Exeter student who ‘doesn’t like running’ aims to run 500 km in 10 days 

A University of Exeter student who claims not to enjoy running will this week attempt to run 500 km in 10 days for charity.  

Sean Tilson, who will this year graduate with a first-class degree in Business Management, hopes to raise £5,000 for the charity Sarcoma UK. 

Last year, Sean completed ‘four challenges in four months’, which included a 100-mile run and Ironman triathlon. For the past eight months has been training for his latest endurance feat.  

He will set off tomorrow (26 June) and will be stopping off at schools along the route to talk with students about the power of mindset, which he credits with turning his life around after he lost his mother at the age of 14 to Sarcoma, a term that describes bone and soft tissue cancer.  

“I’ll be talking to them about mindset, and my belief that the only voice that limits you in your life is your own,” he says.  

“For a large chunk of my life I felt pretty powerless, like I was alone in a crowded room and didn’t quite fit in, but through mindset I was able to turn that narrative around.

“I did this by imagining the person I wanted to be and defining the values I wanted to live by – courage, curiosity, kindness and integrity – and using those four values as the framework to evaluate my decisions.”

Sean has been the president of five societies while at Exeter, including founding the society IronFit, which has helped him establish a community of endurance athletes at the University.  

But while Sean is clearly a gifted runner, he admits it’s not actually something he enjoys.  

“It’s true, I don’t really enjoy running! For me it’s very much a discipline, a way to measure what I can accomplish when I stick with something.

“But it’s a fascinating sport that’s taught me so much about resilience and how, even in your lowest moments, like when I did my 100-mile challenge and was struggling to stay in the race, you can turn things around.  

“These days I find running meditative, so I think I will enjoy this challenge, especially as I’ve got such a great team around me.”  

Sean, now 21, graduates this summer, and will start a graduate job in New York as a business analyst in the autumn. He has started several startups while at Exeter and was also awarded Exeter Chamber’s Next Gen Award, awarded to a young person under 30 positively impacting the Exeter region. 

“Realising that mindset is where true growth lies has really helped me make the most of my time here at Exeter. I want to encourage others to take a step forward, be kind to yourself, but always be guided by that vision of the person you want to become.” 

Help Sean reach his fundraising target by sponsoring him, and follow his progress here.