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THEY'VE BRAVED EVERYTHING FROM MARATHONS TO IRONMANS, BUT MUMS LAURA AND ELISE ARE TAKING ON THEIR BIGGEST CHALLENGE YET ADAM GASTON 04:00, 02 Feb 2025 Two challenge-busting Cardiff

mums are set to take on their biggest yet by taking on a massive sea swim thousands of miles away. Laura Crandon and Elise Emmerson are taking on a mammoth charity swim in San Francisco,

braving freezing water, strong currents and potentially the odd sea lion. The event, which will take place on the May 19, is one of the biggest of its kind in the world with thousands

attempting it each year. The two-mile swim from Alcatraz Island to St Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco has an average depth of 43 feet, in bitterly cold sub-13F temperatures. For

reference, that is a distance equivalent of 128 lengths of a 25-metre pool. Laura and Elise, of Whitchurch in Cardiff, have known each other for more than 10 years through their children and

have since taken up fitness challenges of all levels including 5km runs, marathons and completing the Ironman Wales competition in 2022. Now they will take part in a 25-person team led by

Velindre Charity ambassador Dave Tonge, who convinced the pair to take part in the challenge, as well as patron and Welsh rugby legend Shane Williams in the charities first ever overseas

swim. Velindre Cancer Centre provide vital treatment, care and support to cancer patients and their families in Wales. Speaking about why they've decided to take on the challenge, Laura

said: “My dad passed away with prostate cancer six years ago and my mum is currently going through cancer treatment. As a family member you know the impact that it has on families "I

have heard really great things about Velindre with the services they provide as well as the wide-ranging support for patients and their families. I just think it’s a good charity to do it

for. That’s why we agreed to do this crazy thing!” Elise, a clinical advisor for Macmillan Cancer Support who works part-time as a community primary care lead for Velindre Cancer Centre,

said: “Statistically, one out of two of us will get cancer during our lifetime so you want the best possible care for everyone. I’m a GP and I want my patients, my friends, family and myself

if it comes to it, to have the best possible chance of being cured of cancer. "To do that Velindre need money to fund research, so it was a no brainer for me in terms of the appeal of

the charity to raise money for. Velindre is well respected in Wales, and we are keen to support them." Laura said she was “initially absolutely terrified" when she agreed to the

challenge and said: “We’ve done swims in Tenby, but this is completely out of our comfort zone. Elise hates the cold!” Training is well underway with cold water swimming in Pontylido and

open water swimming in Barry and Elise has even got a ice water tub in preparation for San Francisco's chilly waters. But the pair admitted it will be hard to replicate the real

experience on the day. “It is more the unknown for me. When you are training for a marathon, it is a lot less of a slog," Laura said. "An Ironman is a slog, but you can go down to

Tenby, swim in the sea and do some of the course. "For this, it is the unknown. Literally being dropped off in a boat and swimming home. It’s daunting. Training in Tenby can be cold,

but nothing compared to what it’s going to be in San Francisco. I am terrified of sea creatures. If I see a jellyfish, I’ll probably have a heart attack." Elise added: "I’ve been

told there could be some sea lions apparently, but we are hoping that the people that swim with us will knock them away or alert us to them. I don’t fancy getting eaten by a sea lion. For

anything like the Ironman or marathon you could do it together. With this swim there is going to be a lot of independent variables thrown at you." Setting off on May 17, they have set a

target of raising £6,000, aiming to raise three quarters of that money before the end of February. As part of that fundraising effort the women will run one mile every hour for 24 hours

around Whitchurch, aiming to finish in Cardiff before the start of the Wales v Ireland Six Nations rugby match on February 22. Article continues below “We might do it with swimming hats and

Velindre t-shirts with our QR codes on the back to raise awareness. Hopefully people feel in a generous mood before the game!” said Elise. Check out their fundraising page at

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