Marine Leleu details rigorous preparation for EXTREME Enduroman triathlon

For plenty of people, completing seven marathons and three Ironman triathlons by the age of 26 years old would be impressive enough.

But with those achievements already under her belt, fitness coach Marine Leleu, has set herself a brand new challenge: to run, swim, and bike a whopping 289 miles across two different countries.

Marine, who grew up in Nantes and is now based in Paris, France, is currently training for an Enduroman, an extreme triathlon that see athletes making their way from Marble Arch in London to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

Goal: Marine Leleu, a coach, fitness influencer, and entrepreneur, has set herself a brand new challenge: to run, swim, and bike a whopping 289 miles across two different countries

Long distance: The athlete, who grew up in Nantes and is now based in Paris, France, is training for an Enduroman, an extreme triathlon that starts in London, UK, and finishes in Paris

Long distance: The athlete, who grew up in Nantes and is now based in Paris, France, is training for an Enduroman, an extreme triathlon that starts in London, UK, and finishes in Paris

The race, considered to be one of the toughest endurance challenges in thew world, spans more than 289 miles, beginning with an 87-mile run (more than three marathons put together) from London to Dover, UK.

It continues with a swim across the English Channel (the shortest distance from one coast to the other is 21 miles, but participants usually swim more than that due to the tides). The race culminates in a 180-mile bike ride from Calais, France, to the Arc de Triomphe.

Only 26 people in the world have completed the challenge since its inception in 2001 (the record for the fastest Enduroman is currently held by Cyril Blanchard, a France native who completed the race in 59 hours and 56 minutes in 2016).

Last year, a man became the first to die while attempting an Enduroman, after experiencing difficulties during his cross-Channel swim.

Marine, however, is not too worried.

The coach first heard about the Enduroman about two and a half years ago, when one of her triathlon buddies told her about it. 

‘I stored it in a corner of my mind, and I came back to it after completing my Ironman races, because I wanted to tackle a challenge that would be a little bit crazier,’ she told the DailyMail.com.

Marine is now due to start her own Enduroman during the last week of June.

Trailblazers: Only 26 people in the world have completed the challenge since its inception in 2001. If Marine finishes her Enduroman, she will be the seventh woman to do so

Trailblazers: Only 26 people in the world have completed the challenge since its inception in 2001. If Marine finishes her Enduroman, she will be the seventh woman to do so

Preparation: Marine believes the swimming leg of the race to be the most difficult, and has spent long hours training in the pool as well as in cold waters

Preparation: Marine believes the swimming leg of the race to be the most difficult, and has spent long hours training in the pool as well as in cold waters

For comparison, an Ironman consists in a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile run (the distance of a marathon). The total works out at 140.6 miles—less than half an Enduroman.

What motivated Marine to tackle the intimidating Enduroman, she said, was her craving for a larger-scale project, and her desire to start an adventure she would share with ‘plenty of people’.

Marine, who has 394,000 followers on Instagram and more than 217,000 followers on YouTube, posts regular updates about her demanding training regimen. Earlier this week, she ran 68 miles (more than two marathons) in 15 hours and 45 minutes as part of a training run, sharing photos and videos of the session on her Instagram Story.

Around the 62-mile mark, Marine, who was struggling, experienced a second wind and started running with gusto again.

‘I have my energy back! I don’t know what’s going on,’ she told her followers in an excited update. ‘I’ve reached 64 miles and I’ll go for 68. My legs are back! I’m running!’

When she finally finished her 68th mile, Marine, who received in-person support from one of her fellow influencers during the run, thanked her followers for their encouraging messages.

Comments later popped up on her feed, calling her a ‘champion’, praising her for her ‘unbelievable’ 68-mile feat, and advising her to get some well-deserved rest.

The online community Marine has built has become a key part of her support system in her journey to the Enduroman.

