This month we spoke to Dr Tony Hopkin who describes himself as "a husband and a father to two amazing boys (one is autistic)". Tony is an ultra-endurance enthusiast who currently holds the Guinness World Record for the Longest Single-Event Triathlon. For the past couple of years, he has been raising money for SEND-related charities by undertaking ultra endurance events.
In 2026, Tony aims to take it up a notch by attempting three Guinness World Records and a world first ultra-triathlon. The Guinness World Records are the most duathlon legs completed in 24 hours (indoor), the most duathlon legs completed in 24 hours (outdoor), and the most consecutive days doing a triathlon (indoor); and the ultra-triathlon is to consecutively swim, bike and run the 13 publicly accessible lakes in the lake district, in what will be 72km of swimming, over 72km of cycling and over 72km of running.
Tony is doing this incredible set of challenges in support of three SEND charities, including SOS!SEN, which is wonderful - thank you Tony!
You’ve already achieved something extraordinary by breaking the Guinness World Record for the Longest Single-Event Triathlon earlier this year. What inspired you to take on ultra-endurance challenges in the first place?
A few years ago, I stumbled into Triathlon after joining one of my wife’s friends for a triathlon with about 3 weeks training and having not swam or cycled in about 20 years. I just managed to get through a sprint distance triathlon (750m swim, 20km cycle and 5km run) but as they say, I got the bug! From there I started training all 3 disciplines and a year later, I signed up to an iron-distance triathlon (3.8km swim, 180km cycle and a marathon). After a conversation with a work colleague who said he would sponsor me for doing it, this then led to a charity effort, which spiralled into a year of endurance events (one endurance event each month for 12 months) to raise money for SOS!SEN. Over that year I did various things from ultramarathons to ‘grand fondos’ (big bike rides) to marathon swims to iron-distance triathlons. I enjoyed the challenge, found that I had a knack for ultra endurance in that I could train hard, recover well and endure pain, and most importantly I realised that I could raise vital funds for and awareness of charities who help support people with different needs or use ‘sport for purpose’. This ability to raise awareness and funds led to 2025 and the Longest Single-Event Triathlon world record, where I swam 16km, cycled 400km and ran 100km continuously.
You kindly supported SOS! Special Educational Needs in 2024 by taking on a challenge each month. What drew you to our cause and the work we do with families of children with SEND?
One of our boys is Autistic, and at the time my wife and I were navigating the complex world of diagnoses, SEND legislation, EHCPs, excessively long waiting times and our son struggling in school. This experience highlighted a number of things, such as: the general lack of knowledge regarding SEND and children with SEND (including my own ignorance pre-2024), a lack of mainstream support for children and families navigating this complex world; and a general lack of awareness of the issues within the wider system. Whilst we were seeking guidance, we came across SOS!SEN and the information you provide and found it invaluable and wanted to support your work.
What has your own journey as a father of a child with SEND looked like? Where did you find support?
My journey started before I realised, my son has always had a lot of energy, was fidgety, sought sensory input etc. but at the time I didn’t realise why. In his 2nd year of primary school, everything started to become clearer when we were called-in to discuss a suspicion of SEND. He was referred to CAMHS and then the wait began; he continued his time at school with increasing meltdown and exclusions. To speed up our search to understand what was happening, we then took the decision to procure a private assessment where he was diagnosed as being Autistic. We provided the school with his report and started the process of attaining an ECHP, hoping for more acceptance and understanding, however, it became clear that the school he was at was not suitable for him – the exclusions were increasing, his sense of belonging impacted, and he felt extremely misunderstood. Fortunately, with his ECHP he has moved to a mainstream school with a specialist autism base attached to it, and he is happy and doing well – which is mainly because of his mum’s tenacity in chasing people to ensure they fulfilled their obligations. Most support and guidance came from community groups, charities, and paid for consultants and professions – there was very little from anywhere else.
What’s the biggest lesson you have learnt as a Dad with a neurodiverse child?
I’d say that it has redefined my view of what is important when it comes to my children’s futures. It’s not grades, it’s not going to university, it’s not a high paid job etc. What’s important is them being happy, them doing something they enjoy, them knowing they are loved and accepted, and that they accept themselves for who they are, and that they know that their future is their own.
