A calm beginning is already giving way to something much harder. Two triathlons down. Five to go. And as Spencer Matthews sets off in Cape Town for the third leg of PROJECT SE7EN, the tone of the challenge has changed dramatically.
The target is a world record bid of seven full-distance triathlons on seven continents in just 21 days but it’s becoming clear the logistics are arguably just as big a test as the physical and mental toll.
London set the tone with its cold, calm sunrise swim – a moment Spencer told us was controlled and grounding. But the second instalment, IRONMAN Arizona on Sunday, revealed just how quickly this project can turn from manageable to brutally hard.
‘Somewhere near Hell’
Matthews – an entrepreneur who has swapped reality TV fame for extreme endurance – is taking on the challenge in aid of James’ Place, the men’s suicide-prevention charity, which is giving him a greater purpose. As he says, it’s in the toughest moments “where the why really matters”.
“Chris Taylor and I completed Ironman Arizona in 12 hours 51 mins, together,” Spencer said on Instagram before setting off for South Africa.
“Putting yourself through this kind of pain is hard to explain… It’s fun for a while but then really takes a turn. We found ourselves somewhere near Hell in the final few hours of the event but ultimately are proud of what was achieved and were grateful for each other’s company.”
And he knows what’s coming.
“We’re currently on the move to Cape Town, losing a day in the process, for the third race,” he added. “Things get logistically very challenging now for the remaining five triathlons.”
‘Spiritual guide’
Cape Town, then, is where the project could really start to bite. Travelling west is likely to take a greater toll and make recovery even harder for an already-depleted body.
He told us that his previous 30 marathons in 30 days taught him how to “find his stride” inside prolonged discomfort but remember that Matthews hadn’t taken on a full-distance triathlon until last week – and now he’s facing his third in seven days!
When we asked him how he deals with those dark moments when things are at their toughest in the middle of an endurance challenge, he told us that he ‘speaks’ to his late brother Michael, whose love of adventure and mountaineering cost him his life on Everest.
Spencer explains: “I say a few words to my brother Michael. He’s my kind of spiritual guide, if you will. I’ve never referred to him as that before. I’m not a religious person, so I don’t pray ordinarily, but when I’m very depleted or in that kind of dark chamber that certain endurance athletes will be able to, tell you about, I find strength in talking to him sometimes out loud.
“I first started doing that in the Marathon de Sables. I didn’t really feel like I belonged there. And I had the most incredible experience. I got faster as time went on. I started sleeping better as time went on, I really began to click with it. That’s kind of where this all began.”
No let up
And speaking to us before this whole project began, the trip west from Arizona to Cape Town was underlined as one of the toughest transitions between events.
He explained: “We’re going pretty much straight from the Arizona hotel for four hours on the road, then on a plane – and it’s not direct either. By the time we actually get to Cape Town and the next hotel it will be around 10pm and with the time difference it will have taken us over 30 hours to get there.
“And then I’m in the water at 4am so there’s no real downtime.”
And it doesn’t get much easier after Cape Town. Perth in Western Australia comes next on November 22, then it’s Dubai on November 25 and Rio de Janeiro three days after that as heat, hydration demands and sleep debt potentially collide.
Then there’s an incredible contrast to round everything off – Antarctica on December 3. That’s likely the most unpredictable part of the entire mission and one he’s already told us about his fear of being dragged underwater by a leopard seal – the stark opposite of that quiet early-morning swim in London.
Funds raised from PROJECT SE7EN will support James’ Place, which offers free, life-saving therapy for men in suicidal crisis. For more details or if you’d like to donate, click here.
