The Athletes
Jonathan Williams (Team Captain) - Jonathan is a senior manager in the HR Technology Team at PwC. He is Captain of the PwC Tri Club and has competed in many of the UK's top triathlons including Helvellyn, Coniston, Lakeland and Day in the Lakes and other Half Ironman and Ironman competitions. When not advising clients on IT implementation issues around HR systems and software, he can be found running endlessly around the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District. Originally from Wales he grew up with a love of sports, first running and more recently triathlon. His main concern is the swim as he has a body fat -10%, so will provide lots of fun for the rest of the team as he freezes in the English Channel. Two weeks after the Enduro Challenge he will compete in the Challenge Henley Ironman distance triathlon along with fellow Virtualis team mates.
Kyle Price - Kyle is a senior management consultant at PWC, where is advises clients on Strategy. Originally from America, he came to Europe to study for his MBA at INSEAD in Paris before choosing London to live and work. So at least he will be able to find the Eiffel Tower and the best restaurants in Paris (Le McDonald's?). Like Jonathan, he was too busy to write his pen portrait so it was delegated to a team mate. Kyle is a brilliant swimmer so should excel in the Channel, however he has failed to adhere to team instructions to put on weight and, like Jonathan, will feel the cold during the swim. He is a qualified swim instructor and will be on hand to provide the rest of the team with swim technique lessons. Apparently he hates hills so has been given the flattest stages on the run and the cycle; which also happen to be the longest in distance. Lets hope the Channel is not as hilly as forecast or he is likely to throw a hissy fit.
Cyril Morrin is an Accountant with over 20 years experience working in public practise. In his spare time he is a "Tryathlete" i.e he will try most sports at least once so long as speed is not a key consideration. He completed the Marathon Des Sables in 2010, Tough Guy and the Camino De Santiago. With over 30 marathons and ultra marathons under his belt, his main concern with the run leg of the Enduro Challenge is that it is not long enough for him to really get going and not likely to be hot enough either to build up a sweat. He is not concerned with the swim as he has more body fat than all his fellow teammates combined. He is really looking forward to the cycle stage as he plans to cycle a modified "Boris Bike" (with a tri bar).
Amalas Wolfsdorf works in the Energy Trading team at Citadel LLC. Amalas is a keen triathlete and has recently completed her first full Ironman. She has previously raced in the winter Tough Guy Challenge and is hence no stranger to the cold water that will await the teams in the Channel swim. Amalas has worked with children's charities in the past and feels passionate about the work that The Prince's Trust are doing to support and guide children and young people.
Paul Annegarn is a director in the Equities division at Credit Suisse. Paul is one of the founders of the interbank London to Paris "Enduro" triathlon. This will be his seventh time as a competitor in the race and has four wins and two second places under his belt. Paul is a former international water polo player and believes strongly in the team effort involved in the Enduro - not just amongst the athletes but also from all the support team who are absolutely critical for complex logistics and safety. The Enduro is a competitive race, but with charity at its heart and has raised almost one million pounds in the last six years, so he is hoping the Virtualus team can add to that total this year for The Prince's Trust.
Sean Mooney works on the Commodities Sales team at Goldman Sachs. Sean has been signing up for various charity challenges over the past few years - notably three white collar boxing events (that combined have raised more than 400K for charity), a CN Tower stair climb, an ultramarathon from Montreal to Ottawa in Canada and Matt Roberts Gym’s ‘London’s Fittest Banker Challenge’. Having not ridden a bike since he out grew his childhood mountain bike at 12 years old, and having never swam in open water before the Dover qualification, he is looking forward to the challenge of this race. He is also hoping to learn a lot as he will be attempting his first ironman distance triathalon three weeks later.Logistics and Transportation
Steve "Chopper" Haynes is a Vice President at JPMorgan Investment Bank. He has run several marathons, including the original "Marathon to Athens" run in Greece and the Prague Marathon. This October he will be running the Istanbul "Inter-continental" Marathon should he lose a few lbs.Out of the office, Steve is the producer of "A Mile with Me", a free audio podcast for runners which has subscribers in 40+ countries around the world. Steve has experience in organising big teams at major events and will be also using his ability to drive on the "wrong" side of the road (in generally the right direction) to make sure we deliver the athletes to the right places, with the right kit for each stage.
Dan Greenall is a freelance sports portrait & adventure documentary photographer based in Scotland. In his youth, Dan was a notable Rock Climber with many first ascents to his name, before hanging up the ropes to concentrate on cycling & running. He has competed in UK mountain races with one top-ten placing. Dan has the honour of being probably the only person ever to stop halfway round a one day mountain marathon for a fag break. Which he enjoyed. Since then, Dan has wised up, got a family, enjoys road cycling and has recently been coached back into 'Chi' running with a view to competing in ultramarathons. Dan's goal is to one day be on the wrong side of the BMI index.Dan will be documenting the Team as they make their way to Paris (warts n' all) as well as Driving Support vehicles.
Matt Ellingham is a project manager at Credit Suisse, who was traded to Virtualis by the Credit Suisse Enduro team when they found that they had a surplus of support cyclists. He is yet to receive his share of the transfer fee. After chronic leg injuries prematurely ended a promising running career, Matt’s main passion became mountain biking. He competes in a wide range of events such as the Strathpuffer (Scotland), Polaris Challenge, and endurance downhill’s including the Megavalanche (France). There aren’t many weekends where he isn’t out on one of his bikes. Last year he tried to resurrect his running legs by competing in the 2010 OMM – a navigation & running event held on Dartmoor – but it didn’t go entirely according to plan. In true Kiwi style he has signed up for the 2011 event to put things right. He’s really looking forward to riding all the way to Dover at speeds in excess of 20km/h, in support of his adopted team – in the process, soundly beating the Credit Suisse team that didn’t want him!
James Starkey works in projects within the Hybrids area of JPMorgan. He has a back ground in MO trade support and then in FO Trading. He is from Sydney, Australia and has been enjoying living in London for a few years. He has run both the Athens and Budapest Marathons in under 4 hours. He has deliberately submitted his X factor audition picture so he can use the strain of this weekend as a pitiful back-story
