MUM OF TWINS BREAKS WORLD RECORD FOR 425-MILE RUN ACROSS UK’S HIGHEST PEAKS
41 year old Trish Patterson, a mum of twins from Hythe near Southampton, has today (Sunday 5 July) set a new world record for the National Three Peaks Challenge by foot. She completed it in a staggering 5 days and 21 hours, smashing the current female record by more than eight hours. She has also set the second fastest time ever for the route.
Trish averaged 4-5 miles per hour and survived on less than 90 mins sleep each night. She is raising money for mental health charity Mind Over Mountains in memory of a close friend who recently passed away.
The challenge began at 8am last Monday (29 June) in Fort William, Scotland, where she ascended Ben Nevis. She then ran south to tackle Scafell Pike in England at 7am on Thursday (2 July), followed by Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) on Saturday night before finishing in Caernarfon in Wales in the early hours on Sunday, 5 July. A staggering 425-miles and a total of 7,700 metres of climbing.
Seasoned endurance runner, Trish is a member of Hadley Runners in the New Forest. She has previously completed the National Three Peaks on foot as part of a staged race in eight days and is the only person to have completed the notorious Dragon’s Back route in Wales in winter, setting a new Fastest Known Time. However, setting a new record for the National Three Peaks Challenge by foot has been the toughest challenge yet.
On completing this endurance feat and setting a new record, Trish said:
“I have done many hard challenges in my life, but this was by far the hardest thing I have ever done. But the drive of getting that record in the honour of my friend is what kept me pushing forward one step after the other. There was never an option to quit, never an option to stop, only the question of how long will it take.
“When I couldn’t physically move on the last morning I honestly questioned to myself how on earth I was going to get through the last day, I couldn’t even get up off the floor of the van. But it’s incredible what some caffeine, some food, an amazing crew of people and a whole bucket of will power can do. Nothing was going to stop me from getting to that finish line!”
Ian Boyd, CEO of Mind Over Mountains, said: “Massive congratulations to Trish and all her support team. This is a huge achievement, not only to complete this epic route but also to set a new world record! She is an inspiration to us all and we are extremely grateful that she is raising money for Mind Over Mountains.”
Mind Over Mountains is the leading UK charity that combines walking in nature with professional therapy to support mental health and wellbeing. Founded in 2020, the charity has since supported more than 1,000 people.
To donate and support Trish please go to: https://www.justgiving.com/page/patricia-patterson-3
To see Trish’s challenge on social media, go to (all images and footage are free to use and share):
https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/18004003598953243
https://www.facebook.com/trish.patterson.980
