James Lawrence Ran 50 Ironmans in 50 States in 50 Days – And Didn’t Stop There

The human body is an incredible machine. It’s capable of unbelievable feats of strength, speed, and endurance, or, in the case of James ‘The Iron Cowboy’ Lawrence, all three at the same time. 

Lawrence, a Guinness World Record breaker, is known for pushing his physical and mental limits with challenges like the 50-50-50 and Conquer 100 – 50 Ironmans in 50 states in 50 days, and 100 Ironman-distance races in 100 days, respectively. With both of these accomplishments under his belt, it’s clear that Lawrence has made it to the pinnacle of human performance. But according to The Iron Cowboy, his journey “started humbly.” 

Back to the beginning

Now known around the world for his remarkable physical feats, Lawrence says that he wasn’t always a world-record-breaking endurance athlete. “This journey started humbly when my wife invited me to do a four-mile fun run that I struggled through,” he says. After that, Lawrence discovered casual running, which then led him to triathlons, and eventually his first Ironman in 2008. 

Things began to snowball from there, as Lawrence discovered his love of running and his desire to push the limits of human performance. He soon after checked off his first world record for the most half Ironmans (22, to be exact) done in a single year in 2010. Then the most full-length Ironman races in 2012 (30 races in 11 different countries). 

One by one, Lawrence’s challenges became seemingly more implausible, as he geared up for the 50-50-50 – 50 Ironmans in 50 states in 50 days – to raise money for charity. As if that wasn’t enough, Lawrence then embarked on the Conquer 100, 100 Ironman-distance races in 100 days. “All of those things to us just felt like the next natural step in our progression,” Lawrence says of how he kept coming up with new ways to challenge himself both physically and mentally. 

“Every time you succeed, then more becomes possible. You just learn how to manage difficult things over time,” he says.

Overcoming the obstacles

While Lawrence’s accomplishments are incredibly impressive (and that’s an understatement), they certainly didn’t come without their trials. 

“I broke my back on day 59 of the Conquer 100 in a very violent bike crash,” Lawrence says, recalling one of his most difficult moments throughout his endurance challenges. “I ended up doing 41 consecutive Ironmans with a broken back.” 

“Every time you succeed, then more becomes possible. You just learn how to manage difficult things over time,” he says.

Running 41 consecutive Ironmans alone is an unthinkable feat for most of us, but combine that with a broken back, and Lawrence says that it was his passion that fueled the motivation to continue the Conquer 100. 

“When I’m in the middle of a big campaign, and I’m raising money for charity, which is something that’s greater than myself, it’s an easy decision,” Lawrence says of where he finds the motivation to keep pushing despite massive setbacks, like a broken back. “Whenever you’re doing something in life, you have to attach a purpose or an emotional connection to it. And then the pain doesn’t matter. It’s just a byproduct,” he says. 

An important lesson not just for world record-breaking athletes, but for everyone, Lawrence says that “developing mental toughness, fortitude and discipline” comes from “finding your passion. You’ve got to go have experiences. You’ve got to do as many things as you can until something really resonates with you, and you’re like ‘That’s my passion.’ To find your passion, start doing things. Go live life,” he stresses. 

Once you have that passion, Lawrence says everything else falls into place. “I don’t care what anybody thinks,” he says. “I do these things for myself and for charity. I’m pursuing my personal excellence. I really don’t care if anybody watches. I see a lot of people fail in this space because they’re trying to be an influencer – they’re doing it for the wrong reasons. If you don’t have a passion for what you’re doing, you’re going to fail.”

The post-challenge aftermath

That passion and drive become especially necessary once the limelight fades, Lawrence notes. “After you cross the final finish line, or set the record, the general public checks out,” he says. But for Lawrence, the journey is only beginning at this point. 

The triathlete explains that after his challenges, he “had to go through therapy and rewire the neurological pathways of my brain because I was stuck in fight or flight. I couldn’t get to parasympathetic, and that takes an intense amount of therapy and repaterning to do that.” 

In addition to cognitive therapy, Lawrence also relied on “hyperbaric chambers, red light therapy, body manipulation, and stem cell therapy” to help him rehabilitate. “It took me two and a half years to recover from the 100,” he says but explains that his recovery is a testament to how “incredible the mind and the body is. If you give it the tools, and you do the work, you can repair yourself from injuries or illnesses you’ve had in the past.” 

Now recovered from his previous world-record-breaking challenges, Lawrence is spending his time doing “just normal stuff. I’m trying to help as many people as I can.” 

Through coaching, speaking and mentoring, as well as his Iron Grit retreats, Lawrence has shifted his focus from breaking records and pushing his limits to teaching others how to do this for themselves. 

Want more from James Lawrence? Follow him @ironcowboyjames or check out his free coaching here.