Lowri Morgan warrior

Mum, TV presenter, adventurer and runner Lowri Morgan has completed some of the toughest races in the world – despite being told she’d never run again. Often found criss-crossing the mountains of Wales, as long as she has running in her life, she’s happy Words Rachel Ifans

When you run with a friend, everything – job, gender, background, family – it all gets leftbehind.” I listen to the soft , lilting voice of Lowri Morgan as she tells me about her running habits and I instantly want to be one of her running buddies. That is, until she tells me she often gets up at 4.30am to run, as she has to fit the miles in before 7.30am. Ahem. I clear my throat and come back to reality.

Both being busy working parents, we talk about how running is such a fantastic way to process the chaos and lighten the mental load. She says she always ran on her own until recently, even though she’d been part of a running club from an early age. As a parent, the new-found camaraderie she gets from running with friends has surprised her.

“Now I run quite a lot with people and I have made some great friends through running. I run most frequently with a good friend who’s a mum too, but I also run with a gentleman I’ve met who, like me, likes to get some miles under his belt before the real hard work of the day starts.

“I find running a good way to de-stress and de-clutter and with a running buddy beside you it’s a really personal time: you can rant about something, just chat about stuff , or run in silence. I always feel so good after running with a friend.”

I just love Lowri’s attitude to running, especially as it’s such a far cry from the achievements she is modestly keeping quiet about thus far. Her characteristic Welsh warmth, sense of humour and incredible self-deprecation lull you into thinking she’s just another school-runcum- runner-mum.

But no. Brace yourself, because this soft -spoken, hard-as-nails woman has completed nine marathons; two Ironman competitions; The Ring O’Fire (a 135- mile ultramarathon around the island of Anglesey); the Jungle Ultra (a 140 miler in Brazil); the 350-mile 6633 Arctic Ultra in sub-zero temperatures; the Three Peaks Yacht Race (climbing 11,000 feet and running 73 miles); and the Dragon’s Back Race – the toughest mountain race in the world, which takes place in Wales over five days with 200-plus miles and twice the elevation of Everest.