Two friends have shattered the record for the quickest time to run the entire 870-mile Wales Coast Path, completing it in just 18 days. Ben Wiley, 25, and Paul Zlabickas, 33, began their run on the outskirts of Chester on July 21 and finished in Chepstow on August 8.
The pair conquered over 29,000 metres of ascent, covering around 78km (48 miles) daily—equivalent to nearly two marathons every day—in 18 days, four hours and 59 minutes. The previous record of 19 days and five hours was held by Rhys Jenkins.
Challenge tougher than Land's End to John O' Groats
Their accomplishment is even more remarkable given that the Wales Coast Path is 53 miles longer than walking the entire length of Britain from Land's End to John O' Groats. Ben and Paul undertook the punishing challenge to raise funds for the Jacob Abraham Foundation, raising £15,000 in the process.
Ben, a labourer from Cardiff, described the finish: "It was amazing at the finish line. That was the whole point we did it and seeing everyone there - it was special. It made it worthwhile and it happened exactly the way it should have."
He added: "Anglesey was tough but Pembrokeshire was worse as we weren't expecting it - it was a shock. It's massive and we had multiple big elevation days."
Quitting never an option
Despite facing difficulties, Ben said the thought of quitting never occurred to them. "The thought of quitting never crept in though," he said. "Say 11 was the toughest but it was about being strategic."
Paul added: "People don't realise how difficult the coast path is. We could have done the whole of Britain and we could have done that in half the time but it wouldn't have been as beautiful. The most difficult part was before the actual challenge and discipline. Half four in the morning wake ups. The challenge was really difficult but we didn't have injuries and I think that's all down to the nine months of training beforehand."
From mental health struggles to record run
The idea emerged when Ben approached Paul about helping him train to run across a country. Paul, a personal trainer and PE teacher, has a background in ultra-running, while Ben—who only took up running 18 months ago—has developed a passion for long-distance running.
Ben told Sell Us Your Story: "I did a 24 hour run to raise money last year and that was always a stepping stone to the next challenge. This was a massive step up compared to the 24 hour run. Anyone who does ultra running understands that multi-day running is much more gruelling."
He continued: "The idea came from Paul - I was travelling and decided to start running when I had a tricky period with my mental health. I rang Paul and asked if he would train me to run across a country and I think that sparked it back into him and he was really onboard with it. He was ultra-running when I was in school! He came up with the idea of running the coastal path - it's the only country in the world with a full coastal path that goes all the way round."
According to Paul, Ben had initially reached out to run across Australia but then ended up doing the 24-hour run, which Paul coached him through. "I mentioned I was going to do the coast path and he heard the idea and he decided he wanted to join me," Paul said. "From then on we joined forces and the rest is the history."
Paul explained: "I thought 'how can I see as much of Wales through a physical challenge?' and I really wanted to highlight the beauty of Wales." The intention was to begin near Chester and run around the entire western coastline.
Relentless terrain and fundraising for mental health
Ben added: "It's brutal. A common misconception is it's small but it's longer than the length of the UK by about 80km because of all the nooks and crannies and turns. The first day we did 96km as it was flatter so we did less on the hilly days. It's relentless - it's hard to call it a path in some places, some of it's basically climbing."
For Paul, Day 11 and Day 15 were the hardest. "Day 11 we woke up frazzled and we were really feeling it - probably the malnutrition at that point and roughly 100,000 steps a day," he said. "On day 15 the energy levels were low and the terrain was like mother nature's obstacle course."
The pair collected funds for the Jacob Abraham Foundation, which helps prevent suicide in south Wales. Ben shared: "I was open about my mental health online and I felt like I should have everything figured out when I went travelling. But it doesn't work like that and it crept up when I least expected it but that's when I started running. In doing all that and speaking about it online, I found what I wanted to do. Jacob's Abraham Foundation was local and it just felt right."
Paul added that while Ben had worked with the charity before and he had done some challenges previously, he had never really done something for charity. "It holds a lot of the values I try and push myself," Paul said. "I struggled with my mental health in my late teens and early twenties. I'd totally forgotten about that period and thinking about that brought up all these feelings so I felt really passionate about highlighting men's mental health."
