London to Paris the hard way

"Doing Big and Scary" with Andy Mouncey

In September 2003 Andy Mouncey successfully completed the Enduroman Arch to Arc challenge. But Andy's journey was much more than simply running, swimming and cycling. This is his story.

After some 10 years in the health & fitness industry, Andy Mouncey set up The Coach Company to do two things: 1. Help people Find Their Sparkle! - and we all know people who sparkle... 2. Help people do their own Big & Scary! challenges - be that in sport, business or everyday life.

As an athlete, performance coach and inspirational speaker, personal and professional consistency - Walking The Talk - is one of Andy's key values, and in 2003 he decided to put his money where his mouth is. In September he became only the second person ever to complete the Enduroman Arch to Arc Challenge - and to set new fastest times for each stage in the process. This solo triathlon comprises an 87 mile run from London to Dover, swimming the 22 miles of the English Channel, and cycling 180 miles from Calais to Paris all done as close together as possible. This was Andy's very own Big & Scary!

Andy comments: 'A feature of my work is that I help people to step out of their comfort zone - which I call Doing Big & Scary! A test of my effectiveness as a Coach is that I should be able to use the skills and techniques that I employ with my clients on myself. I can definitely say that these were well and truly tested during this challenge!' While there was undoubtedly some physical training required for this challenge (!) Andy believes that the key to success came down to six mental skills. He has since created a powerful coaching package which he has called Six Steps to Doing Big & Scary! which has been used with groups as diverse as world class athletes and coaches, a mental health charity, students and tutors, and business people at all levels.