Connor Emeny is the first person to complete an Iron-distance triathlon on all seven continents. The last one was in Antarctica: a 3.9 km swim in water below zero, 180 km on a fat bike and a full marathon, finished in 32 hours, 42 minutes and 34 seconds. Getting there took a 23-day sailboat expedition. On November 5 he joins us for a fireside chat at Fall Feast. This is his story so far.
- Known for: first Iron-distance triathlon on all seven continents, 2024
- Antarctica finish: 32:42:34, Deception Island, February 21, 2024
- From: born and raised in Toronto, now based in Vancouver
- Education: Bachelor of Commerce, Smith School of Business, Queen's University (2018)
- Recognition: BCBusiness 30 Under 30 (2026); recognized by Guinness World Records as the youngest Ironman finisher on six continents
- Work: author of the memoir All In, the documentary Chasing Antarctica, speaker
Who is Connor Emeny?
Connor was born and raised in Toronto, according to blogTO, and went to St. Michael's College School there. He found triathlon at Queen's University, where he tried out for the triathlon team and raced with a teammate, Ben Rudson, who was training for an Ironman. After graduating from the Smith School of Business in 2018, he went to Uber, where his old school says he helped launch Uber Eats across Canada.
He was not a natural swimmer. "I remember I could barely swim 3 or 4 laps without being out of breath," he told the Richmond Sentinel, "so I actually self-taught myself on YouTube." When a friend finished an Ironman in 2016, Connor texted to say thanks for the inspiration, and that he would do one by 2020.
He kept that promise the hard way. He left his job at Uber and moved to New Zealand to train for six months, without knowing a single person in the country. He finished his first Ironman there on March 7, 2020. "It turned out to be the most transformative and impactful six months of my life," he told blogTO, "and ultimately sparked the idea for this global Ironman project."
How Connor Emeny raced an Ironman on six continents
Ten days after that first finish line, the pandemic shut the world down. In those first weeks he read about an Australian who had become the youngest person to run an ultramarathon on all seven continents, and wondered whether anyone had done the same with Ironman. Nobody had done all seven. The youngest person to have done six was 32, and he was 23. "I didn't know how (physically, financially, logistically)," he wrote for The Feed, "but all I knew was I was willing to go ALL IN on a dream and see it through."
When races came back, he did five more Ironmans in 18 months:
- North America: Ironman Chattanooga, September 2021
- Europe: Ironman Mallorca, October 2021
- Africa: Ironman South Africa, November 2021
- Asia: Ironman Philippines, March 2022
- South America: Ironman Brazil, May 2022
Paying for it was its own race. He worked three jobs while living in 10 places over those 18 months, and every dollar went to racing, BCBusiness reports. He sold merch, ran a GoFundMe and pitched hundreds of brands on working with "a Canadian dreamer." In the Philippines his bike did not arrive and he was down to his last $10, so he asked strangers for help. "A lot of people got me past that finish line," he says.
Brazil made him, at 26, the youngest person to complete an Ironman on six continents, a mark Guinness World Records recognized. Records are made to be broken, and this one has been: Guinness now lists a younger athlete who set it in September 2025.
The Antarctica Ironman: 32 hours, 42 minutes, 34 seconds
There was no race waiting in Antarctica. "This time, it's not a race," he told the Richmond Sentinel: "no 2000 competitors to encourage you, fans to hype you up or aid stations to refuel." Making it possible became a two-year project in logistics. The answer was a 15 metre sailboat and a team of seven, on a 23-day expedition across the Drake Passage, home to some of the roughest water in the world.
To get ready, he trained in cold water and added ice baths, breathing work and sound baths to his routine. He calls mindset the fourth discipline of the sport, according to Gonzo Okanagan.
On February 21, 2024, on Deception Island, he did the full distance:
- Swim, 3.9 km: in water of about minus 1 degree Celsius. "My teeth froze, my legs were like cement blocks and a wild seal was chasing me."
- Bike, 180 km: on a fat bike, around a 200 metre loop, 900 times. He called it "pure mental torture."
- Run, 42.2 km: "a combination of pain and euphoria."
The clock read 32:42:34. His last Ironman, in Brazil, had taken just over 11 hours. "Antarctica was by far the hardest thing I have ever endured," he wrote.
From athlete to business
After the finish came something founders who have shipped a big launch will recognize. "The feeling of accomplishment was overwhelming, yet fleeting," he told the Richmond Sentinel. Looking back, he decided "that's the real joy of life: the daily grind and journey towards a goal; not actually achieving it."
What he built next is a business. BCBusiness, which named him to its 30 Under 30 class of 2026, describes how he turned the expedition into a personal brand: deals with Garmin, Arc'teryx, Adidas, Lululemon and Baffin, a memoir called All In, and a documentary, Chasing Antarctica. Having left the corporate world a second time, he is now building a speaking career. "I didn't even really know this was a possible career path," he says.
"Lead from the front but never forget to walk beside. To me, the best leaders are both ambitious and grounded."
That is the leadership principle Connor gave BCBusiness.
What founders can learn from Connor Emeny
Look for the gap nobody has filled. Connor did not set out to be faster than anyone. He checked whether anyone had raced all seven continents, found nobody had, and went after the one thing that was still open.
Fund it yourself, then sell the story. Three jobs, merch, a GoFundMe and hundreds of brand pitches came before Garmin and Arc'teryx. His philosophy, in BCBusiness's words, is simple: no risk, no story.
Ask for help when you are down to $10. The Philippines finish happened because strangers helped. Every founder hits that moment. The ones who get through it are usually the ones who ask.
Logistics are the work. The swim, the ride and the run took under a day and a half. Getting a boat, a team of seven and a plan to Deception Island took two years.
Love the loop. 900 laps of a 200 metre track is what building a company feels like most days. Connor's lesson from the finish line is that the grind is the good part.
If you are building in Vancouver too, our list of startups built in Vancouver is a good next read.
Hear Connor Emeny at Fall Feast on November 5
Connor joins us for a fireside chat at Fall Feast, our evening for founders from across Vancouver. He is on the speaker list with Vansh Sobti, who built Cloud Nine Clothing to $10M by 22, and Annika Ng, co-founder of Blossom Social.
- When: Thursday, November 5, 2026, 6 to 11 PM
- Where: Another Studios, 107 E 3rd Ave, Mount Pleasant, Vancouver
- What: an evening with Vancouver founders, a few short talks, and the drinks are on your ticket
Connor spent four years chasing a finish line nobody had crossed. Come and hear what it took.
Founder Feast spotlights people who are building something real. If you are a founder in Vancouver looking for your people, see how our Vancouver dinners work, or apply for a seat.
