainly because of the swimming leg of the challenge : a near 13-hour slog across the English Channel from Dover to Cape Gris-Nez near Calais, during which the Hong Kong-based Indian ultra-athlete would burn up to 7,000 calories. His weight-gain method? Eating lots of ice cream and drinking a bottle of wine – just before going to bed. 'Anyone would think, 'What the hell are you doing to your body?'' Vaid says. 'It's counter-intuitive to what an athlete should be doing. You should be eating healthily, lots of protein, and drinking a lot of water. But this has worked for me repeatedly and assisted me in avoiding injury through losing too much muscle or fat.' Mayank Vaid en route to setting the Arch 2 Arc triathlon record: running, swimming and cycling from London to Paris. Photo: Handout Vaid, the intellectual property director for Asia-Pacific for Louis Vuitton, is an ultra athlete. In 2020, he became the first person to complete the three-stage HK360Xtreme, a 45km swim, 215km cycle and 100km run around Hong Kong Island.
