\u201cWell, I was just laughing \u2013 laughing my head off because I just thought, this is the most ridiculous thing I\u2019ve ever tried to do\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Louise Minchin is laughing again now, bubbling with the kind of infectious enthusiasm you only ever find among those who completely and utterly love what they do.<\/p>\n
We\u2019re catching up ahead of the launch of her new book Fearless: Adventures with Extraordinary Women<\/em>, which takes Louise on 16 amazing journeys, each with different women who excel in a unique sport. From wild caving to freediving under ice, triathlon to rugby, you\u2019ll find it all in here.<\/p>\n But first, a catch-up. Louise is no stranger to most triathletes. Having written about her journey from complete novice to GB age-grouper in her first book Dare To Tri<\/em> (2018), she inspired many to follow in her footsteps, with a mix of enthusiasm, raw honesty and practical advice.<\/p>\n From there, we followed her triathlon journey in the pages of 220<\/em> as she went on to complete Patagonman and Norseman<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 two of the toughest races on the planet.<\/p>\n \u201cThe more I do this kind of sport, the more I just want to be outside doing really exciting things. And in some ways, for me, the harder the better,\u201d says Louise. \u201cI only did Norseman because of Patagonman, which was my present to myself for my 50th birthday. What a ridiculous present!<\/p>\n I had seen a tweet about it, which read \u2018Patagonman, the extreme triathlon at the end of the world\u2019, and I just thought \u2013 oh, that looks fun!<\/p>\n \u201cSo I looked, and it was in deepest, darkest, Patagonia and I had spent three months living in that area just after I\u2019d left university, working as an interpreter. So for me, it was all the stars aligning.\u201d<\/p>\n Louise is the first to admit that going from representing GB in short-course to heading straight to Patagonman is not the usual trajectory for an athlete.<\/p>\n She admits she loves the adventure, though \u2013 the feeling of completing 226km of tough terrain under her own steam while taking in amazing scenery.<\/p>\n Which brings us nicely on to her latest project \u2013 Fearless<\/em>. Within the book, Louise joins 16 women on adventures within their sports, taking part in each one with her trademark mix of guts, hard work, vulnerability and enthusiasm.<\/p>\n They aren\u2019t just token \u2018toe in the water\u2019 adventures either \u2013 for some of the sports, such as ice diving, Louise had to undergo rigorous training, while for others her fitness was sorely tested, as were her own boundaries of what scares her.<\/p>\n So, while we could chat tri all day, let\u2019s find out more\u2026<\/p>\n Well-known for presenting BBC Breakfast for 20 years, Louise also presents the BBC triathlon coverage. A keen endurance athlete herself, she\u2019s competed as a GB age-grouper in three world champs, two aquabike world champs and one Euro champs, as well as completing Patagonman, Norseman, Breca swimrun and the 2023 London Marathon.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> 220<\/em>: The book is amazing, Louise \u2013 and even more so because you take part in all the adventures, from wild caving to mountaineering to ice diving! What inspired the project? <\/strong><\/p>\n Louise Minchin:<\/strong> They\u2019re all stories about endurance and being intrepid and courageous \u2013 this is what I live for! I\u2019m a huge believer in the transformative power of sport, not just for yourself but for other people, and influencing other people.<\/p>\n And I noticed that pretty much every time we talked about the kind of story I would call \u2018endeavour\u2019, it was a man. You only have to go to the sports section of any bookshop to see that.<\/p>\n So I thought, let\u2019s go do it \u2013 let\u2019s go and actually do the things these women love with them, even though it\u2019s going to be massively challenging for me!<\/p>\n 220<\/em>: Many would say you\u2019re fearless yourself \u2013 would you agree? <\/strong><\/p>\n LM:<\/strong> We all need fear because fear should stop us when we\u2019re pushing too far\u2026 So actually, yes, fear is a good thing.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s really empowering to push at the boundaries of what you think is scary, because that means that next time you\u2019re in a tough situation \u2013 and it could be a tough situation at work or in your personal life \u2013 it builds your resilience and your ability to carry on and get through difficult things.<\/p>\n So am I fearless? Yeah, I can do stuff that other people find really scary.<\/p>\n Like, for example, jumping off the back of the Norseman ferry in the dark. For me, it\u2019s kind of exciting, because I know I can swim. So unless the orcas eat me (which obviously went through my mind in Patagonia!) I know it\u2019s going to be okay and I\u2019ll really enjoy it.