PLAY THE GAME
Inspirational stories from RELX sportspeople
"Today I will do what others won't, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can't."
Sport has the power to unite, and the ability to break down boundaries, pushing us to achievements we never thought possible. It also has the power to break even the toughest competitors. At RELX, we are blessed with amazing people so it should come as no surprise that there are many among us who thrive under the pressure of competitive sports. We also have plenty of people who enjoy sports for the fitness, social and health benefits that it brings. We set out to meet a truly global selection of these people, including a host of talented runners, a college basketball star, a former professional MMA fighter, and a number of championship medalists in other events.
Read their stories below
The runners and racers
Misato Saito //Solution Sales Manager, Elsevier, JapanCycling, Running, Swimming, Triathlon
I started swimming when I was three, and competed until I graduated from university. I then continued in sports by tackling marathons, ultramarathons (100km), open water swimming (10km) and trail running (50km+, elevation of 4000m+). Over time, I have expanded my events to triathlon, even competing triathlon in the elite group for a short while. Now I have moved onto cycling as my major focus, training with a local team and competing mainly in cyclocross, as I try to qualify for the top category. Enjoying sports with a few different teams and communities has really helped me stay connected during this difficult time.
My Highlights: Finished Ironman in 2013, various age group triathlon wins & road race wins from 2012 - 2020.
Amanda Aparecida //Tax analyst, RX, Brazil
Running
I have been an amateur runner for three years so far. In my 25 competitions I have won 19 trophies, and took fifth place in Corrida do Timão (my team at heart), for two consecutive years. I keep looking to improve my performances and continue to stand out in the races.
My Highlight: Winning the champion trophy of the São Paulo City Race in celebration of the birthday of my city.
Richard Cleverley //Lead Specialist, RX, UK
Running
I started running in 2017 after a heart failure diagnosis in 2016 that saw me hospitalised for four weeks. I'd originally planned to do a couple of 5k runs to raise money for the heart failure charity Pumping Marvellous but found I enjoyed it so much that I would start increasing distance. I'm not the fastest runner by any means but it helps me manage my heart failure both physically and mentally.
My Highlight: My highlight will come later this year when I run the London Marathon.
Katia Ganda //Business Analyst, Risk, Netherlands
Running
It started out 19 years ago as a way to break off the study routine when I was typing my masters thesis, and year after year it slowly but steadily evolved into a burning passion that is now a defining component of who I am: a marathon runner from inside out. I completed 46 marathons between 2011 and 2020 and have a 3:10 PB. I'm looking forward to many more races to come when Covid will allow, and to smash that PB!
My Highlights: At 41 years of age, I am fitter and healthier than ever so my highlights are still to come! I hope that in 30 years time I’ll still travel around the world to run and experience marathons.
Rose Blackie //Team Lead for Client Success APAC, ICIS, Singaporerunning
I have been an amateur runner for over 20 years but never ran more than a 21km….until Covid hit and I used this as my opportunity to explore my little country of Singapore. I used my extra free time in the lockdown to pushing myself further and further and came up with a plan – to run across the whole country, from the Northern border to the Southern most tip (41km). I rallied some friends and I mapped out the route, trying to find the greenest and most beautiful routes. As soon as we were allowed back together, we set off and completed the longest run any of us had ever managed.
Inspired by this I decided to do a West-East coast route – this time 56km. And I encouraged my local running group to join us too. We set off as three, but by the time we ended we were 10 as people dropped in to join throughout, and we were having such a great time that two girls who joined at aiming to just do a short stretch with us, both stayed until the end and completed 35km– neither of them had ever run more than 15km before!
My Highlights: The great group of people who joined us at points throughout our run – they made the day so much fun and kept us moving even when we got hit by a torrential thunderstorm in the last 5km of our 56km.
Exploring every part of Singapore that I would never have seen before – from north, south, east and west.
Nicole DiNatale //LexisNexis Knowledge & Research Consultant, USARunning
I started running in 2009 for the 5K t-shirts but then caught the competitive bug after the first trophy. I’ve used all the race bibs as a wall tapestry that is behind me on many video calls these days. I enjoy mapping out creative training routes and have plotted them into various fun shapes such as Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, an elf, and a man riding a horse. I call them my Runners’ Rorschach Tests. Running is actually how I got into the LexisNexis family too. My running buddy is the husband of LexisNexis client manager, Beth Brucker. They let me know that Lexis was looking for a librarian around the time I was looking to break into the legal information field, and the rest is history.
My Highlights: 80+ Races of various distances, including the marathons: New York, Philadelphia, Boston (2x qualifier), and Sugarloaf.
The fighters
Sofia Pernikis //Digital System Executive, RX, UK
Taekwondo
I have been training in Taekwondo for around 15 years from the age of 13. I haven’t done it for a few years now due to family and other commitments, but do hope to go back to martial arts at some point in the near future. My brother took up Taekwondo when he was five, and eventually I decided to join too. When we were younger, our dad would take us to training sessions, and later on he also decided to take up the sport himself, so we had some great times training as a family.
My Highlights: Through the years of training I have achieved a 3rd degree black belt, and competed nationally and internationally, winning Silver in the European Championships 2012 in Slovakia. I was on the England National Team for a number of years, and got to represent Spain in 2009 when studying abroad in Barcelona during my Erasmus year at university.
Jeremy Wallace //Systems engineer, Risk, USAMixed Martial Arts (MMA)
I started doing MMA training for competition in 2007. I was in my late 20s and wanted to see if I could compete with the best hand-to-hand combatants. Some people doubted me and they let it be known, but soon afterwards I was the number 1 ranked amateur fighter in the state of Georgia. Once I turned professional, I stayed highly ranked until I retired from the sport.
My Highlights: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (21 wins - 2 losses) multiple tournament champion, including the 2008 NAGA Nationals, Amateur MMA (7-2), Professional MMA (6-2)
Elisabeth Biedermann //Director Brand & Corporate Communication, RX, Austria & Germany
Boxing
My passion for martial arts started around seven years ago. At 25, I was actually pretty old to start boxing, but I guess I wasn't doing too badly. At least that's what my coaches say and it was them who put me in the ring. I will never forget the feeling from my first fight,shortly before the bell rang. I was thrilled like hell. I never had so much adrenalin rushing through my veins, I swear. If you win a fight, I don’t know how to explain this, it’s just the best feeling ever. So today I train up to 10 times a week. It sounds a bit crazy I know, but boxing gives me a lot. It grounds me, makes me focus better and just gives me a perfect work-life-balance. For that, I’ll accept a black eye or two, or even better, blacken someone else’s eyes!
My Highlight: To be part of the squad and represent my boxing club at tournaments.
Joseph Quinn //Senior UX designer, Elsevier, USAKarate
I started training in Shotokan Karate in 2009 with my seven year old son, in my hometown of Perkasie, Pennsylvania at Granite Forest Dojo. I received my first-degree black belt from the International Shotokan Karate Federation (ISKF) in 2012. My son left karate for other pursuits after attaining his brown belt around the same time. I am a competition champion in various local, regional, and national tournaments, and am currently a third-degree black belt, training for my fourth-degree exam. I teach 8 classes a month at the dojo, helping kids and adults reach the next rank in their karate journey.
My Highlights: Silver medal in individual sparring at the 2017 ISKF East Coast tournament. Gold medal in team kata (forms) at the 2018 ISKF East Coast tournament; Silver medal in team kata at the 2018 ISKF National tournament. Silver medal in team kata at the 2019 ISKF East Coast tournament.
Team sports
Stephen Burns //Editorial Director, ICIS, USARugby
I started playing in Australia when I was five, and finally retired from the game at 41, coincidentally playing my last game on the same field as my first. Over that time I played seasons in New Zealand, Japan, Canada and Singapore. Playing so long in the sport meant that I scored tries that were worth 3, 4 and 5 points as the rules changed around me over the years. I still have the scars from 30-odd stitches all over my head as souvenirs!
My Highlights: Representing Australia in a country-of-origin tournament in Singapore at age 40
Tracie Haygood //Head of Regional Accounts-North America, ICIS, USA
Basketball
I played hoops in my inner-city Philadelphia neighborhood back in the day, that is if shooting a basketball through the cut-out bottom of a milk crate nailed to a tree counts! Then one day in 10th grade, I joined a pickup game with some of my classmates during gym class and Coach Vince Parziale, noticed me and suggested that I try out for the team. I made it because I was naturally athletic, but I never played organized basketball. In just 3 short years on a steep learning curve, I went from barely knowing how to do a proper lay-up to becoming a Citywide Public League All-star, which was enough to catch the eye of some college recruiters. Coach Moses Golatt of Virginia Union then took a chance and offered me a scholarship to play for his Division II Women’s Basketball team. The rest is history!
My Highlights: Receiving the incredible honour of being inducted into the Virginia Union University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2021. My achievements at Virginia Union included: Top 10 all-time leading scorers; 1,000 points club; Rookie of the year; MVP; All-conference; Academic All-conference; highest cumulative GPA all 4 years; several all tournament honors; most Versatile athlete award across all university sports, men & women.
Mark Woollatt //Security Consultant, RELX, UK
Cricket
I have been playing league cricket since the age of eleven. That's 40 seasons, with only three different clubs. I have been captain, coach, secretary, and chairman. I faced some “very” quick bowling when touring Barbados in 1994 and the test match was pretty good also.
My Highlights: Since becoming Chairman (6 years) of our club, we have expanded our junior section and started a ladies section. We now have about 100 youths with defined pathways to adult cricket. Eight kids are playing county cricket at their age group including two girls. We have an additional 12 at “district” level. We started the ladies cricket section two years ago and have a core of 15 ladies and another 20 who play softball games and tournaments and are starting to play hardball this year.
The shooters
Robert Cavazos //Account Manager, Accuity, USA
Competitive paintball
Paintball is an extreme sport that I first got into by playing in the woods behind my house with some school friends back in 7th grade. The next thing I knew I was playing competitively nearly 20 years later while traveling around the US crammed into hotel rooms with teammates. Tournament paintball is a 5 vs. 5 format that is similar to a very fast-paced game of chess mixed with hockey where pieces (players) are shot off the board at any second and teams must adjust quickly to defend or attack to win that point and ultimately the match. Along with the bumps, bruises and welts required to win a weekend tournament is teamwork, communication, consistency, and quick thinking. All are musts for a winning team as tournaments are 3-4 days long, often in less than ideal weather conditions and things only get more difficult as you advance to play better teams throughout the weekend.
My Highlights: Quite a few memories of tournament weekends that were very cold, wet, and exhausting but my most notable memory is the first time I won one of those giant checks!
William Murphy //Bid Support Specialist, Risk, Wales
Archery
I’ve been shooting for nine years, but in 2018 I suffered severe nerve damage in my right arm. I was told to never shoot again, but after a lot of support from physios and teammates, I returned to competition a year later and gained both UK and Welsh rankings. I now shoot for the biggest UK archery shop and help promote accessibility, and the mental health benefits of the sport.
My Highlights: Shooting in the UK National Championships; coaching Swansea University to student nationals; being the “Welsh Varsity Archery Judge”; getting engaged to my teammate.
In the water
Graham Young //Head of Sales Operations and Delivery, Risk, UK
Dinghy Sailing
I started sailing in 1975 when I was 15, and am still actively racing now at 61, albeit only at local club level now. I have sailed in two man dinghies both as helm and crew and also in singlehanders. Racing dinghies is a sport that provides multiple challenges, not just the ability to actually sail the dinghy well, but also to understand and use the complex rules to your advantage, to read the wind and current conditions well and to assess how the competition are performing, to work out and execute a winning strategy. In addition to that, the dinghy needs to be maintained in tip-top condition and tuned for the conditions, much like a formula 1 racing car requires different set-ups for different circuits and conditions. When competing, you tend to be sailing on the edge and can therefore seem to make very silly mistakes, it is not that you are incompetent, it is just that you are pushing the dinghy, the conditions and yourself right to the limits and sometimes just beyond.
There are lots of parts of the sport that have helped me develop in life. Keeping calm is crucial, keeping focused is crucial and you find you can not only learn from those that are better than you (there is always someone better), you can also learn a lot from those that are not as good and even those that are just learning, as their mistakes tend to be exaggerated and therefore are easy to see and take learning from.
My Highlights: Member of Polytechnic National team Championships winning team. Winner of a number of Open meetings and Club series over the years. Winning the same club trophy in 2019 that I first won in 1981.
Christopher Rice //Senior Director, Insurance, Risk, USA
Swimming
I started swimming competitively in the US when I was just six and began competing at state level by seven. While I always swam, I also played many other sports and really got into soccer as a teenager. Growing up in a poor and rural area of New York state, sports allowed me to visit many places I wouldn’t have otherwise seen and opened a lot of opportunities. While not the most glamorous or popular sport, save the prime-time coverage during the Olympics, the swimming community is welcoming and there is always a sense of comradery no matter where you swim. I still swim today but gave up competing many years ago.
My Highlights: I earned three All American designations and was named an Academic All American while in college. I won the United States Masters Swimming national title for the 200-yard butterfly for my age group in 2006.
Michael Martinez //Assistant Managing Editor, Law360, LexisNexis, USATriathlon & Sailing
I settled upon Los Angeles – and its beaches – as a home after traveling the world. Since then, I finally fulfilled a self-promise to immerse in the Mediterranean climate and became a sail racer and triathlete, all involving open water. Seas and lakes are vast parks. The price of admission is a boat – or a tri wetsuit. Any RELX coworkers interested in forming a virtual Tri team? I plan to race again this summer in one of the most gorgeous courses on Earth: the Malibu Triathlon. See you on the beach.
My Highlights: Whales, dolphins, bioluminescent krill, lobster, and other sea life whenever I race in a wetsuit or on a boat.
Fitness and more
Klara Muttett //Managing Editor of Assurance Direct US, Tolley Tax Markets, USAFitness
I was born in the Czech Republic but spent many years living in the UK and now I reside in San Francisco, CA. When I’m not editing XML files, I spend my evenings and weekends as a group fitness instructor, teaching six different Les Mills programs: BodyPump, BodyCombat, BodyFlow (known as BodyBalance in the UK), LM Core, LM Sprint and Grit.
I have always loved group fitness but never had enough self-confidence to progress beyond attending the classes. In 2014, a friend of mine said if I’m curious, I should attend the training to see what it’s like to be an instructor. So I signed up for the two-day in-person training in BodyCombat, one of the hardest Les Mills programs, not really knowing what to expect. It was one of the toughest things I’ve ever done, physically exhausting and mentally draining. The biggest challenge for me, an introvert, was to overcome my fear of public speaking and coach total strangers wearing a microphone. All while performing the choreographed exercise to pumping music.
I did in fact overcome my shyness and passed the training and my assessment and went on to become an Advanced Instructor in almost all my programs. I have never counted them but I must have taught hundreds of classes over the last 7 years, including while visiting several countries in Europe and the US.
My Highlights: Training to become a Les Mills instructor has completely changed my life. It gave me confidence, new skills, many friends all over the world, and possibly even a slightly better taste in music!
