Super supporter Carwyn Glyn Evans has been pushing himself to the limit all year to raise funds and awareness of Type 1 diabetes.
Carwyn took on a series of gruelling challenges, from marathons to triathlons, building up to last month’s Ironman Wales.
Carwyn was inspired to support us as his nephew, Caio Glyn, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2017 aged 6.
A year of challenges
In May, he ran the Great Welsh Marathon, with Caio Glyn joining him to cross the finish line. In July, he completed the Long Course Weekend in Tenby, one of Wales’ toughest triathlons, and just a few weeks later, the Sospan Sizzler in Llanelli, a half-Ironman course.
Finally on 15 September, Carwyn was among 2,500 participants lining up to tackle a 2.4-mile swim in Carmarthen Bay, a 112-mile cycle ride around Pembrokeshire and a 26.2-mile run through Tenby.
Excitement and nerves
Carwyn, a teacher, said, “Taking part in all the other events really helped. I learnt so much from each one - like the importance of wearing lots of suncream! I’d been training six days a week so standing at the start line was a mixture of excitement and nerves.
“From the 4am start to cheering me over the finish line in the early evening, my friends and family were so supportive. I really couldn’t have done it without knowing they were there along the course to cheer me on.
“Parts of the bike ride were really tough, especially when there were no crowds to cheer you on. I enjoyed the swim and finished around 100th place out of 2500. I really loved the run, especially the last few miles with the crowds carrying me through.”
Carwyn completed the swim in 1 hour 3 minutes, the bike ride in 7 hours 1 minute and the run in 5 hours 24 minutes, finishing in an impressive 13 hours 57 minutes.
Caio is the hero
Carwyn continued, “I jumped across the finish line. The feeling was euphoric! Seeing my friends and family was very emotional. Saying thank you is not enough for all their support, not just on the day, but during the last year of training.”
“Caio Glyn is very proud. He’s sent lots of messages and videos to get me through the difficult times but he’s the hero in all this. The way he’s handled his diagnosis has been exemplary and I’m so proud of him.”
Carwyn and his family have since raised an incredible £2500 throughout the year, more than double their £750 target. You can still sponsor Carwyn here.
Thank you so much to Carwyn for your incredible efforts this year, all to help us continue to support other families across Wales living with Type 1 diabetes.
Inspired to take on your own challenge for Diabetes UK? You don't need to become an Ironman to make a difference. Find out about our fundraising events.
