“It’s never been more important to believe that the impossible is possible.” Spencer Matthews completes fifth leg of extreme triathlon challenge

Endurance athlete, entrepreneur and podcaster Spencer Matthews today completed the fifth leg of PROJECT SE7EN in Dubai, UAE, marking his fifth full distance triathlon on a fifth different continent in the span of just thirteen days.  

Ahead of today and looking ahead to the extreme latter stages of the challenge, Matthews commented via his Instagram account: “Antarctica is just around the corner now and it’s never been more important to believe that the impossible is possible.

“It’s almost a completely separate challenge, with the swim being more of a survival scenario than a leg of a triathlon. Everything needs to be perfect to pull it off… Body, mind, kit, support. Things can easily go wrong when submerged in -0.4 degree water for 90 minutes.”

Seven on seven

PROJECT SE7EN is Matthews’ Guinness World Record attempt to become the fastest person to complete a full distance triathlon on all seven continents. He completed the Europe leg in London in November, the North American leg in Arizona, United States during the Ironman Arizona race on November 16, and the Oceania leg in Perth, Western Australia on November 22. 

PROJECT SE7EN will see Spencer take on 7 full-distance triathlons (3.8km swim, 180km bike, 42.4km run) on all 7 continents of the world in just 21 days. The current World Record for this achievement of endurance is set at just under 4 years.

Spencer is taking on this physical and mental feat to raise awareness and funds for James’ Place, a UK-based male suicide prevention charity providing life-saving therapy to men in crisis.

Spencer began the Dubai triathlon at 6:00 a.m. local time in the world’s largest manmade lagoon with a 3.8 km swim, which he completed in 1:22. He then went out to the surrounding Dubai desert for the 180km bike in 7:50 amid the humidity of being in 30 C degree heat, and the vastness of cycling on the deep, sandy terrain. He ended the day with a full marathon run completing it in 4:16. He crossed the finish line in a total time of 13:27. 

Spencer continues his PROJECT SE7EN journey in Rio de Janeiro on Friday, Nov. 28 before heading to the final location, Antarctica.

Lead image: Matt Stone

Helen Webster Editor, 220 Triathlon

About

Helen has been 220's Editor since July 2013, when she made the switch from marathons to multisport. She's usually found open-water swimming and has competed in several swimruns as well as the ÖtillÖ World Series. Helen is a qualified Level 2 Open-Water Swim Coach focusing on open-water confidence and runs regular workshops at the South West Maritime Academy near Bristol. She is also an RLSS UK Open Water Lifeguard trainer/assessor.