What would drive someone to run 13,383km around Australia?

For ultra-runner Sean Bell, it wasn’t just about the record. It was about purpose. After losing a close friend and then his coach, Sean turned pain into propulsion — running the circumference of a continent to inspire others to chase bold goals.

In this episode Andrew and Sean discuss:

1:50 Sean’s recent move to Sydney, growing up wanting to be an AFL player and the moment that all changed after he ran his first marathon.

6:15 Working hard to achieve your goals, realising that nobody is coming to save you and you should only get a ribbon if you earn it.

10:50 Sean’s mate Joey unexpectedly passing away and the impact that had on Sean’s life, what Sean got out of seeing Tony Robbins live in America and starting to look at what is possible in ultra endurance running.

16:30 Why Sean is so optimistic, pushing past people telling you you’re not good enough and when Sean realised he would have to have a deliberate training plan to be able to run long distances.

22:45 Learning psychological skills through experience, Sean’s purpose and meeting his coach Jase while preparing for a big run.

28:30 The masterclass in goal setting that Sean has gone through, some of the inspirational figures in Sean’s life and running 50 marathons in 50 days to get ready for the run around Australia.

36:15 Some of the training Sean had to do to prepare his body for the run, how he was able to break it down into achievable goals and putting on excess muscle knowing you are going to lose it while running.

41:45 Looking at the requirements for being able to run around Australia and building up to that, the 33% split between physical, psychological and support staff needed to do the run and not wanting to tap out after starting the run.

47:30 Getting a stress fracture 8 weeks out from the run, breaking the run down into 8km segments and the best day of running that Sean had on his journey.

56:30 Running a double marathon every day as a goal, coach Jase’s unfortunate passing just before the run and the wizard’s take outs from the episode so far.

1:04:30 Sean still processing the fact that he was able to achieve his goal, getting support from previous record holders and the challenge of running across Tasmania after running around the mainland.

1:12:30 Sean’s unusual diet on the run, building up mental toughness on the run and the importance of visualisation for Sean’s problem solving on the run.

1:21:55 What Sean is planning to do next, how you can find Sean and Andrew and Shannon’s reflections.

You can find Sean at his Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seanbellruns/?hl=en
At his Website: https://seanbellruns.com/
Or at his LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanbellruns/?originalSubdomain=au
Send Sean an email at: [email protected]

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Interested in sharing your story? Email Producer Shannon at [email protected] today with your story and contact details.

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