Member Article

Bdaily talks to marathon man Andy McMenemy

Andy McMenemy is not your typical former businessman. When he was 50 he ran 66 ultra-marathons in 66 consecutive days, across 66 cities of the UK.

He says he is not special, but has learnt a lot in his endeavours, and now he is ready to share some of his most secrets for success with businesspeople at the upcoming Be World Class conference.

Andy is a former businessman himself, and has learnt some of the trials and tribulations of the business world first hand.

He says: “After being head-hunted for a large plc, I found myself out the door after only six months. So I’ve had some experience of the ups and downs in business.

“Because of this, I want to talk about how some of my experiences might help others to inform their own situation, and how goals can be achieved.”

His recipe for success? For Andy, it is all down to setting your sights, and unwavering commitment to your end goal.

He continues: “You absolutely have to fall in love with the visualisation aspect. You need to start with the end clearly in mind, and that means being emotionally involved in your path.I think it’s essential to give yourself dates, and from there you commit to taking action.

“When I was doing the marathons I tore my achilles tendon near the beginning, and against all the advice, everyone wondering what the hell I was doing, I ploughed on because I just had the end in sight. It wasn’t so much the getting the t-shirt when I crossed the finishing line, it was all the experience that I had accumulated on the way there. You don’t go through experiences, you grow through them.

“You get a sense from Andy that he is always hungry for more, and despite this incredible feat, there is commitment to everything he does.

Managing your own expectations is another key point that Andy raises, as he suggests it is important not to over-phase yourself when goal setting.

“A lot of people might pitch themselves against the very best, right from the beginning. But what I found was to manage that. Think about Bradley Wiggins, and the first time he got on a bike. Nobody is going to match his performance now, but if you think about that first time and work from there.”

Andy says he’s looking forward to Be World Class in order to further his own understanding of successful thinking, and suggests that he’ll be listening intently in the audience.

“I’ve heard the term ‘listening aggressively’ before, and it’s actually really spot on. If you totally engage with someone, you begin to realise what they don’t say as well, and that can be useful.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .