WHO AM I AND WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?
I’m a passionate sports person who loves adventure and physically and mentally demanding events.
I am Andrea, a passionate sports person with an extreme sense of adventure. I am a proud dreamer, always thinking about crazy things I would like to achieve. I love pushing my physical and mental boundaries – it is here that I truly find out who I am and what I am capable of. My philosophy is everyone can “create your own epic”. I believe in being the best you can be and not comparing yourself to others.
In September 2019, I completed what most believed was an impossible challenge; swimming 34km across the English Channel, Cycling 900km across France and then climbing Mt Blanc – all in just 4 days and 20 hours. Exactly one year later, I have defied all odds again, successfully completing the Mt Blanc Triple Crown, swimming 38Km around the perimeter of Lac Annecy, cycling the gruelling Tour Du Mont Blanc and running 170km around one of the toughest trail runs in the world, the Ultra Trail Du Mont Blanc – all in just 4 days, 23 hours and 40 mins. Despite the many challenges I have faced, I believed in myself and created my own epic!
By continuing to share my own personal journey I hope to educate young women and help remove the taboo surrounding women’s health problems.
To the outside world, it would appear that I have a pretty cool life and have been successful. They wouldn’t be wrong, but what people don’t see are the hurdles and daily challenges I have often faced along the way. From a very young age I have had many gynaecological (aka ‘lady’) problems. I have suffered from Endometriosis, Adenomyosis, multiple fibroids and more recently found out that I had early stage Cervical Cancer – all of which culminated in me having a full abdominal Hysterectomy at the age of 35.
In 2020 I founded a new charity Lady Talk Matters. The vision is to improve the lives of women and girls through education, awareness, inspiration and support. I want us to be able to live in a world where everyone, regardless of sex, age, race, occupation or socio- economic status, can talk openly and freely about female reproduction matters. I truly believe this is possible, but I can’t do it alone. Together we can really make a difference.
WANT TO HELP ME MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
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*repost from @chrish_photos
Brick run, swim - can only mean one thing....challenge loading 🤪. Any guesses what it might be?
#createyourownepic #seatosummitextreme
Happy International Women`s Day! Today I`m feeling incredibly grateful for all the inspiring women in my life who constantly push boundaries and redefine what`s possible 💪. One of these ladies is @wendy_ncapa, whose journey from fear to fearlessness is nothing short of inspiring. Growing up in a South African township, swimming has never been on the radar. But yesterday, after lessons with @ststri, she took her first strokes - conquering her fears and proving that with determination, anything is possible! Let`s celebrate the power of sports in breaking barriers and fostering inclusion. Here`s to all the fearless women making waves and inspiring us every day 💜
@bigbayevents One day this girl will swim Robben Island with me...you heard it here first 🤪
#internationalwomensday #inspireinclusion #womeninsport
Flip, talk about a close encounter of the motorbike kind! 🏍️ Had slight heart failure today when this speed demon decided to give us a close-up view of their exhaust pipe! 😱. If anyone is checking my strava, this is the 185 HR spike 😝Note to self: next time, bring a rearview mirror... or maybe just a jetpack! #NeedForSpeed #BikeVsBike #CloseCall"
Ditched the wetsuit for a tropical upgrade 🌴 Never felt water this warm, not even in my bath! #islandlife #tropicalswimmingpool
Dipped into the `mental` pool again today to test if it`s back from holiday 😜. Perfect conditions, no watch and a touch more determination made for a successful #robbenisland swim! Thanks @ryan_stramrood and @peeriuel for a lekker swim and @bigbayevents for keeping us safe!
#mindcheck #swimming #somedaysarebetterthanothers #dontholdback
Exactly a year ago today, I was conquering the treacherous waters (40km) from Cape Point to Gordon`s Bay—mental game was super strong, conditions horrific! Fast forward to today, a spontaneous Robben Island crossing. Within 5 mins, I was eyeing the boat, blaming blue bottles at 5.5km, got out at 5.6km, got back in at 5.8km, got out and called it a day at 6km. Mental toughness on vacation! 🤣 Huge well done to the @bigbaylifesavingclub nippers who aced it; today my excuse game was strong, but hey, some days your mind deserves a break from bossing your body around. Still smiling, though! 😄 #SwimFails #seatosummitextreme
Me and my sidekick @rollingstoneishome, rocking this awesome ride called life! Navigating my health dramas and his shockingly bad golf, we embrace adventures together 🤪 Bring on 2024 – we have some very exciting #seatosummitextreme plans ahead! 👊 Between us, i think we`re a bit of a dream team (don`t tell him that). Don`t forget to check in on him; he`s braving my hormone rollercoaster! 😂 #LifeSidekick #adventures #happynewyear
Rocking the new @dhbsport kit? Not quite – I`m embracing the rollercoaster of low oestrogen! 🥵 Bouncing back after surgery and easing back into training. Bid farewell to HRT due to aggressive #endometriosis. Research suggests oestrogen may fuel endo, but it`s a double-edged sword as hormones are crucial for female athletes! Saying goodbye has its challenges, like sweating buckets! That extra midriff roll? Well, maybe next year, I can blame it on reduced metabolism and not just Christmas vibes!🤪 #HormoneJourney #EndoWarrior #endometriosissucks #TrainingComeback
`Your #endometriosis is as tenacious as you!` @binlydders said this to me yesterday and made me giggle! But there is definitely some truth in it! 🤣 It may well be stubborn, but I can be stubborner 😝
#endometriosisawareness #endowarrior #endometriosissucks #roadtorecovery #herewegoagain
Those that know, know! Those that don`t know, you need to know....#endometriosis sucks!
Not how I planned to be spending my first few weeks back in South Africa. A large cyst landed me in emergency surgery on Monday. Fortunately, I was in the hands of a very experienced surgeon who was able to remove it laproscopically without causing any further damage. I say fortunately because unfortunately, there are still many, many doctors across the world who don`t know how to treat it. This is definitely improving, but there is still so much to be done.
So, for now, the circle of rest and recovery is back in full flow! I can`t feel too sorry for myself though, I`m in the sunshine and have lots of great friends keen to bring me coffee and cake 🌞💛
* For more information on endometriosis, take a look at our education page on @ladytalkmatters
#endometriosisawareness
Note to self...8 months of no swimming makes it pretty hard when you finally start back 🙈 . I`m just glad I didn`t drown 🤣. Great to be back doing what I love with @bigbayevents
#dontholdback #createyourownepic #makingdreamsreality
Feeling like Christmas has come early today thanks to @dhbsport! ❤️ All my challenges are 100% self funded and any money recieved or donated goes 💯 to @ladytalkmatters, so being supported with kit really helps - especially if I want to avoid @rollingstoneishome divorcing me 🤣🤣
#dontholdback #createyourownepic #seatosummitextreme #removethetaboo
