Maria Leijerstam

Private and Professional Life

Maria was born in Aberdare, Wales, in 1978. Her parents, Adrianne and Anders Leijerstam had emigrated in the early 1970s from Sweden to the UK. During her childhood Maria played tennis, hockey and netball.

After studying mathematics at Plymouth University, Maria worked as a consultant for Siemens, BAE Systems and Ford. She lived in Germany and Sweden for several years at a time, before moving back to Wales where she now lives with her partner Wayne Edy, founder of the running shoe manufacturer Inov-8.

Sports

During her time at Plymouth University Maria used the sports facilities of the University Officers Training Corps, a youth organisation of the British Army. It was here during her training that she became an enthusiastic outdoor athlete. She learnt over the years various outdoor, water and winter sports, including long-distance running (single and double marathon, ultramarathon) mountaineering, hiking and trekking, skiing, cycling, multisport, canoeing, sailing and rally racing.

Maria has been successful in taking part in competitions all over the world. Among her many successes are: the Canoe Marathon Devizes to Westminster International (2014), the multi-sport adventure race Patagonian Expedition Race (2013), the Surf Ski Race Rhoose Ski Race (2012), the Triathlon Ironman UK (2010), the Rally Car Racing Land Rover G4 Challenge (2009), the Multisport Race Three Peaks Yacht Race (2008) and the Turas World Adventure Race (2008).

In 2007 Maria became the first Welsh woman to complete the Marathon des Sables (aka. Sahara Marathon) where she ran six marathons in seven days, battling extreme high temperatures.

In 2012 she became the first woman to complete the Siberian Black Ice Race, cycling across Lake Baikal, the longest and deepest frozen freshwater lake in the world.

White Ice Cycle

At the end of 2013 Maria Leijerstam gained a Guinness World Record by launching on an expedition known as the White Ice Cycle, becoming the first person in the world to reach the South Pole by cycling. She also holds the record for the fastest trip from the edge of the Antarctic continent to the South Pole using purely muscle strength.

Leijerstam completed the almost-650 km route from the Ross Ice Shelf on the edge of the Antarctic to the South Pole in just over 10 days. During the trip she followed the South Pole Traverse, which lead her on a steep climb through the Transantarctic Mountains, over the 2941m high Leverett Glacier and 500 km above the Antarctic plateau. Whilst riding, the team fought against extreme cold, strong winds and snow drifts on the track amongst other adversities.

A custom-built recumbent trike called the Polar Cycle made by Inspired Cycle Engineering (ICE) helped Maria secure her record, while her rivals chose the standard upright bike and took almost 4 weeks longer than Leijerstam to reach the summit. The 4.5 inch wide balloon tires, a modified gear shift and mounted skids under the front wheels allowed Maria to pass through snowdrifts and climb steep inclines with ease.

Future Goals

In April 2016 Maria will take on the North Pole, running a marathon at the floating airbase 111 km from the True North Pole before cycling the rest of the way. She hopes to complete the most extreme Duathlon in the world and receive another World First.

Burn Series

Maria also runs a multi-sport company, Burn Series. The adventure racing events held across South Wales are both a challenge and for fun, with the Mini Burn, a shorter and more diverse ‘triathlon’, aimed towards families. The events consist of running, mountain biking, kayaking and orienteering. The Mini Burn is the only race in the adventure race in the UK where both parents and children can compete together.