World-record breaker Sean Conway to kick off ‘Peak Performance’ seminars
Sean will share how he achieved the ‘The Grand Slam of Endurance’ in the first of a series of inspiring talks at Coleg Llandrillo
World record-breaking endurance athlete Sean Conway will kick off a new series of ‘Peak Performance’ seminars at Coleg Llandrillo.
Tickets are now on sale for Sean’s session, ‘The Grand Slam of Endurance’ - the first in a series of inspiring talks led by guest speakers from the world of elite sport.
Sean will share the story of how he went from being an unhappy school portrait photographer to one of the world’s most accomplished triathletes when he visits the Rhos-on-Sea campus on January 27.
To book your place for Sean Conway - 'The Grand Slam of Endurance', click here or go to www.gllm.ac.uk/peak-performance
Keen to transform his life as he hit his 30s, he set out to achieve something no-one else had - a ‘Grand Slam’ of ultra-endurance records for first, longest, fastest and most.
Picture: Justin Fletcher Photography
“I was miserable, it wasn’t what I’d dreamed I’d be doing,” said Sean. “I could see clearly the path I was on, and there were no good bits. I packed it in and decided I wanted to go and travel the world, but the only way I could justify that was to try and break some sort of record.”
Sean certainly achieved that, and much more. He was the first to swim the length of Britain, completing the gruelling 900-mile feat in 135 days and growing his trademark beard to protect himself against jellyfish.
He followed this with the world's longest continuous triathlon - a 4,200-mile trek around the coast of Britain.
Sean’s next epic feat was becoming the fastest to cycle unsupported across Europe, biking the 3,890-mile route from Portugal to Russia in 24 days, 18 hours and 39 minutes.
And he crowned his achievements by setting the record for the most consecutive ironman triathlons - swimming 2.4 miles, cycling 112 miles and running a marathon every single day for an incredible 105 days, and clocking up 14,763 miles in total.
On top of that, Sean has also run the length of Britain, run across Iceland, kayaked the Thames and even climbed Kilimanjaro dressed as a penguin.
He has written several books based on his adventures, and is a motivational speaker and youth sport ambassador. Sean has given a TED talk on his achievements, and in February will embark on a UK stage tour, with several dates sold out already.
So, his talk at Coleg Llandrillo is a chance to jump the queue, hear about his astonishing journey and listen to his insights on achieving dreams.
“In my talks I have three main goals - to entertain, educate and inspire people,” said Sean, who lives near Mold.
“To entertain people I keep it quite light-hearted, with some laugh-out loud moments. I want to educate people so they walk away thinking there’s some practical stuff for me, and I want to inspire them, want them to feel motivated to go off and pursue their own challenges.
“I try to encourage people to follow a couple of key lessons. Aim high - there’s so much negativity, particularly on the internet, but also so much positivity.
“I think it’s important for everyone to find something that challenges them. If you do stuff that’s easy and just for money, if it doesn’t really challenge you that candle will burn out pretty quickly.
“I want to encourage people to take risks sometimes - we can all give up too easily. Social media can give the impression that some people are quick to achieve their goals, but for 98% of the rest of the world, it takes a decade.
“That’s important to know. Cherish the achievements that take longer, because they’re usually more rewarding than success that comes early.”
Sean Conway - The Grand Slam of Endurance takes place at Coleg Llandrillo’s University Centre at the Rhos-on-Sea campus on Monday 27th January at 6pm.
It is the first in a series of Peak Performance seminars hosted by the college’s sport department during 2025, which will be open to students and members of the public.
To book your place for Sean Conway - 'The Grand Slam of Endurance', click here or go to www.gllm.ac.uk/peak-performance
To learn more about Sean Conway, ‘The Endurance Guy’, visit his website seanconway.com