Listicles
August 29, 2024
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My application to 21SAS (the British Special Forces)
Reading Time: 6 minutes
Hey Guys,
I want to talk through a journey that I went on at the beginning of the autumn of 2014.
Of applying to 21SAS.
And getting some way into the programme itself.
21SAS – for those who are unfamiliar, is the British Special Forces reservist programme.
As someone with no previous military experience like myself – you cannot apply directly to the full-time special forces.
In fact – that idea is laughable – although somehow you can apply to be a full-time Navy Seal (to my understanding) with no previous military experience.
Training with a Georgian former special forces sniper (private military training programme)
Reading Time: 6 minutes
Hey guys,
It’s time to go back to my military training.
As you know I made a decision to apply to the British Special Forces a few years back.
At the time it seemed sensible that I should get as much preparation as possible.
I’d already started going through the induction process with 21SAS and I felt I should absolutely get a taste of something military before I headed off into the unknown.
The friend I turned to immediately was Zurab.
Becoming a basically trained British Solider (Alpha and Bravo)
Reading Time: 5 minutes
(Please note army vets – this is just the recounting of my application process – nothing I write is intended to reveal/mislead/misrepresent anything about the British Army)
I’d had an incredible week in Georgia with Davit that showed me there was a pain I never knew.
Now it was time to head out for the army assessment centre at ATC Pirbright.
(At some point in the future I’ll trawl through my emails to get the relevant pictures/timelines/dates etc – for now, I’ll write).
It was to be a 3-day, 2-night weekend for general entry.
The process for 21SAS had changed somewhat by then.
Running 5 ultramarathons in Italy, Poland, Wales and England
Reading Time: 6 minutes
Hey guys,
Today I want to throwback to running my first ultramarathon.
I managed to dig out my old emails with the Might Contain Nuts family (unfortunately their site is now defunct)
It was August 2012, and I’d grown somewhat bored with running marathons, so I was looking for a new challenge.
Running an ultramarathon sounded like it would be a good idea.
Much like writing this letter – I didn’t know anyone who’d run so far before and had no real sense of how long it would take me.
All that I knew was the challenge sounded fun, and I was prepared to give it a go.
Running 33 marathons in 20+ countries
Reading Time: 6 minutes
Running over the years after completing my first marathon back in Chicago became something of a bug, and then it became a lifestyle habit.
I still remember turning up to the Chicago start line on race day – and a local runner next to me asked how many marathons I’d done.
‘This is my first!’.
He was impressed as well as shocked.
I guess it’s not an ordinary approach to go out and run your first marathon on a continent you don’t live on (North America) and then train for it across two other continents without once training in your actual home country (Europe and South America).
And this was to set the tone for all forthcoming marathons.
So as my journey running marathons continued – I started to rack up ‘5’ completed and get closer to the magical double digits of 10.
Completing an Ironman having never ridden a road bike (Port Elizabeth, South Africa)
Reading Time: 6 minutes
In a couple of months, I was going to be on a plane headed to South Africa via Dubai.
Right now I was living in Via Vanchiglia in Turin, Italy whilst trying to figure out what to do with my career.
It was 2015 and Daniela and I, after my various trips around the world, had managed to find our way back to each other whilst I was living in Lausanne with Luc for a month.
Since then, we’d rekindled our relationship and I had gotten on a plane this time and tried to make it work with Daniela and me, in Italy this time.
We’d tried Northolt, Earls Court then Malaga in Spain and all of those places had failed us. Now we were trying Turin.
Training and winning (via TKO) my first Muay Thai right (Rio, Brazil)
Reading Time: 6 minutes
I stepped into the ring with my headgear on and nervousness living within me.
This was it. This is what I’d been training relentlessly for – for the last 7-weeks.
I’d have gruelling sessions 5-6 times a week in the general classes with the pro and amateur fighters and then I’d have my own private sessions as well on the same day.
By the time it got to around 8/9 pm I was absolutely exhausted and just read to sleep.
I remembered turning up in the gym for the first time a few months back and asking if I could learn to fight.
The man at the desk told me to come back at 2 pm
