Man breaks record with 102 triathlons in a row

An adventurer has set a new world record by completing 102 ultra endurance triathlons in 102 days.

Sean Conway, from Flintshire, succeeded in the last leg of his extreme physical challenge on Thursday, which saw him swim 2.4 miles, cycle 112 miles and run a marathon every day since 10 April.

He began the challenge at Mold Leisure Centre at 05:00 BST every day, returning home about 14 hours later.

He said: “I remember thinking back in April, ‘Wow! July is a long way away’. So to finally be here is actually quite nice.”

The 43-year-old said it had been "the toughest three months of my life".

"I wouldn’t wish what I’ve been through on my worst enemy but I’m so proud of what the team and I have achieved," he added.

Sean is hoping to raise £102,000 for True Venture Foundation, a charity which improves access to sport for young people.

Over the past 14-and-a-half weeks, he has endured torrential rain, blazing sun and battled through chest infections and various muscle strain injuries.

To fuel his incredible feat, he has consumed between 6,000 and 8,000 calories each day in pots of double cream, Welsh cakes, biltong, bananas, cheese, lots of pasta meals, vegetables and protein - with his favourite evening meal being steak.

On day two, he nearly missed the 17-hour ultra endurance triathlon cut-off time by a matter of minutes and worried he “might have bitten off more than I can chew”.

The 102 days of highs and lows culminated in a world record winning moment for Sean Conway

Sean said another highlight of his adventure was receiving a letter of support from the Prince of Wales.

“He was just thanking me for the work I’ve been doing with True Venture Foundation, so that was a nice surprise in the post,” he said.

“I hope to inspire a new generation of ultra-endurance athletes. I couldn’t have done it without my dedicated support crew and the incredible backing of the community that followed the challenge on the road and online. You kept me going and I can’t thank you enough.”

Sean was greeted by his wife Caroline and members of the community as he completed the cycling leg of day 102

On Thursday, the father-of-two had not decided whether to continue his daily triathlons, adding that it might not go down well with his wife Caroline.

“I think I need to speak to my lovely wife who’s been solo parenting for three and a half months,” he said.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if she said tomorrow she’s going to do 103 of these in a row!”

But by Friday morning, he was back in the pool, the habit just too hard to break.

"You didn't think I was going to stop at 102 did you?" he posted to Twitter.

Sean has so far raised about £70,000 and, as donations continue to be made, Ryan Morrison from True Venture Foundation said the achievement was “just incredible”.

“We are so proud to have Sean as our ambassador. He is such an inspiration for young people and is a brilliant role model showing them anything is possible.”