From Marathon Races to Managing Projects – The story of Tom Hayman

Tell us a little about your background and what inspired you to join the Hintsa team?

After graduating from Loughborough University – a choice influenced by the quality of its sports opportunities – I started my career as an Account Manager for a Supply Chain Management company, before moving across to the Finance department.  Project management was always an aspect of my roles that I enjoyed the most and when the opportunity came about to join the UK team at Hintsa Performance I knew it was the right time to pursue a career more suited to my interests.  I’ve always enjoyed taking part in and watching sports and have become involved in marathon running. I’ve wanted to improve my own performance and that of people around me, so inevitably Hintsa Performance’s philosophy and methodology were aligned for me.

You work in London, one of the busiest business cities in the world, how do you take care of your own wellbeing in the hectic London environment?

Finding a routine that accommodates both my work and life outside of work is key to managing both the busy London environment and my commute from home.  The Hintsa ethos of the Circle of Better Life is pivotal to achieving this. I maintain consistent times for my marathon training, rest and recovery outside of work hours and have taken care and consideration of my sleep patterns, recognising the impact this has on my ability to perform.  I have benefited significantly from the insights of our Performance Coaches and Specialists in these specific areas during my time at the company.

What gives you a sense of accomplishment in your daily work? What are you most proud of?

Building relationships and gaining the trust of our clients gives me a great sense of accomplishment.  Helping clients to analyse and understand their performance by using the Circle of Better Life and guiding them to what is meaningful to them in their lives is particularly satisfying.  I am particularly proud to represent a company that specifically seeks to assist all of clients achieve a better life and better performance.

In your spare time you enjoy training for and partaking in marathons, when did you first get interested in running and why? 

My passion for playing and watching sports from an early age prompted an interest in the London Marathon.  At school I ran a number of charity campaigns to assist various worthy causes, so when the opportunity came about to run the London Marathon whilst at University and raise money for a charity I couldn’t resist the challenge.  Long distance running didn’t come naturally to me. I prioritised the fundraising efforts: supporting charities that resonated for me, my family and friends was my initial drive. Then I developed a determination to perform in marathons to the best of my ability.

You recently completed the Abbott World Marathon Majors in Boston, how did you achieve this?

I first became aware of the Abbott World Marathon Majors when running the New York Marathon and it instantly became my new goal.  The only problem was that the Boston Marathon requires a qualifying time to partake, which was significantly quicker than the times I was running.  With plenty of determination and dedication to running many miles in training I completed the Berlin, Tokyo and Chicago marathons.  My times tumbled so dramatically that it enabled me to qualify for the Boston Marathon in 2018.  The race conditions were the coldest in over 30 years, battling constant rain and head winds of more than 25mph made it extremely challenging.  But the six-star finisher medal awarded to runners who have completed all 6 of the Marathon Majors kept me going.  More people have climbed Mount Everest than completed the Abbott World Marathon Majors, which is a stat I’m particularly proud to have achieved.

What are you most looking forward to in the future? Any interesting projects coming up at work or outside of work?

At Hintsa Performance there are always great opportunities to work with inspiring people – my colleagues and our clients.  I am looking forward to a number of Project Management roles I am to be involved in: continuing to promote how the Circle of Better Life can enhance better life and better performance to new clients.  I have three more marathons scheduled in the next 9 months (Berlin, Athens and London) where I hope to improve on my current personal best. Working with many multi-talented sports enthusiasts at Hintsa Performance I am also keen to learn from their expert knowledge and try out some new sports.

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