SOUTH Pole adventurer, firefighter and Wye rower Georgina Gilbert has just completed a new challenge – running '7 Marathons in 7 Days' as part of the Great World Race in full fire kit!

Just a year after skiing 1,230km across Antarctica with fellow firefighter and former GB rower Rebecca Openshaw-Rowe, the ‘Fire Angels’ duo decided to take on another epic test to further inspire women and girls to break through stereotypes and embrace their full potential.

The twist this time was that Ross Rowing Club's George and Bex – who has coached at Monmouth Rowing Club and also played rugby for Wales – competed in separate locations.

George took on the Seven Counties Challenge, running a marathon each day in Carmarthen, Porthcawl, Cardiff, Liverpool, Manchester, Oxford, and Southampton, while Bex tackled the global Seven Continents Challenge, starting in Antarctica before moving on to Cape Town, Perth, Istanbul, Cartagena, and Miami.

Their shared mission remained the same: to raise funds for The King’s Trust (formerly The Prince’s Trust), which empowers young people to realise their potential.

And adding to the difficulty, George - a firefighter with South Wales Fire and Rescue – ran all 183.4 miles in full fire kit – an additional 10kg of gear!

“The fire kit was non-negotiable,” George says.

“It was about staying true to the message of the Antarctic Fire Angels: showing people that we can overcome the limits we place on ourselves.”

Each day brought new physical and mental challenges, from battling exhaustion, facing extreme weather, to adapting to the restrictive fire kit.

“There were so many moments where stopping would have been the easier option,” she admits. “But I kept reminding myself why I was doing this.”

Her final marathon in Southampton was particularly poignant, ending at Hampshire’s Shirley Towers fire station, where two firefighters lost their lives in 2010.

“Finishing there was incredibly emotional. It reminded me of the bravery and dedication of our firefighting community,” she added.