Ayo is the perfect instructor with just the right balance of tone to keep you motivated. A true gent, he is a positive, encouraging and supportive trainer who can nonetheless smoothly transition into ruthless drill-sergeant mode when necessary to get you over the tougher humps in your training programme – yet he does this in such a natural and transparent manner that you hardly notice it, you just realise afterwards that he pushed you hard and didn’t allow you to let up. He also gives you huge confidence with his vast knowledge and experience. Whatever level of fitness you are, he has trained someone like you. Whatever event you are preparing for, he has probably done it, or trained someone for it, or both. Training for a Marathon? This guy ran a series of Marathons….in the desert!! You need this man in your corner if you have any interest in maintaining or improving your fitness in any way.

My key reservation was that I had signed up for an insane endurance event that I was in no way fit enough for or prepared to do, having done very little exercise in the preceding years. Ayo carefully identified some of the key challenges I needed to focus on and guided my training to ensure these challenges were met. He also provided realistic encouragement citing experience of guiding people of similar levels of initial fitness through similarly challenging events. Completing the Tough Guy Challenge brought me to an overall level of fitness I hadn’t achieved before, as well as being an achievement in itself. It helped me to see myself differently which has motivated me to maintain an exercise regime in the subsequent years.