Roar! meets Vic Owens - the first woman to complete the Lon Las Challenge

Words by Laura Briggs

Flanci Ambassador Vic Owens - aka The Happy Runner - had us all on the edge of our seats when she became the first woman to complete the insanely tough Lon Las challenge, a non-stop race from Holyhead to Cardiff Bay down the centre of Wales crossing several mountain ranges.

She had 250 miles to cover in just 88 hours and she made it in….. 87.59 - just two weeks after launching her own business.

Here, she talks to us about running barefoot in her garden to train, 88 hours of almost no sleep, and checking her business emails while making history.

Q: How long had you had Lon Las in your sights and why was this the race you were aiming for?

Over a year. I always try to give myself a year of training for a race. After completing the Monarchs Way, I knew I needed a challenge, something tough and outside of my comfort zone, and I knew running 253 miles of road would be extremely hard for me to achieve.

Q: What did your prep for this race look like?

It started with January, running road every single day.

I ran a lot of road this year, something I do not like doing. I also trained my mental side massively - I spent hours, countless miles and many, many of them completely barefoot, lapping my garden. This was massive mental training for me.

I knew Lon Las would be extremely tough mentally without any trails to help me during the lows.

Q: Did you ever see yourself failing?

Failing, no. Not completing it within the race time frame…yes!

Q: Can you explain to the readers what makes this race so tough?

This is a road race. And when I say road, I don't mean tarmac. I'm talking pebbles, stones, slade shards. You also get all the elevation the trails bring, but no trails.

I ran this in my Vibram Fivefingers; absolutely no cushioning.

Lon Las Cymru is one of the most challenging long-distance cycle routes on the National Cycle network. It's hardcore! You also have the added factor of being mostly self-sufficient.

The first checkpoint, which is water-only, is 30 miles in. You get access to your drop bag every 50-60 miles. Most of the checkpoints are outside in the bitter cold. Throw in the fact it's the beginning of winter in Wales, it's brutal.

Q: How does it feel to be the first woman to complete Lon Las?

A little odd... I have to pinch myself. Did that just happen?

Q: Would you ever run Lon Las again?

I can confirm 100 percent. No.

Q: You recently launched your own business – how do you find the time to do this and put the high levels of training in?

I launched RUNdaful just weeks before Lon Las, which meant I was too busy working to run lots of miles, which was great for keeping my legs fresh.

Not so great mentally, though as I was exhausted come the beginning of Lon Las. I spent the first 24 hours checking emails and making phone calls to my business partner Gav.

Q: What got you through the toughest miles of Lon Las?

Reminding myself of all the hard work I'd put in. Over a year of training, planning, and running to get to this point. I refused to give up hope, and that took me to the end.

Q: What advice would you give other runners considering tackling this event?

Prepare and train mentally. This is a very very tough route. 88 hours of no real sleep, and being self-sufficient between drop bags. You need to train your mind as well as your legs.

My Lon Las journey was filmed by Fern and Kelp, and they will be releasing the documentary this December on their Youtube channel.