Anna Bastek, the Swansea based entrepreneur, has swapped the day-to-day challenges of business for the toughest physical endurance challenge of all: the IronMan triathlon.
Miss Bastek, co-founder of Swansea businesses Wolfestone and VoiceBox, was once, by her own admission, the poster girl for a ‘couch potato’. However, she has undertaken a radical transformation in her daily lifestyle. “Last year, I didn’t own a bike, I’d never run a mile and I had a fear of water” says Miss Bastek. However, with the competition just weeks away, she is now preparing herself for a 3.8km swim, followed by a 180km bike ride and, for good measure, an epic 26 mile marathon in Sweden. She has 16 hours to complete it all.
Competing to raise funds for the Welsh cancer charity, Tenovus, Miss Bastek cites her late father as her inspiration: “When my father was 50 he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He died a year later. I know how proud of me he would be for doing this and pushing boundaries. I'd like to help people affected by this horrible disease.”
Describing her new found passion for health and fitness as ‘empowering’, Miss Bastek has been instrumental in encouraging members of her workforce to sign up for physical challenges. She said “It’s now one of my interview questions: Would you run a 10k with me?”
What’s more, her companies - Wolfestone and VoiceBox - are supporting the ambitions of Swansea’s youth through sponsorship of Triathlon Coaching Wales (TCW) by purchasing specialised race suits to aid the development of Swansea’s junior team.
Head of TCW, Rose Jones, said: “We are very grateful for the donation to our Junior Talent Team. Our aims are to develop athletes’ skills and knowledge so that they will improve and progress to National Level.“
Whilst Miss Bastek has set her sights on finishing the IronMan, she is no stranger to accolades for her business acumen having been recognised as Director of The Year, Entrepreneur of the Year and also being featured on the Sunday Times list: Top 35 Under 35.
Competing to raise funds for the Welsh cancer charity, Tenovus, Miss Bastek cites her late father as her inspiration: “When my father was 50 he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He died a year later. I know how proud of me he would be for doing this and pushing boundaries. I'd like to help people affected by this horrible disease.”
Describing her new found passion for health and fitness as ‘empowering’, Miss Bastek has been instrumental in encouraging members of her workforce to sign up for physical challenges. She said “It’s now one of my interview questions: Would you run a 10k with me?”
What’s more, her companies - Wolfestone and VoiceBox - are supporting the ambitions of Swansea’s youth through sponsorship of Triathlon Coaching Wales (TCW) by purchasing specialised race suits to aid the development of Swansea’s junior team.
Head of TCW, Rose Jones, said: “We are very grateful for the donation to our Junior Talent Team. Our aims are to develop athletes’ skills and knowledge so that they will improve and progress to National Level.“
Whilst Miss Bastek has set her sights on finishing the IronMan, she is no stranger to accolades for her business acumen having been recognised as Director of The Year, Entrepreneur of the Year and also being featured on the Sunday Times list: Top 35 Under 35.
