O n June 8 , James Lawrence , the triathlete known as the Iron Cowboy , did the impossible . . . He finished his 100th consecutive Ironman ® -distance race in 100 days .
For one quarter of 2021 , his daily regimen consisted of starting his day at 5:30 a . m ., swimming 2.4 miles , cycling 112 miles , and running a 26.2-mile marathon , the equivalent of a fulldistance triathlon , which he calls an Iron Cowboy distance Tri .
Named the toughest man on earth , Lawrence titled his personal experiment in human endurance and pain tolerance Conquer 100 . The challenge was about inspiring people to go beyond their limits to show the capabilities of the human body and mind . “ I ’ ll show you the example by being the example ,” he said .
This wasn ’ t his first time accomplishing the impossible . In 2015 , he completed 50 Ironman races , in 50 consecutive days , through all 50 US states , breaking multiple Guinness Book records . But there were many unknowns , logistics was a nightmare , and he was sleep-deprived . “ It was chaos upon chaos ,” he said during the private Technology Marketing Toolkit Producers Club meeting in July 2021 , his first live appearance after completing Conquer 100 .
With Conquer 100 , he tried to remove the unknowns . He did it at home in Utah . Completed the same course every day . Controlled his food . Had his team around him . And slept in his own bed each night .
Standing in front of a room of MSPs , Lawrence was raw and emotional . “ This was like war for me ,” he explained . “ When I came up with the 100 , I wanted to showcase what it would be like if you train really hard , put a team and systems in place , and removed chaos . . . It was harder than we thought .”
In the first weeks , Lawrence struggled . He faced freezing temperatures , icy roads , howling wind , snow , and freezing rain . By day five , an ankle injury turned into shin splints and a fracture , forcing him to speed walk the marathon portion . Enduring excruciating pain , it took him seven hours to walk each day and he blacked out while walking from the pain . “ Every step I thought I was going to break my leg ,” he said .
By day 59 , due to help from carbon-plated leg braces which allowed his shins to heal , he felt almost normal . But then a bike crash caused his hands to swell and led to pain in his hip . By June , the temperatures soared above 90 . The wind , heat , and dry air caused his lips to blister and scab .
During those 100 days , Lawrence faced his demons . He struggled , felt broken , and endured unimaginable pain . Here are nine ways Lawrence pushed through and how you can develop your mental toughness .
1 . SURROUND YOURSELF WITH A GREAT TEAM .
Everyone struggles . Surround yourself with unbelievable people who are more elevated than you , who will push you , call you out , and encourage you to reach your potential . Lawrence has wingmen that never leave his side . One rides the bike portion with him every day , another runs with him every day . His wife , Sunny , ran the entire campaign . Community is also a big driving force . People came out and swam , rode , and walked with him . A core group of cyclists supported him every day , showing up the most on the coldest , wettest days . “ Nothing great is ever accomplished on our own ,” Lawrence said .
2 . BE OKAY WITH ASKING FOR HELP .
Be in touch with your inner circle so they can help you evaluate , make sure you are conscious of everything around you , and bolster you up when you need it . On day 15 , in the peak of pain from his shin , he wanted to quit . “ As humans , when we are at the peak of struggle , our instant reaction is ‘ I ’ m out ’ and ‘ This isn ’ t worth it ,’” Lawrence said . Communicating with Sunny , she knew what he needed . She said , “ You ’ ve done the work , you ’ re done for the day , let ’ s reset and look at tomorrow .”
3 . RECALL WHEN YOU DID SOMETHING YOU THOUGHT YOU COULDN ’ T DO .
After finishing the 100 , he celebrated , went home , and slept . But then the next day he did one more full-length triathlon by himself . “ I promise you when you ’ re broken and think you ’ re beaten , you can do one more ,” he said . “ Sometimes when you get up , it ’ s going to be by yourself . But if you keep fighting , you ’ ll find your team and you ’ ll make your own history .” To get your mind-set right , remember the feeling you had when you decided to get up one more time when you thought you couldn ’ t or didn ’ t have to .
4 . SHIFT THE NARRATIVE AS FAST AS YOU CAN .
Games and mental tricks make a hard journey more palatable . Hearing he had 16 days left mentally destroyed Lawrence , so he changed phrases and words to trick his mind . “ Instead of 16 to go , the team would say we only have 9 to go to 7 to go ,” Lawrence said . “ Words and self-talk are important .” When choosing words , get something so concrete that “ you don ’ t just say it , you don ’ t just visualize it , you FEEL it .”
5 . IDENTIFY YOUR WHY .
Lawrence had millions of reasons to quit . He recalled losing his concentration , falling asleep , and falling off his bike when
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