42km of mud, sweat and tears - George on becoming a hybrid athlete, finding his woo and starting a business.
Who is George?
A Hybrid Athlete/ NASM Certified Personal Trainer / Knees Over Toes Injury Prevention
As always before we get into it, here are the important links:
Follow his Instagram for some short and sweet injury prevention tips
Subscribe to his Youtube for more in-depth videos
Check out his website here.
It’s funny the way the world works. I knew that in order for woowoo to grow we needed to start telling more stories asap - and the most realistic way to do that is to use people we already know… which is where George comes in, an old acquaintance from science class in my school days.
I’d seen through his personal Instagram that he was into fitness and takes part in some crazy races (for fun!), and then one day his business page was suggested to me. BOOM - this was our guy. But, then the internal battle began, ‘I haven’t spoken to him since school, would it be awkward if I reach out?’, ‘will he even respond?’… F*** it, I’ll never know if I don’t try.
Well, to say he responded positively would be an understatement. George was onboard, believed in our vision and was interested from the word ‘hello’.
The hour flew by too quickly, but we still managed to have a personal catch-up, as well as speaking about all things woo and the inspiration behind his business.
George, first and foremost, let’s talk about what makes you woo.
From the age of 14 I have been into fitness. But it has always been about the mental benefits rather than the physical.
If you make your body strong, the mind naturally follows and I’m a big advocate for that.
As time went on, I started getting more interested in running and weight training specifically and realised that’s what it’s all about - running far and lifting heavy.
For me, the races I do are also reflective of life in general. There are low points, high points and memorable moments. You meet new people along the way and sometimes you lose people. You help people, and some people help you. But, I love the serotonin boost after completing a race. Your mind rewards you for months afterwards with that feeling. It gives me intrinsic motivation and a confidence from within myself.
What has been your favourite race to date?
I think it has to be this year’s Mud Masters marathon obstacle course*. 42km of mud, sweat and tears.
*Mud Masters is the biggest obstacle run in the world. Participants have the option to run 6, 12, 16, or 42km with the potential of encountering more than 80 obstacles. Find out more here.
It took 7 hours to complete, but as if that wasn’t enough, after I finished the race I bumped into a famous YouTuber (@Browney) who still had 6km to go, so I decided to support him and run alongside him to finish the race. He was actually suffering with some cramps so I was advising him on his electrolyte intake and failing everything else, to eat pure salt (it tastes like crap but it is great for cramps!) For me, that was definitely a highlight - this guy has millions of subscribers and is still so humble. We got on so well, he encouraged me and followed my account. In fact, we are still in touch now!
George at the end of the race with Browney the YouTuber. Watch George’s video of the race here.
What do you enjoy about races?
I love the communal aspect to races. Humans bond very well when they are all suffering together. When your feet are sore, maybe you have a headache or a cramp, and you see people either side of you and think ‘come on, you can keep going. That guy probably has it worse’.
We’re all in the pain cave together.
What have you got lined up next?
I’m currently in training for my next ultra race on the 8th October - 60km with 150 obstacles. I’m actually a bit undertrained due to injury but I’m determined to finish the race - no matter what happens.
What is your dream woo race?
Cape Wrath Ultra. A 400km race over 8 days in Scotland. But that’ll be a tough one. I’m used to running long distances, but 40-60k per day consecutively for 8 days is a new challenge.
When I see a race and the idea of it scares me, I know I have to do it - so it is definitely on the list.
How do you even begin to train for something like that?
I don’t know actually… I think part of it is definitely physical, it’s just getting your feet used to running those distances. Plenty of long hikes and low paced runs for long periods of time. Making sure you’re fuelling and eating properly.
I think the bigger challenge will be the mental aspect. Your body is a machine and you can push it a lot more than you think - it’s the mind that gives up first. And that’s what I need to train, I need to go out on runs and experience boredom because that’s when I start to train my mind.
Through struggle and pain, there is a lot of beauty on the other side.
Now, let’s talk business… how did you start Hybrid Athlete?
The more I got into my personal journey with running and weight lifting, I discovered that running is actually one of the sports with the highest rate of injury, from there I started looking into injury prevention and trying to teach myself as much as possible about it. There is a method I use a lot called ‘knees over toes’ training. It is all about putting your joints in vulnerable positions, but in a controlled way. Over time your joints get stronger and it actually gives you lifelong benefits, especially as you get older.
I’m also very interested in philosophy, particularly stoic and practical philosophy, and have a background in neuroscience and physiology - all of that kind of came together to form Hybrid Athlete.
How do you feel about being an entrepreneur?
It’s so much fun, but it is a tough grind - I just recently completed a PT course, so was juggling that along with my full time job and managing my company.
You grow the most when you’re uncomfortable and when you are stressed.
If you’re comfortable, it means you’re not doing anything. I think that should be used as a barometer, obviously not pushing anything to the extreme, but I think you should be stressed.
It’s funny because when I started out I only gave myself 1 year. 1 year of full commitment - constant producing, content creation etc and after that I would re-assess where I was at. I’m coming up to 1 year in November and I’m so surprised by how much it has grown and how much I’ve enjoyed it. In fact, half my sales actually come from Instagram and TikTok now.
I’ve also learnt so many new skills along the way: video editing, accounting, product photography, UI/UX skills, as well as how to hire people and outsource for those tasks where more expert skills were needed.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve invested money, and lost money but that’s all part of the game. It’s a risk to put yourself out there and you have to be human about it, of course you have doubts and fears… all the time. But my discipline drives me and I think it’s important to keep going and trust in your decisions.
What is the dream for Hybrid Athlete?
We want to become Europe’s biggest shop for ‘knees over toes’ equipment and joint health. I’d also love to expand more into other joints (elbows and the spine) and sell specialist equipment.
Now I am a NASM Certified Personal Trainer, I want to start producing some fitness guides and offer online PT sessions.
I’m in the process of writing a book on how to become a Hybrid Athlete: how to lift weights, run long distances, how to combine the two into a training plan and most importantly, how to stay injury free. This started off as a woo - it was just about collecting all my knowledge from the years as well as my personal experience on what works and what doesn’t, but the book has since evolved into a much more of a challenge. My experience in neuroscience and drug development has been advantageous, as well having access to medical literature. But ensuring the book is cohesive and fluid has posed considerable headaches. A lot of effort has been put into it, and I really hope it resonates with readers. The majority of the content is in place already, it’s just the final details left to be refined…
In short, there are a lot of avenues to explore, I just have to keep going!
Who-woo? (who inspires you and should be next on our list to chat with?)
Matty (@matty_howee) from school - funnily enough! I’m really impressed by the work he is doing for breast cancer, and he is such a good runner and fighter! I always respect the fighters.
Well, we’ll be following you every step of the way. Here’s an official welcome to the woowoo community, George!
A personal note from Becca: Honestly, George hasn’t changed one bit from our school days. I had such a high from catching up with him, and although you won’t see me out running 60k races anytime soon, it’s impossible to not catch on to his enthusiasm and passion for what he does - and I’m excited to speak to him again soon and hear all about what he is up to.
Give him a follow on his Instagram and let’s show him some woowoo support!