Greg's Comic Relief Journey
As a brand we are incredibly proud of our history, our origins and of course our co-founders Greg & James. Their story is ours and without them we just wouldn’t be where we are today. It’s never safe to assume but we certainly hope that many of you will be already quite familiar with Greg & James already if you have been following us on social media.
But for those of you who are new to the U Perform family, first of all welcome; but also here’s a little intro to the Professor himself and to celebrate Comic Relief this year, an insight into Greg's Comic Relief Journey…
Greg Whyte & Comic Relief
Many of you may know Greg better for his involvement with the BBC’s Children in Need, Sport and Comic Relief, where he has applied his experience and knowledge to help countless celebrities complete some of the toughest and demanding physical challenges in the name of charity. In fact, in 2014, Greg was awarded his OBE for his services to Sport, Sport Science and Charity.
Since his first involvement with sport relief in 2006, most famously, helping David Walliams to swim across the English Channel, the Gibraltar Straits and the length of the Thames. Since 2006, Greg has been involved in over 23 Sport & Comic Relief Challenges including: Eddie Izzard’s remarkable 43 marathons in 50 days; Davina McCall’s 'Beyond Breaking Point' 506 mile ultra-triathlon; John Bishop’s 'Bishops Week of Hell’ that involved John having to cycle, row and run from Paris to London; and Radio 1's Greg James on his 5 triathlons in 5 cities in 5 days.
Most recently in 2019 Greg trained Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly for a 24 hour ‘Danceathon’ and raised over £700,000 for Comic Relief. 10 years on since Greg took the original 9 nine celebrities to Kilimanjaro, he found another 9 celebrities to attempt the challenge the list included Dani Dyer, Osi Umenyiora, Dan Walker, Alexander Armstrong, Shirley Ballas, Ed Balls, Jade Thirlwall and Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Anita Rani. Greg and the celebrities completed the challenge overcoming some obstacles with the main one being altitude sickness.
As a result of his fantastic work, Greg has helped raise over £45million for charity. Greg knows first hand just how important charity initiatives like Comic Relief are and knows just how much difference your donations make year in year out to lives of so many in the UK and across the world.
Over the last 25 years and 32 charity challenges, Greg has been the hero of all the celebrities he has supported, tackling the challenges with them, from point A to point B. Greg is our hero, and above all a great chap!
Professor Greg Whyte OBE PhD DSc FBASES FACSM
As a scientist and a performer, Professor Greg Whyte OBE has had a life-long passion for Sport, Exercise, Human Performance, and Exercise Physiology. Greg’s former roles include Director of Research at the British Olympic Medical Centre. Director of Science & Research at the English Institute of Sport. Greg was also responsible for helping to establish the both the English and Irish Institutes of Sport.
Greg is the pre-eminent authority on exercise physiology and sports and exercise performance in the UK and is a world leader in his field. Most recently, Greg was welcomed to the ukactive Board of Directors and is also a member of the ukactive Scientific Advisory Board, playing a crucial role in liaising with the fitness sector and advising the UK Government in their response to the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Greg’s passion for sport started at an early age, and what many of you may not know is that he is a highly respected and decorated athlete in his own right. Greg is an Olympian in the sport of Modern Pentathlon, having represented Great Britain at both the Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games, and is a European and World Championship medalist.
This passion for sport still sees Greg taking on personal sporting challenges, the most recent being Scandinavia’s Isklar Norseman Xtreme Triathlon. This iconic triathlon is widely regarded as the world’s toughest triathlon race, with competitors trying to secure the coveted black finisher t-shirt. Greg secured his black t-shirt with a mountain top finish in 2019 and was the only over 50 to do so!
Having graduated from Brunel University, Greg furthered his studies with an MSc in human performance in the USA and completed his PhD at St. Georges Hospital Medical School, London. Greg is currently a Professor of Applied Sport and Exercise Science at Liverpool John Moore’s University and has a health and performance practice on Harley Street.
As a highly sort after authority on Exercise Physiology and Exercise Performance, Greg travels all over the world giving his extensive professional experience to athletes and sporting enthusiasts, ranging from celebrities attempting a sport or comic relief challenge to gold medal seeking Olympians.
To catch up with what Greg is up to at the moment, why not follow him on social media: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook or check out his website for all the latest: https://thewhyteanswer.com/