Community: What motivated Marine to tackle the Enduroman was her craving for a larger-scale project, and her desire to start an adventure she would share with 'plenty of people'

Community: What motivated Marine to tackle the Enduroman was her craving for a larger-scale project, and her desire to start an adventure she would share with ‘plenty of people’

Schedule: On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Marine focuses on running and biking, while she typically swims on Tuesdays and Thursdays, as well as on weekends

Schedule: On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Marine focuses on running and biking, while she typically swims on Tuesdays and Thursdays, as well as on weekends

Marine, who created her YouTube channel three years ago, started out as an exercise coach with a social media presence as a side gig. Throughout her Enduroman preparation, she has had to adjust her professional schedule to make time for her demanding training regimen.

In addition to her 68-mile training run, she has recently documented a three-hour swim in a swimming pool and several sessions in the sea—at one point diving into 48°F water in preparation for the cold Channel.

Her training routine, she said, varies every week. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Marine focuses on running and biking, while she typically swims on Tuesdays and Thursdays, as well as on weekends.

‘I don’t really have a typical weekly schedule. It depends on what I do based on the pain, on how sore I am,’ she said. ‘I don’t have a specific program but every week includes cycling, swimming and running.’

To make up for her countless hours of activity, Marine has had to up her nutrition, consuming plenty of calories to cover her energetic needs. She has also voluntarily gained weight to ensure she will be warm enough while swimming in the Channel’s chilly waters.

Marine, who has struggled with disordered eating in the past, acknowledged in a YouTube video that seeing her body change has been hard at times.

In the clip, she showed that her six-pack abs aren’t as visible as they used to be—a natural consequence of gaining fat, which will keep her warm as she attempts to swim across the Channel.

Chilly: Marine has recently documented a three-hour swim in a swimming pool and several sessions in the sea—at one point diving into 48°F water in preparation for the cold Channel

Chilly: Marine has recently documented a three-hour swim in a swimming pool and several sessions in the sea—at one point diving into 48°F water in preparation for the cold Channel

Signs: The coach knows that the challenge  is risky. She said she is learning how to listen to her body to make sure she knows when to pull out of the race if needed

Signs: The coach knows that the challenge is risky. She said she is learning how to listen to her body to make sure she knows when to pull out of the race if needed

‘I’ve always struggled a bit with my weight,’ she told her viewers. ‘I don’t talk about it a lot but I coped with disordered eating when I was younger and it’s still a little bit present. So it’s never easy to see your body change, let’s say, negatively. At first, gaining weight drove me crazy. It was horrible. But I realized I really needed it. And I think it’s nice—it’s one more step towards achieving my project.’

The athlete, who munched on sweet potatoes and fruit puree during her 68-mile training run, knows that solid nutrition is key to sustain her training. 

‘You need good nutrition to compensate the energy you burn, but also to help your muscles heal and avoid injuries as well as dehydration,’ she told the DailyMail.com. ‘Naturally, I eat a good amount of calories every day. I try to change things up and get them through breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but most of all, through a lot of snacks.’

Sleep, too, plays an important part in helping her bounce back after arduous training sessions. Marine has been taking ‘a lot of naps’ and going to bed ‘very early’ to ensure she recuperates properly.

To top it all off, she works with a physiotherapist and occasionally  undergoes cryotherapy, which reduces inflammation and is believed to help athletes with soreness.

Among the three legs of the race—running, swimming, and cycling—Marine views swimming as the most challenging.

‘There are so many parameters to take into account. There’s the distance, the cold, equipment, technique, and nutrition,’ she said.

Further and further: Marine has completed three Ironman triathlons. Each of them works out at 140.6 miles—less than half an Enduroman

Further and further: Marine has completed three Ironman triathlons. Each of them works out at 140.6 miles—less than half an Enduroman

Standards: In order to qualify for an Enduroman, solo athletes such as Marine must complete a six-hour swim in water no warmer than 60°F

Standards: In order to qualify for an Enduroman, solo athletes such as Marine must complete a six-hour swim in water no warmer than 60°F

‘I am used to running. Of course, the running part is still huge. I’ve never done 87 miles, so I’m not discounting that. But I think the swimming leg is the hardest, especially since you can’t control the weather.’

If she completes the Enduroman, Marine will be the seventh woman to do so. The first, a Royal Air Force officer named Rachael Cadman, finished the race in 97 hours and 37 minutes back in 2011.

