Ultra runner Rhys Jenkins beats Wales Coast Path record
An ultra marathon runner has completed the Wales Coast Path in just over 20 days.
Rhys Jenkins, 32, from Cardiff, beat the record on Monday night, completing the gruelling 870-mile (1,400km) route at a rate of over 40 miles a day. Starting in Chester on 21 July, he got to Chepstow in 20 days, 10 hours and 38 minutes. Rhys raised £4,500 for the CF Warriors, NSPCC and Maggie's Cardiff charities. Moving anticlockwise along the path, which was opened in 2012, he ran the equivalent of 33 marathons. Speaking to BBC Radio Wales, Mr Jenkins said the challenge has taken its toll and he thanked his "inspirational" wife for her support. "It's hurting today. I had the adrenalin of finishing yesterday, now it feels like I've run into a wall or something," he said. Beating the existing record was a close call, as he pushed himself to the limit. "There were quite a few times it was very hard, the weather was terrible. It was very very bumpy and there was one day which was the flat day and actually the elevation was twice the height of Snowdon, so that was a bit of a surprise." Thanking his wife Cerys, he said: "She is incredible, she kept me going when things were difficult and she was by my side the whole time. It was incredible, very inspirational"