Gurney, who won the Coast to Coast race nine times and has competed in numerous multisport events around the world, interacted for 90 minutes with 16 pupils, including three visiting from Northern Southland College.
The Sparc ambassador said he did not consider himself a true athlete, rather a "short, bow-legged, biomechanical nightmare", but he had succeeded in the Coast to Coast, the Southern Traverse and endurance races in South Africa, Switzerland and the United States by having the right attitude and by turning obstacles into opportunities.
Gurney encouraged pupils to set goals and told stories of his life as a professional athlete. The Christchurch-based personality described how he developed the Evolution Kayak and the controversially streamlined Pod for his racing bike, which cut 30 minutes off the final cycle leg of the Coast to Coast.
He told the pupils about his road to recovery after he was poisoned by bat dung while racing in the jungles of Borneo, and his time as a contestant on Dancing With The Stars.
Netball A team captain Miranda Hayes (17) said she thought the seminar was interesting, inspiring, useful and entertaining.
"He looked at goals more realistically and [as] achievable, and made it easier for us to visualise our own goals."
Gurney said pupils were fully engaged by his abbreviated "action-packed" workshop and asked good questions.
"They were a lively bunch and you could tell the message was getting through."
Mr Gurney will take his workshop to schools in Winton, Gore, Invercargill, Oamaru and Timaru this week.
