Our relationship has always been built on movement — whether that’s across countries, through finish lines, or just sprinting for the last almond croissant on a Sunday morning.

It all started back in London: Tom playing rugby, Arna running and Handball, and Arna pretending to go to matches for moral support (but mostly for the drinks with the other WAGs). When Tom hung up his boots, he decided retirement sounded boring — so naturally, he signed up for an Ironman.

His first one? Ironman 70.3 Mallorca, with just four weeks’ notice after Covid kept cancelling everything. Arna came along to support — and ended up with a night in Magaluf fuelled by free shots, followed by the infamous “Bacon. Sandwich.” demand the next morning.

Then came Ironman Barcelona — 13 hours of racing for a grand total of about five minutes of actual eye contact between them, ending with sweaty hugs and slightly too much Ironman merch (Tom wanted to make sure no one forgot he did one).

Next was the 12-hour car ride across the Omani desert to Salalah for another 70.3. No bathrooms. No snacks. But plenty of questionable singing and “are we nearly there yet?” moments.

For every race, Arna has been there — the little smiley sheep cheering on the sidelines, always ready for a hug at the finish. And when she decided to start running more seriously, Tom became her coach — shouting motivation during her first half marathon (“Go Arna!”), only for her to shout back at kilometre 17, “Shut up!” (One lady nearby appreciated it, though.)

Of course, Arna’s no stranger to competition herself. Back in London, she played handball — known on court as the “smiling assassin.” Always sweet off the pitch, but quietly terrifying on it. She represented Chelsea Handball, much to the despair of her dad — a lifelong Arsenal supporter. Let’s just say, if you’re smaller than Arna and not paying attention, you’ll probably end up on the floor.

Now, Sunday mornings are their thing — long runs along the river in London, the beaches of Dubai, the hills of Kirkby Lonsdale, or the quiet stretches of desert — always ending with a coffee and an almond croissant.

Because whether it’s Ironmans, handball matches, half marathons, or just the race for brunch, they’ve always been each other’s biggest supporters (and occasional hecklers).

T&A

Wedding Day