<\/p>\n That\u2019s what\u2019s really important about the book \u2013 we all have different levels of where our fears are. I do accept that mine aren\u2019t probably average boundaries. But it\u2019s such a spread of different experiences in that book, and we can all pick some out that scare us.<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> 220<\/em>: I think most of our readers would be excited by the swim\/bike\/run adventures rather than scared. So for me, it was the wild caving chapter that was out of my comfort zone \u2013 I don\u2019t think I could do that! <\/strong><\/p>\n LM:<\/strong> Yes! I did it, it was incredible, but I never want to do it again! You\u2019re not the only one, people have really been shaken up by that adventure. My fear was that all those rocks that have been there for thousands and thousands and thousands of years above me would choose to fall down on that one day that I\u2019m there.<\/p>\n So I\u2019m thinking I\u2019m going to get crushed by rocks! Of course, I wasn\u2019t going to get crushed by rocks. But you know, you have your fears. To me, it felt real. But again, to Christine Grosart, that\u2019s nothing for her. It doesn\u2019t even cross her mind. It\u2019s her world.<\/p>\n 220<\/em>: The openness and vulnerability you\u2019ve shown in your own adventures can really help others relate to them. Why do you think this is important? <\/strong><\/p>\n LM:<\/strong> I wanted it to feel accessible and I think if I\u2019m vulnerable and people realise that I\u2019m not gung ho \u2013 and that I take these things seriously and they do scare the living daylights out of me sometimes \u2013 then in a way that can encourage someone else to try something they wouldn\u2019t have done, and that\u2019s brilliant.<\/p>\n And I think that\u2019s what I really love about the book. Just the diversity of women that we\u2019ve got in there is just so inspiring, because as a human race we\u2019re diverse, we\u2019re all different shapes and sizes and we should celebrate all of that. It\u2019s wonderful.<\/p>\n 1. Plan meticulously<\/strong> 2. Do things because you love them<\/strong> 3. Use adventure to push yourself outside of your comfort zone<\/strong> <\/p><\/div> <\/section> 220<\/em>: Cath Pendleton stands out here \u2013 she was very open in the book about her struggles with body image. But I\u2019ve swum with her before, too, and she\u2019s phenomenal in the water. It\u2019s just stunning to watch how her body moves.<\/strong><\/p>\n LM:<\/strong> Isn\u2019t she? Yes! We were both new to free diving under ice in the book. We\u2019ve both got that love of the water and we really identified over that feeling of being a mermaid.<\/p>\n And I felt afterwards that we were like these two little mermaids who\u2019ve been on this incredible adventure together, and hopefully that will inspire other people to go and do something similar.<\/p>\n Just look at Cath and what her body can do \u2013 she\u2019s inspired so many people. We need to celebrate all bodies.<\/p>\n Mimi Anderson [ultra-endurance athlete and multiple record holder who has been open about her 15-year struggle with anorexia] in the book, too, who\u2019s had her own issues with body image, said one of the most important things to me, which was that she\u2019s proud of her body for what it can do.<\/p>\n I\u2019m proud too, that my body can get me from a ferry here in Norseman to a hundred and however many miles away! I think if we can be proud of what our bodies do, that\u2019s really important and sends a real message out there.<\/p>\n 220<\/em>: In the book we meet two triathletes \u2013 Caroline Bramwell and Lucy Gossage \u2013 both of whom have different stories. How were your adventures with them? <\/strong><\/p>\n LM:<\/strong> Gosh, there\u2019s lots of things going on with those two. Lucy was one of two athletes who were the inspiration for the book actually \u2013 Mimi was the other one.<\/p>\n As your 220<\/em> readers will know, as well as winning many Ironman races in her life Lucy happens to be a cancer oncologist, and the two things have sort of melded together in this brilliant, dynamic and powerful way.<\/p>\n Lucy talks about when she\u2019s training or when she\u2019s having difficult times in a race, she thinks about the incredible privilege she has (and which I have!) because we are lucky to put ourselves in that position \u2013 we can choose to suffer \u2013 whereas her patients are cancer patients. They don\u2019t get a choice.<\/p>\n So then we come to Caroline. I feel very lucky that my body works with me, not against me, whereas Caroline has a stoma because she had ulcerative colitis.<\/p>\n![\""Louise\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/34\/2023\/07\/louise-minchin-patagonman-ff38965.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"louise-minchin-patagonman\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Louise Minchin<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Louise\u2019s lessons from fearless women<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>![\""Magazine\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/34\/2023\/07\/louise-minchinfearless-book-cover-9106c21.jpg?quality=45&resize=556,556"\" "\\"\"Minimal\\"")
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