Antarctic Fire Angels in 7 day marathon challenge

Georgina Gilbert and Rebecca Openshaw-Rowe are full-time south Wales firefighters

Completing a marathon just once in your life is no mean feat, but how about running seven marathons in seven days?

For Georgina 'George' Gilbert and Rebecca Openshaw-Rowe, two firefighters from south Wales, the task is not challenging enough, they aim to run in full fire kit.

Only 11 months ago the pair returned from pioneering a new route across the south pole. The expedition followed a gruelling 53 day ski across the Antarctic from the Union Glacier to Constellation Inlet.

The pair suffered many trials and tribulations during their journey, with Gilbert battling through injury.

But they were motivated by their message to “change the narrative of what it means to be a girl”, eventually completing the expedition in January 2024.

'I scare myself sometimes'

“We’re just real normal women and yes, we’re doing all these crazy things, but we’re just trying to be great role models for women and girls,” ex-Wales rugby international Openshaw-Rowe told BBC Sport Wales.

“It’s amazing how far you can push your body when you’ve got this big ultimate goal to go, and I think the mind is so strong.”

Gilbert added: “I actually scare myself sometimes, how much I am willing to put myself through.

“We risked our lives to prove our point."

You would think after all they had been through the pair would be happy to put their feet up, at least for a while.

“After we got back from Antarctica we said we are never doing anything like this again, we are just going to chill out on the sofa," Openshaw-Rowe joked.

But just three weeks later The Great World race popped up on social media and they decided to go for it.

Divide and conquer

Gilbert and Openshaw-Rowe fly the Welsh flag after completing their south pole expedition

This adventure will be different though, no longer will the women be side by side, they will be competing from different locations, but their message remains very much the same.

Openshaw-Rowe, who has never run a full marathon before, will complete her races across the world starting back in Antarctica before going onto Cape Town, Perth, Istanbul, Cartagena and finishing in Miami.

Gilbert will be running the same distances in the UK, starting at Carmarthen velodrome and then onto Porthcawl, Cardiff, Liverpool, Manchester and Oxford before her last leg in Southampton.

The decision to run separately was due to fundraising difficulties, with Gilbert saying: “We have got enough for one, but not enough for two."

Openshaw-Rowe said: “It has been a little bit of a mindset change for me... going on my own around the world, because obviously we always thought we’d be going together.”

Gilbert and Openshaw-Rowe are Ambassadors for 2Wish, UK Fire Cadets and Girl Guiding

The women have been training for their epic 183.5 mile run in full fire kit, with Openshaw-Rowe saying she has received plenty of support in Porthcawl.

“People have looked at me going, 'where’s the fire?',” she joked.

With over 30 years’ experience between them in the fire service, the pair have become accustomed to the difficulties of being female in male-dominated environments.

Explaining their decision to run the marathons in kit, Gilbert said: “It was never about making it harder, it was purely about the visibility.

“It's to raise the profile of female firefighters and challenge stereotypes.”

Openshaw-Rowe hopes to get in touch with the Miami firefighters before her final race so they can show their support on the finish line.

They will begin their seven marathons on Friday, 15 November.