Geraint

Welsh 3000s Ultramarathon

Geraint successfully completed the Welsh 3000s, on a day with beautiful weather and spectacular views. Geraint raised an incredible £5,298.12 for PSC Support. Thank you, Geraint!

"I found out I have PSC under the worst circumstances. In October 2019 I turned yellow (jaundiced) because my common bile duct was scarred and blocked, and I needed an emergency procedure. I didn’t know what was happening; one day I was fine, the next my GP was telling me to pack a bag and go to hospital. A week later, I was on the table for an ERCP, which thankfully went well. The whole process was terrifying; the more common causes of jaundice were tested for and excluded until finally my consultant told me I have PSC. In the weeks after, I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis too. It all felt like a nightmare I wasn’t able to wake up from, going from ‘fit and healthy’ to having handfuls of pills to take, and for months afterwards I had panic attacks. So far since then, I’ve been lucky; I have a great consultant who has me on all the right screenings and check-ups, my ulcerative colitis is controlled and my PSC seems like it is too, but with this disease it’s really down to chance. It could all change tomorrow, and plenty of people have to face transplant or other complications. The uncertainty about the future is the hardest thing for many of us.

After I was diagnosed, I felt like control of my life had been taken away, and I decided that I was going to do everything I could to get control back. Part of that was reaching out to PSC Support and getting real, trustworthy facts about my disease, which really helped cut through the misinformation out there. Speaking to the team at the PSC Information Day (pre-pandemic) helped me come to terms with my condition.

PSC Support funds PSC research, provides information and offers a fantastic support network for people who need it. They've been brilliant. The charity is small and solely funded by voluntary donations, this is why fundraising events are vital to the charity and why I’ve decided to do my own.

I've always wanted to walk the Welsh 3000s; the 15 (ish, depending on who you ask) Welsh peaks higher than 3000 ft altitude. In June 2021, I RAN them - 32+ miles, 4000 m of ascent. I started on Snowdon's summit at sunrise, the knife-edge arete of Crib Goch was followed by the Glyderau massif and all the sub-peaks on it, with Tryfan's western gully as the quickest way down to Llyn Ogwen. Then, it was the quad-killing Pen Yr Ole Wen back up onto the Carneddau, then a long run to the final peak of Foel Fras. A slow and wobbly walk downhill to my final meet-up with my support crew (my wife Sarah) and a well-earned cup of coffee.