In 2017, Enduroman history took a tragic turn after Douglas Waymark, a passionate athlete from Cheltenham, England, passed away during his attempt to complete the challenge.

I can tell the difference between moments when I want to stop because I’m fed up, and moments when my body’s suffering and I must stop

Reports stated at the time that Douglas passed out while trying to swim across the Channel and was airlifted to a hospital, where he later died.

Marine knows that the challenge she’s about to tackle is risky. She said she is learning how to listen to her body to make sure she knows when to pull out of the race if needed.

‘Of course I’m aware of the risks,’ she said. ‘It’s a huge challenge that represents a lot of training and a lot of commitment.’

Last year, Marine took part in a 44-mile race in Lyon and pulled out at mile 31 when her knee started hurting.

The event became a learning experience in terms of testing her body’s limits.

‘I think now I can tell the difference between those moments when I want to stop because I’m fed up, and those moments when my body’s suffering and I must stop,’ she said.

‘For example, in the water, if I feel that my body is not doing well, I will decide to stop, and I will be very happy to have made it this far.’

Enjoy: 'I think a lot of people think what I'm going to do is horrible and very hard, but I think I'm quite lucky I have the capability of doing it,' Marine said

Enjoy: ‘I think a lot of people think what I’m going to do is horrible and very hard, but I think I’m quite lucky I have the capability of doing it,’ Marine said

Rest: Sleep plays an important part in helping her bounce back after training sessions. Marine has been taking 'a lot of naps' and going to bed 'very early' to ensure she recuperates

Rest: Sleep plays an important part in helping her bounce back after training sessions. Marine has been taking ‘a lot of naps’ and going to bed ‘very early’ to ensure she recuperates

When the going gets tough, for example during arduous training sessions, Marine thinks of all the previous workouts she has completed, using them as evidence that she can get through the current one too.

But while most people might think of an Enduroman as a grueling ordeal, the athlete believes she is lucky she is able to attempt one.

‘I think a lot of people think what I’m going to do is horrible and very hard, but I think I’m quite lucky I have the capability of doing it,’ she said. ‘This is what motivates me, the idea of being able to achieve that goal.’

In order to qualify for an Enduroman, solo athletes such as Marine must provide evidence that they are used to swimming, running, and biking long distances.

Specifically, in the year of their Enduroman attempt, they must complete a six-hour swim in water no warmer than 60°F—though the race’s website warns that ‘in no way’ should this be considered an appropriate indicator of someone’s ability to swim across the Channel.

Marine, who has been training for months (she completed the Paris marathon in April this year and kept going after crossing the finish line to reach 32.4 miles instead of the usual 26.2) has witnessed the effects of her preparation both on her body and mind. 

Athlete: Marine, who has been training for months, has witnessed the effects of her preparation both on her body and mind

Athlete: Marine, who has been training for months, has witnessed the effects of her preparation both on her body and mind

‘I’ve evolved a lot mentally,’ she said. ‘I think I have a mental strength that’s building up from one session to the next. Sometimes, I don’t necessarily realize it, but a little later, I realize during a session that in the past I would have given up or stopped sooner.

‘My body does better with long distances as I increase my mileage. I feel it in my heart, too. I’m making a lot of progress.’

Those around her, she said, weren’t that surprised when she announced she would tackled the  289-plus-mile race, because they’re used to seeing her pushing herself further and further.

‘I took time to explain to them what [the Enduroman] is, and they immediately supported me,’ she said. ‘That’s what I thought was really great. My loved ones are really supportive of me for this.’

In April, Marine shared a video encouraging her viewers not to compare themselves to others on social media, and specifically not to put down their accomplishments after hearing about her own athletic endeavors. 

To those who would like to set themselves a challenge—whatever the distance may be—she recommended staying focused and believing in themselves.

‘I think you have to have faith, and also be aware that your challenge will be difficult but everything is possible,’ she said.

‘You have to do what is needed to achieve it and stay focused on this project instead of getting side-tracked, and have plans that are achievable for you.’



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