Life hasnât been easy for Andy Stone. As someone who struggled with addictions, he knew that a big part of his future success of living without drugs or alcohol, he needed to distract himself with something that would challenge him and also keep him on a path to good health.
And so the âcrazyâ idea of completing 70 Ironman 70.3 in 70 days was born. To put it in context, an Ironman comprises 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile cycle ending with a 13.1 mile run. Over 70 days and starting on Monday 4th April, Andy will:
- 84 miles of swimming (equivalent to 4x the English Channel)
- 3,920 miles of cycling (equivalent to cycling from Landâs End to John OâGraots 4.4 times!)
- 917 miles of running (equivalent to running from London to Edinburgh 2.3 times!)
This huge physical and mental endurance challenge that will see him swim, ride and run 5000miles in 70 days, the distance from London to China!
Is Andy insane? Yes⊠but in a healthy way. Heâs using this epic world record attempt to build a supportive team around him and also build back his own inner support systems. Having previously batted with mental health as well as his alcohol addictions, this challenge means more to him than the potential of a world record.
As a PADI scuba diving instructor, Andy has a huge love of the ocean but has seen first-hand the impact that humans and over fishing is having on our marine life. Thatâs why through this challenge heâs raising money for ocean conservation charities the Blue Marine Foundation and the Shark Trust.
This isnât the first challenge Andyâs taken on. Earlier this year Andy completed 17 consecutive sprint triathlons in 17 days, raising ÂŁ1,300 for the Stroke Association in the process.
Timestamp for talk:
- 1:44 – Andy shares about the pattern of athletes from wanting to prove themselves to having a larger purpose
- 3:22 – Kate shares that sport used to be a tool for healing and that weâve no idea whatâll open up after completing a big challenge
- 5:19 – We hear why Andy is attempting 70 Ironman 70.3 in 70 days, opening up about his alcohol addictionÂ
- 8:15 – Andy shares how he is generating some ambition in his sport, something that he missed early on during work
- 10:01 – Andy shares the importance of having a coach for training, nutrition, conditioning and mindset
- 10:35 – Andy shares the motivation behind transitioning to a plant-based diet
- 14:03 – Andy shares his experience of completing 35 Standard distance triathlons (1.5km swim, 40km cycle, 10km run) in 35 days and the blood test results
- 15:54 – Pushing boundaries and publicly sharing, even though that he might fail and the excitement of vulnerably sharingÂ
- 17:04 – How heâs physically and mentally training for the world record attempt
- 21:59 – Andy talks about building it up slowly and allowing mini victories
- 23:00 – Andy talks about his imposter syndrome
- 24:29 – The importance of identity not being the main thing to focus on and not ânailing your foot to the floorâ
- 26:36 – Why and when do we become philosophical about life while doing extreme sport?!
- 28:17 – Do something that scares you to start feeling lifeÂ
- 28:55 – Using sport as a vehicle to find myself thatâs healthier than alcohol and to wake other people up in a âripple of changeâ and raising money for charityÂ
- 31:11 – Responsibility and integrity integral in Andyâs journey
- 32:32 – Andy talks about whether the stress of cold showers is worth the outcome
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