This year you’re aiming to break not one but three world records — can you tell us more about what drives you to keep pushing the boundaries of human endurance? And how many pairs of shoes do you get through?!
I’m weird, I guess! No, I do these events for a few reasons: firstly, I want to show my children that anything is possible and that resilience can get you through things; second, I hope that by pushing the limits I can do some good and raise awareness of SEND (and the struggles people go through, and to celebrate difference); and finally, these events are symbolic. For example, the longest single event triathlon world record represented how society expects children with SEND to function:
It was a challenge where you had to follow prescribed rules to the letter, and if you deviated from those rules then the outcome was that you had failed.
It was a multidisciplinary record that required quick transition between activities (transitions could not last longer than 5 minutes) and if you couldn’t transition in time, you had failed.
It was a hectic long-distance, multi day event where you needed to maintain focus and concentrate for the duration, you could have no rest or time to process what had happened before.
To survive the attempt, I needed the same things many SEND children do: coping mechanisms to remain resilient, a support network who figured out my needs - even when I didn’t articulate them clearly; and a clear understanding of the expectations I had to meet and what was coming next.
I run my shoes into the ground, but I do go through lots of socks!
The Lake District challenge sounds breathtaking (mentally and physically!): swimming, cycling, and running across 13 lakes consecutively. What excites you most about this world-first attempt? How do you keep yourself focused?
The Tri-the-13 as I call it, represents that children with suspected ASD (and a host of other needs and disabilities for that matter) are waiting significantly longer than the 13 weeks the guidelines state they should wait for a diagnostic assessment.
The thing that excites me the most about it is also the thing that is most terrifying – this has not been done before, people have swum all 13 back-to-back in a 72km epic swim challenge, but no one has added the other two disciplines, and I’m keen to find out whether it’s possible!
To stay focussed I rely on routine. I wrote my training plan ready to start the first week of January and will force myself to follow it religiously until it becomes ingrained. To keep myself accountable, every time I don’t feel like doing one of my planned workouts, I remind myself that it is my choice to do this, and that some children don’t have a choice but to endure the struggles they face every day.
What message do you hope children and families take away from your record-breaking efforts?
The message is the same as the one that I hope my children are seeing, it’s to keep going, to remember that we can achieve things that we might feel are impossible at times, and it’s a reminder that support (whether it’s from friends, family, or even strangers) is available and can help us through the dark patches where we feel like giving up.
You’re raising money for three charities this year - Ambitious About Autism, New Leaf Learning and SOS!SEN - all supporting children with special needs. How do you hope your 2026 challenges will amplify awareness and support for these causes?
I am indeed and if anyone wants to find out more the details, they can be found here: https://gvwhl.com/NKPXA
Breaking records and pushing the boundaries of human endurance as you described it earlier (I’m going to use that going forward!) gets people talking, it evokes a reaction and typically gets coverage – my aim is to use that coverage to continue to raise awareness of SEND, of the challenges people go through on a daily basis (not voluntarily) and to highlight the wonderful support services (and hopefully help raise money to assist in the provision) that are provided by the three amazing charities I am working with.
What role can supporters of SOS!SEN play in helping you reach your fundraising goals — whether through cheering you on, sharing your story, or donating?
Any support people can provide would be awesome! Sharing the story goes a long way in helping to spread the message and raise awareness. Donations support the charities and their ability to change lives.
Any on-the-day support is hugely appreciated and if people were interested in being independent witnesses or timekeepers (if they have any time keeping experience) for part of any of the attempts, then it will help me to fulfil the requirements of Guinness World Records. Feel free to follow me on Instagram @tonytalkstriathlon or email me at tony@tjhendurance.co.uk
If anyone reading this is thinking about doing their first swim, bike or run based endurance challenge to raise money for SOS!SEN then please get in touch, I’m a certified triathlon coach and I’d be happy to write you a free training plan.
If you could sum up your mission in one sentence — the spirit behind these challenges — what would it be?
I’ve called this year’s set of challenges Endure: Together – acknowledging that there are so many people having to show resilience and mental fortitude to overcome challenges in a variety of different forms.
