SEAN CONWAY IS A MAN ON A MISSION. SPECIFICALLY, A MISSION TO COMPLETE 102 FULL-DISTANCE TRIATHLONS IN 102 DAYS. INTRIGUED TO DISCOVER MORE ABOUT THE BEARDED ADVENTURER’S CURRENT TASK AND FIND OUT WHAT’S FUELLING HIM, 220 JOINED HIS CREW FOR DAY 58…
WORDS ROB SLADE IMAGES JUSTIN FLETCHER
102 IRONS IN 102 DAYS
For most of us, cycling around the world would be a decent enough achievement that we could dine out on for the rest of our lives. But not for Sean Conway. After doing that in 2012 (including 12,000 out of 16,000 miles done with a compression fracture on his spine), he decided to swim the length of Britain the following year. A 4,200-mile triathlon around the coast of Britain followed in 2016 and two years later he set the record for the fastest solo ride across Europe. If we had the space, we’d be listing over a dozen other adventures, too.
An endurance athlete in every sense of the word, Sean’s latest challenge is to break the Iron Cowboy’s record of 101 full-distance triathlons on consecutive days, raising money for True Venture (a foundation that’s determined to help children try, love and stick to sport).
The bearded adventurer’s first attempt ended prematurely in 2022 after a bike accident and injury led to him pulling out after just over a week. This time, thankfully, things are going infinitely better. By the time 220 joins his crew for a day, he’s well past the halfway mark. Not only that, but he’s getting faster… ←
4:29AM DAY 58 IS A GO
Sean’s alarm goes off to signal the start of day 58. He climbs out of bed, throws on a hoody and clambers into Colonel Mustard, his beloved yellow Land Rover Defender. Sat beside him in the driver’s seat is Justin Fletcher, a long-time friend who’s flown over from South Africa to support Sean throughout the 102 days and photograph the challenge. Before Sean’s even woken up, Justin’s got his first calories of the day ready – roughly a litre of oats with chia and honey, plus a banana.
The pair arrive at Mold Leisure Centre after a short drive, where eight members of public are waiting to swim with Sean, as they’re able to once a week. Today’s morning crew, triathlon coach and tree surgeon Chris De Rycke, arrived earlier. He’s already set out a lane, laid out all of Sean’s kit and prepped the nutrition. Sean walks in wearing pyjamas under that hoody. By 4:56 he’s bare-chested, clad in buoyancy shorts and gently lowering himself into the pool with his ‘Day 58’ swim cap on.
One of those also in the pool today is James Farndon. It’s not his first time supporting Sean, as he’s been involved in around
