Guests of the M4 Business Network were given the chance to discover the inspirational stories of a real-life Welsh adventurer, as ultramarathon runner and award-winning TV presenter Lowri Morgan took to the stage to emphasise the importance of planning, plodding, and rising from failure on the road to success.

Speaking to more than160 business leaders at the breakfast event at the Celtic Manor Resort, Lowri shared stories of deep sea dives to the Titanic, times spent living with Namibian tribes in the Namib desert, and her immense experiences of ultramarathons in the Amazon Forest and across the Arctic.

Lowri is one of only a few people in the world to complete the 6633 Ultra in the Arctic – a notoriously difficult 350-mile non-stop footrace in conditions reaching -70C.

The completion of those races required Lowri to endure fractured feet, lost toenails, and stepping on hornets’ nests in the Amazon, but she explained that success was dependent on mental preparation and planning as much as it is physical fitness.

She said: “In those races, nobody plans to fail. People drop out because they fail to plan.”

Lowri urged business leaders at the M4 Business Network event not to be perturbed by the risk of failure.

“Failure can sometimes be a good thing; it’s not fatal. Lessons taken from failure can become an integral tool in building for success,” she said.

Commenting on her gruelling training regime, which included sessions with the Armed Forces, Lowri said: “I was fit enough to run those races, I was mentally strong enough, but working with the army exposed weaknesses in managing my ‘systems’ – anything from working my portable kettle to tying shoelaces in below-freezing conditions.

“I had to practice those systems over and over, blindfolded, until they became almost second nature. It’s that old tortoise and hare thing. Be a plodder; you don’t have to sprint to achieve your goals.”

Despite being an experienced runner, Lowri was understandably anxious ahead of the Jungle Ultra Marathon in the Amazon.

She said: “My mother gave me a card before I left, within which she’d written, ‘Glory is not by falling, but in the rise when we do fall’. That helped me pick myself up when the going got tough. I finished in the top 10 of that race.”

That motherly advice has served her well through a career that has seen Lowri receive a BAFTA Cymru Award and Royal acknowledgement for services to adventure and exploration. She’s also celebrated being part of the first ever all-female team to win the Three Peaks Yacht Race last year.

Paul Byett, chairman of the M4 Business Network and managing partner of its main sponsor, UHY Hacker Young, said: “Lowri is an inspiration, we couldn’t have asked for a better speaker to cap a highly successful year for the Network, and its growing membership.

“Her achievements, both in a sporting capacity and throughout her career, are a true demonstration of what can be achieved through determination, preparation, and self-motivation. These qualities are present throughout our membership, and I know Lowri’s messages have resonated with everyone here today."

For more information on the M4 Business Network visit www.m4businessnetwork.org or contact Paul Byett at UHY Hacker Young on 01633 213318.