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TV documentary charts adventurer’s preparations ahead of John o’Groats to Land’s End run

Sean Conway (James Cheadle / Discovery)
Sean Conway (James Cheadle / Discovery)

MOST of us can claim to have seen a fair bit of Britain — Sean Conway can claim to have seen every inch, from every angle, several times over!

Sean grew up on the banks of the Zambesi River, spanning six African countries, and spent his teens doing canoe marathons, climbing trees, riding rhino and going on marathon swims.

So, when he moved to the UK and as a grown man looked around to see what further adventures he might get up to, he was prepared to set himself absolutely no limits!

A new TV documentary looks at this amazing man’s preparations to run the entire length of Great Britain, from John o’ Groats to Land’s End.

That’s the equivalent of 38 marathons in a row, much of it off-road and with no support, carrying all his own kit and sourcing food and drink along the way.

Sean had previously cycled the length of the country, and then swum it, too, so he was no stranger to adventure.

This run was to complete what can only be described as Britain’s “ultimate ultra triathlon”, and would make him the first man ever to have finished such an epic trio of UK-spanning journeys.

Sean was the first person to swim from Lands End to John O'Groats (PA Archive)
Sean was the first person to swim from Lands End to John O’Groats (PA Archive)

Born in Harare, Zimbabwe, Sean admits: “In 2011, miserable and depressed with the life I had built for myself, I decided to sell my business for £1 and vowed from that moment on to fill my days with experiences, rather than things.

“That decision changed my life, and it’s been an incredible few years!”

The sports bug had bitten a few years earlier, in 2008, when without even owning a bike, Sean had decided to cycle the length of Britain.

“It was my first-ever cycle ride,” he admits.

“I took my time and even managed to climb an ice-covered Ben Nevis on my way. I never did more than 60 miles a day.”

In 2011, wearing a huge penguin outfit, Sean scaled Kilimanjaro for charity.

He then completed the formidable Three Peaks Cycle Challenge, climbing the highest peaks of Wales, England and Scotland, and cycling the large distances between each.

He also attempted to cycle the world, and later cycled the Alps. He also cycled from London to Paris in 24 hours, and walked from his mother’s house in Cheltenham to London.

He has kayaked the Thames and taken part in the world’s largest swim, the Midmar Mile.

Sean Conway: On The Edge is on the Discovery Channel three nights in a row, August 30 and 31 and September 1, at 9pm


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