Sarah Ruggins has become the fastest person ever to cycle the length of the UK and back, completing the 2,700km journey from Land’s End to John o’ Groats and back in just five days, 11 hours and 14 minutes. The 37-year-old investment strategist from Gloucestershire beat the previous overall record — set by James MacDonald in 2017 — by six hours and 43 minutes. She also shattered the women’s record by an even more substantial margin: four days, 17 hours, and 40 minutes.
Crossing the finish line at 7.14pm on Friday 16 May with less than eight hours’ sleep under her belt, Ruggins said: “I can’t quite believe that this experience is over – it was so, so hard. The support I experienced across the UK from the moment I set off last Sunday in Scotland both online and in person was incredible; hundreds of people took time out of their day to wave and cheer me and the crew past both on the way down the country and back up again. It’s crazy to know I’ve now finished the thing I set out to do all those months ago.”
Ruggins only began cycling two years ago, having faced injuries when training to break the running record. She had returned to running after having been forced to cut her career short at 15, when she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease – at one point left unable to walk, use her hands or move without assistance. After years of recovery, she began training to run from Land’s End to John o’ Groats, but a series of injuries forced her to pick up a bike instead.
She trained 25–30 hours a week while working full-time as head of investment specialists at the wealth management firm St James’s Place.
Her record-setting ride has so far raised over £14,000 for The Bike Project and Bikes for Refugees, two organisations that support people rebuilding their lives in the UK through cycling.
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Top image credit: James Busby Images