Ash Dykes is an explorer, extreme athlete, motivational speaker and three x World First Record Holder. Owain Gwynedd chats to the Welshmen about his amazing career in this podcast for 218 Events. Ash recently head-lined global news by becoming the first person to hike the entire length of the Yangtze River in China. A 4,000-mile journey that took him 352 days to complete, he faced bears, altitude, wolves, landslides, blizzards and had to send 10 of the 16 team members (that joined him for short stints at different locations) home, due to altitude sickness, fear of wildlife and/or injury. In 2014, Ash became the first ever recorded person to hike across Mongolia solo and unsupported, covering over 1,500 miles in 78 days. He trekked over the Altai Mountains, through the Gobi Desert and the Mongolian Steppe, all whilst pulling a wheeled trailer weighing 120kg, carrying everything needed to survive. Sir Ranulph Fiennes described it as being “an example of great determination, to achieve something that’s becoming harder all the time, an adventuring ‘first’, which would have proved both physically and mentally challenging”. In 2016, Ash achieved his second world record by becoming the first person to walk the entire length of Madagascar’s interior, whilst summiting its eight highest Mountains. An expedition of over 1,600 miles, taking 155 days to complete and faced many challenges, from being held up by the military, avoiding bandits, contracting the deadliest form of Malaria, crossing croc infested rivers, hacking through near impenetrable jungle during the cyclone season and much more. Ash has done all this before he's 30. Owain Gwynedd is a TV presenter with S4C and Premier Sports and a Director of 218 Events. Full podcast video - https://youtu.be/MBTciw8hQ4A
