Bala lake is the starting point for Andrea's huge challenge

Andrea Mason is preparing to attempt four new world records to help raise awareness of women’s menstrual and reproductive health.

Andrea, from Blackpool, will begin her energetic efforts at Llyn Tegid, in Bala, on Sunday, July 24.

This marks the opening of the Sea to Summit extreme challenge.

In a bid to raise awareness around women’s menstrual and reproductive health, 40-year-old Andrea has confirmed she will attempt to swim the three longest lakes in Wales, England and Scotland, run the three highest peaks in all three countries and cycle between all of them as part of the Sea to Summit Extreme challenge.

This will mean swimming 65km, cycling 800km and running 44km up three mountains – in just five days.

Her epic challenge will equate to swimming the English Channel twice, riding 20 Olympic distance triathlon bike legs and running the London Marathon - but with 3,400m of height gain!

Andrea Mason. Picture: Sea to Summit Extreme / Olly Bowman

The four world record attempts cover becoming 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; and the fastest known person to swim and run the longest lake and highest peak in Wales, England and Scotland, cycling between them.

Andrea’s motivation to attempt this epic challenge came after a diagnosis of severe endometriosis and cervical cancer in 2017 which resulted in life-saving surgery.

Like many women, it took Andrea years to get an endometriosis diagnosis and after missing several smear tests, she has been on a mission to encourage women worldwide to attend or organise their smear tests.

She is also tackling the bigger issue of the taboo surrounding menstrual and reproductive health which means many conditions go undiagnosed.

She has already helped raise awareness with her two previous Sea to Summit Extreme challenges. One saw her swimming the English Channel, cycling to Chamonix in the French Alps and climbing Mont Blanc in five days, then in 2020 she swam 38km around the perimeter of Lac Annecy, cycled the gruelling Tour Du Mont Blanc and ran 170km around one of the toughest trail runs in the world, the Ultra Trail Du Mont Blanc.

In 2020 she also set up a charity ‘Lady Talk Matters’ (www.ladytalkmatters.org) which has developed an interactive, globally available platform giving access to menstrual education for people of all ages, race and socio-economic status.

Andrea Mason. Picture: Sea to Summit Extreme / Olly Bowman

“Despite improvements, the menstrual health education is substantially below par both globally and in many schools within the UK,” she said.

“I believe that we must improve the current education and empower both girls and boys with knowledge of menstrual and reproductive health.

"We need future generations to grow up feeling confident talking about this.

“Sea to Summit Extreme is one way to get people talking normally about menstrual health, which is why I decided to plan my most ridiculous challenge yet!

"I have huge distances to cover and cold temperatures to swim in, particularly in Loch Awe.

"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.”

READ MORE: NRW work at Bala lake has reached the halfway stage

The challenge begins on Sunday when she will swim 6km in Llyn Tegid, then cycle 50km to Snowdon before running up and down Snowdon peak.

She will then jump on her bike to cycle a massive 300km over the Welsh/English border to Windermere for the next step.

For more information about ‘Sea to Summit Extreme, and how you can get involved or donate, visit www.seatosummitextreme.com