Claudia is the holder of six Ultramarathon World Records. She also holds a Guiness World Record for the fastest marathon in a non-racing wheelchair by a female. In 2019, Claudia was the inaugural winner of the Dan Porter award for her phenomenal contributions to sports at St Mary’s.
How did St Mary’s influence your journey into sports?
I was at St Mary’s for six years, starting in 2013. I was very interested in sports and when I visited the University for an open day, what really attracted me was the athletics track. I thought how cool it was to be in an environment where everyone was interested in sports. At St Mary’s, the opportunity to take part in a wide range of sports was amazing, and I played frisbee, badminton, table tennis and various other sports whilst at university.
You have multiple degrees from St Mary’s, a BA in Physical and Sport Education and a MA Education. How did your degree prepare you for what you do now?
Initially, I opted to study Physical Education because I wanted to become a PE teacher, but my degree offered so many other avenues. I particularly enjoyed performance analysis and sports development and realised quickly that sport development was the avenue for me. I worked in sport development with Sports St Mary’s, particularly on disability sports, even though I was able bodied then.
It was during my master's, after becoming a wheelchair user and seeing how it impacted my life, that I deeply connected with disability and it became my passion. This propelled me to study the accessibility of sports in higher education for my master’s. Working with Sports St Mary’s equipped me with valuable skills for my job at Harlequins Rugby Club, where I helped establish the Harlequin Wheelchair Rugby Club, and where I still volunteer.
How did the University have an impact on your academic and athletic journey?
When I finished my bachelor’s, I was not sure what I wanted to do and so chose to do a master’s degree. During the first year of my master’s, my health deteriorated, leading to me becoming a wheelchair user. Because I was at university, I had such a supportive environment, whereas if that experience had happened to me elsewhere, I would have struggled to have accessed as much support.
Out of the six Ultramarathon world records you hold, which was the most challenging and why?
I achieved six world records in a single event. I raced 100 miles around an athletics track in my racing wheelchair, which took 14hrs 44 seconds. I achieved the record for the fastest 100 miles, 50 miles, 50 km, 100km, most distance covered in 6 hours and most distance covered in 12 hours. So essentially it was one big day pushing around in circles, but I think back to it now and it was awesome! It was only a year ago. Whilst in the race I wasn’t thinking much about the records. I knew there were world records up for grabs as it was something not many had done before, but I was doing it for a personal challenge.
Can you share some of the mental strategies that you employ for difficult races?
I think probably one of my greatest strengths as an athlete is my mental resilience. Whilst I was at university my mum passed away and then I had to adapt to life as a wheelchair user. So, there was a lot going on that was hard to overcome, and I was struggling with my mental health too. However, every time I faced a new challenge, I reminded myself I’ve overcome worse. This mindset keeps me motivated and drives me to push beyond my limits, I think in disability sport, everyone has a lot of mental resilience because they will have overcome a lot of challenges.
Are there any upcoming events or races that you’re preparing for?
I recently participated in The Big Half in London, finishing fourth in an elite race which was fantastic. Another notable event is the Comradesrace in South Africa. It’s a grueling 90-kilometer race near Durban. I’ve participated twice now, and while challenging, the supportive atmosphere is unmatched. This October, I participated in the Chicago Marathon using my day chair. I am aiming to complete all six of the world’s major marathons without specialised equipment. I think it is important to show that you don’t have to have all this specialist equipment to be able to reach your goals.