‘Like many others my story (begins new Viceroy John Kellett) is one of reaching 40 and realising that I was unfit and overweight (15.5 stone) – something highlighted by two growing kids who I couldn’t keep up with. This triggered a fitness drive that started with swimming and fairly quickly moved onto a drunken curry-night agreement to run the New York Marathon. I had never run much more than a mile before. It was horrendous and I finished in 4 hours and 55 minutes. That was 2007.

 

Since then I have continued with stupid personal challenges with the good fortune to be hooked up with some great athletes and personal trainer (“the C Team”) – all now Viceroys. We have moved on from “just” running to cycling, duathlon and triathlon whilst basically also doing a marathon each year. In 2013 I achieved my goal of cracking 4 hours in the marathon – after 6 attempts.

 

The tri-sports bug has really taken hold though and in 2012 we did the Henley Half ironman and then in 2013 the Barcelona ironman. For me I love open water swimming and cycling – running is just a necessary evil.

 

Over the years Sam (Junior Viceroy) has become a decent rugby player at Reeds Weybridge but his problem (from his Dad’s perspective!!) was that he had no real summer sport.2013 saw Sam starting to take an interest in tri-sports and we competed in the VO2 super sprint together – a proud moment for me as we both won our age groups (just don’t look too carefully at the number of entrants in each category!).

 

2014 is Zurich Ironman (July) for me and while I’m off doing stupid long training days I’m hoping that Sam will join in with weekly rides, the lake swimming, and the track sessions with a target of doing some sprint distance events later this year.

 

And, yes, he is bigger than me.’

 

Welcome to the club John and Sam.