An endurance adventurer has passed the half way mark of his 102 triathlons in 102 days challenge. Sean Conway, an endurance athlete, motivational speaker and author, is attempting to be the first person to complete 102 Iron Man triathlons consecutively. Sean, 42, was born in Zimbabwe, moved to South Africa and now lives in Flintshire with his wife and two children.
Currently on day 54 of his 102 day challenge, Sean is aiming to beat the 101 days record set by American James Lawrence in 2021. He will be attempting to complete an Iron Man ultra-endurance triathlon each day which includes a 2.4 miles (3.8km) swim, a cycle of 112 miles (180km) and run 26.2 miles (42km) daily for 102 days, which typically takes 15 hours to complete. In total he will have to swim 244.8 miles, ride 11,424 miles, and run 2,672.4 miles.
This is not the first world record he has set his mind to - he has obtained multiple athletic records. In 2016 he secured the record for the world's longest continuous triathlon of 4,200 miles, he was also the first person to swim the length of Britain and he also achieved the world record for the fastest sail of the length of Britain in 83 hours and 53 minutes.
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His first attempt at the Iron102 challenge in 2022 did not end in success, as he faced an injury to his ankle after coming off his bike, forcing him to quit. But that did not injure his spirit and now he is on his 54th day of cycling, swimming and running, with supporters joining alongside him at each leg.
This week he told the BBC: "In the first couple of weeks, lack of sleep was an issue, my body just didn't want to shut down at the end of the day and I would wake up at 2am, two hours before my alarm was due to go off.
"I got into a rhythm around day 14, as momentum built on my social media. It meant more people joined me for the swim, cycle and run which gave me a real boost.
"At the moment, one of the most difficult parts has been eating 8,000 calories a day, I feel full constantly but just need to get fuel in me. I feel strong and ready to smash the next 51 days."
For this adventure, Sean is supporting the True Venture Foundation and encouraging people to donate to the sporting charity that helps support sports clubs in north Wales. People are able to donate by purchasing different items from Sean, such as a signed Iron102 race number for £20, a personalised video message from Sean himself for £50 or you could even get your name tattooed on Sean's bum for £45,000. Currently on day 54, with only 48 days left, Sean is over half way through his adventure, and if all goes well he should finish on July 20.
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