Sean Gunn is used to athletic excellence. The Olympian represented his home country of Zimbabwe as a swimmer in the 2016 Rio Games, where he set a national record for his event. A standout swimmer for the University of Kentucky, he was also part of relay teams that reached historic heights.
Years later, Gunn has swapped his swimwear for running sneakers and shorts. But his spot at the top of the leader board remains.
The Cape Town, South African resident returned to the States this past weekend for the Connecticut Marathon, running the 26.2-mile course in Hartford. Per usual, Gunn teamed up with his adorable boyfriend, Kelvin Southwood.
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Feeding off each other, the pair finished the race in under three hours. Not too shabby!
“CT marathon- you were a rollercoaster, but glad to have had this one next to me every step of the way 😂,” he posted on Instagram. “@thatkelvin, we did it #Sub3 💪🏼🔥”
The beaming grin on his face is contagious!
“Eat pasta, run fasta,” he added. (Now that’s some nutritional advice we can follow.)
Related: Olympic swimmer Sean Gunn shares his story as a gay athlete, competing for Kentucky and Zimbabwe
Gunn, 30, shared his story as a gay athlete for the first time to Outsports this past spring. While he started his time at Kentucky in the closet, he grappled with his identity later in his college career.
The process was slow, but rewarding. He says his teammates didn’t care.
Like many LGBTQ+ athletes, he found coming out to be a liberating experience.
“I honestly don’t think anything really changed at all,” Gunn said. “If anything, friendships just became better. I think in my head I built it up for so long, and I was terrified that the way they acted or treated me would be different. But I was really lucky that everyone was so amazing and wanted me to be the happiest version of myself.”
Gunn shined in Rio, waving Zimbabwe’s flag with pride in the Opening Ceremony. He completed the 100-meter freestyle with a national record and personal best of 50.87 seconds–good for a top-50 finish. “Can’t do much better than that,” his coach correctly pointed out.
“I honestly loved every second of the whole experience,” Gunn added.
Gunn returned to Kentucky for his senior season and built on his Olympic success, breaking the 20-second barrier in the 50-yard freestyle for the first time in his career. He was also part of the Wildcats’ two record-breaking relay teams at the 2017 SEC Championships.
Though Gunn could’ve continued swimming competitively, he decided to step back and recharge. He used his Olympic experience as motivation for his next challenge.
“Knowing how much it took for me to get there has been a solid reminder to myself that I can do anything I put my mind to and set me up well for life after the Olympics and after a swimming career,” he said.
Living up to his words, Gunn started competing in marathons and Ironmans across the world. His first Ironman was the IRONMAN Oceanside, a grueling 70.3-mile course along the Pacific Ocean in Oceanside, California. The race includes a 56-mile run, 13.1-mile bike ride and 1.2-mile swim in the vaunted Pacific waters.
He celebrated his triumph with an understated, yet powerful message: “Did the damn thing.”
Over the ensuing five years, Sean has kept doing the “damn thing,” with Kelvin often at his side. It’s apparent they love soaking up life together!
“As someone who did struggle with coming out and only did come out at 27 to my family, it makes me so happy to be surrounded by friends and family and so much love, and am really grateful for them all,” Gunn told Outsports.
Now a devoted runner, Gunn also competed this year in the Comrades Marathon, the world’s oldest ultra-marathon. Known as the “ultimate human race,” the 54.68-mile course is run annually in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa.
Gunn crossed the finish line wearing a colorful tank and a smile.
“What goes up must come down! 1st comrades ✅,” he posted. “A big shout out to @thatkelvin, the support crews, all my friends out on the course, and all the people I’ve trained with 💪🏼You all inspire me more than you’ll ever know, and wouldn’t have been able to do it without you!”
That’s fitting, because Gunn inspires us. Dreams are attainable when you embrace your true self, and surround yourself with people who support you!
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