The former Olympian and World Championship silver medallist is the brains behind many an A-listers brawn...
David Walliams swimming the Thames, Eddie Izzard completing 43 marathons in 51 days, and Christine Bleakley water-skiing across the Channel. Other than incredible feats of endurance, all these challenges have one thing in common, Professor Greg Whyte.
The former Olympian and World Championship silver medallist, is the brains behind the A-list brawn, and Manchester Gossip was lucky enough to catch up with the Glacéau Vitaminwater ambassador for a chat, and perhaps some fitness advice.
Where do you start when preparing somebody for such an extreme challenge?
Firstly the celebrities are not natural born athletes, and secondly it is a relatively short period of time that I have to work with and get them to the right level of fitness.
You have to come at each individual from a different angle, for example with Eddie Izzard you had to make sure he had the right trainers with the correct orthotics, so equipment is incredibly important.
How different was it to work with the celebrities, rather than the professional sportsmen and women you usually support?
That's an interesting question, celebrities know what it is to work hard. I think we have this X-Factor mentality where you can become famous over night, but in fact many celebrities know what it is to fail and they know how to pick themselves up after such failure.
From a mentality perspective the Olympic gold medallists I have worked with are the same as the celebrities, the only key difference lies in where their talent is. A celebrity's talent may be on stage or television whereas an athlete will be talented at their sport.
Your first challenge was David Walliams swimming the English Channel for Sports Relief in 2006 .What was David like when you first met him and how much work did he need?
Well the thing with David was that he didn't enjoy physical activity and swimming is all he did. His mum and dad met at a swimming pool and it was something he always did from a young age. However to suggest David was a good swimmer when I first met him is a long way from the truth.
You were present when David swam both the Channel and Thames, is it important that you are present during the challenges?
It's important for me to do it alongside them, as they don't have the experience or an idea of how fast they should be going. Therefore I have to offer a lot of constant reassurance and re-affirmation when going along.
When he did the Channel I did half of the swim, and then on the Thames I was probably in for 80% of the time. I guess it's the nature of what I do, and if you really want the difference between a celebrity and a proper athlete that is it, a professional athlete is 100% on their own.
As you have been present for so much of the action, were you never tempted to complete a challenge on your own, or take the glory?
I've done things on my own, I've swum across the Channel, I did the cycle race across America, but no, the important thing about the different challenges are that I remain anonymous. I carry the greatest burden of responsibility, because when things go well the likes of David and Eddie get all the adulation. But if the shit hits the fan, suddenly I'm in the lime-light.
Eddie Izzard's challenge of 43 marathons in 51 days was amazing, but surely such an experience must be punishing on an individuals body?
Ultra-endurance challenges are interesting. Unlike a hard 5km or 10km run, where you are tired for a few hours, but feel fine the next day. What you find with the ultra-endurance events is that three weeks after you finish you climb a flight of stairs, and on reaching the top wonder why you become out of breath and feel absolutely knackered.
It takes a long time to fully recover your physical ability, and then of course you may pick up injuries along the way. But that's part of my job, to limit any long term damage and hopefully stop or reduce any on-going problems.
You mentioned kit before, how important is equipment in these challenges?
The best equipment is absolutely crucial and it's about having the right tools for the right job. What it isn't is a beauty pageant.
You also have to make sure they have the correct nutrition, both in the challenge and during the training. It is important for the celebrities to stay hydrated, and with the likes of Glacéau Vitaminwater, athletes can take in added vitamins and minerals giving them a much needed boost.
It really is about taking a microscope to the performance and making sure we cover every angle. I guess it all comes down to experience, knowledge and absolutely squeezing out the best that I can from the celebrities.
As a sports scientist, does psychology play a big part in these epic feats of endurance?
It doesn't matter who you are or how tough you are, all these challenges are lonely and companionship makes a big difference. When Eddie set out on his marathon he thought he could do it solo, and soak up the atmosphere. But I said to him it is virtually impossible and you need company to subside the misery, 3 days in and he gave me a call to ask if I would come down to support him.
How difficult was Christine Bleakley's challenge of Water Skiing across the Channel?
A lot of people say to me it wasn't as tough as some of the challenges you have done. But I think the issue of the challenge isn't necessarily how tough it is, but how far you have to come to achieve it.
Christine was weak, she had no endurance capacity and had never water-skied before.Even more incredibly was the fact she was scared of water, so for her to complete the challenge was amazing.
Which has been your favourite challenge?
Tragically I love them all, but the first is probably my favourite, with David Walliams swimming across the Channel. It was a great personal accolade for him and for me, to take somebody from nothing to across the open blue water was a great feeling.
Finally, with the winter months fast approaching what tips have you got for Manchester Gossip's readers?
What it almost exclusively comes down to is motivation and there are four things you can do to help achieve this.
- Get Yourself a training buddy or group, because on those days when you can't be bothered they'll motivate you and vice-versa.
- Set yourself a goal. Pick a fun event close to Christmas, that will give you a reason to get out and do some exercise.
- Keep it fun and something that you will enjoy.
- Try something different, for example a boxercise or spinning class, therefore as you learn the new skill that will motivate you.
