Rory knows the ups and downs of his transformation from being a heavy smoker and drinker to accomplishing 1,116 Marathons, 261 Ultras, 9 World Records, 15 Marathon des Sables & 27 Years Sober in November 2021.
“I am a million miles from being the overweight 40-a-day smoker and hardened drinker that managed to run just 100 meters on 5th January, 1994. I decided there and then to live the rest of my life to the full, nicotine and alcohol-free.
In just three months I lost three stone in weight and ran a half-marathon, going on to complete my first full marathon later that same year. I ran the London Marathon in April 1995 and enjoyed the experience so much that I ran another marathon the following weekend, and the one after that, and have been doing so ever since. As I became a more experienced runner, the races became longer and the terrain became tougher.
Rory has run the Grand Union Canal Race (145 miles) three times and the Marathon des Sables (branded ’The World’s Toughest Footrace’) 15 times – more than any other British competitor.
In 2002 he ran a marathon between every stadium in the UK’s Premier League, a 600-mile route connecting the grounds of these football clubs.
“I have also completed a number of one-off challenges including nine Guinness World Records for running on treadmills (101.3 miles in 24 hours was just one of them) and mega-day races such as the Flora 1,000 Mile Challenge in 2003. Other challenges featured in the media spotlight include my 1,275 mile ‘London to Lisbon’ run for Euro 2004 (43 ultras in 43 days) and the government’s stop-smoking campaign ‘Stoptober’ in 2013 (28 marathons in 28 days).”
Rory loves to inspire people to achieve the most out of their sporting, home and business lives.
in 2008, after a long career in sales, Rory turned his passion into his business and qualified as an Advanced Personal Trainer. Since then I have built a worldwide client base and have trained many celebrity clients including Sir Ranulph Fiennes, BBC TV’s Helen Skelton and Welsh Actors Richard Harrington (Poldark, Hinterland) and Mark Lewis-Jones (Game of Thrones, Star Wars).
As a coach, speaker and author he shows people the way how to break with limiting beliefs and exceed their expectations.
His life changed dramatically in April 2016 when Rory was struck down by Guillain-Barré Syndrome and got paralyzed. He was left wheelchair-bound and it was unclear whether he would ever walk, let alone run again. His recovery is ongoing but Rory have left doctors astounded at the speed of his progress.
“I believe it is a testament to both my determination and my fitness. I passed my 1,000 marathon goal in September 2017 and hope to continue inspiring people to achieve the most out of their Sporting, Home and Business lives,” Rory says.
