Richard's Blog - September 2012

The London Triathlon

The two great events in London’s sporting calendar are the Marathon and the Triathlon. This weekend’s Virgin Active London Triathlon was no exception. I was lucky enough to participate yesterday with family and friends. It was a stunningly beautiful day for it, with 16,000 participants competing over the weekend - this is the biggest triathlon in the world. Sadly, the weather was not so good today, but I’m sure it didn't dampen the enthusiasm of all the participants and their …

Why fitness isn't a fraud

Do you think fitness is a fraud? We certainly don't here at Virgin, and I'm putting that to the test this weekend. After two weeks spent mainly on aeroplanes, from Switzerland to San Francisco, Necker to New York and the House of Commons to Helsinki, I am competing in the Virgin Active Triathlon tomorrow. I will be running as part of a team including my children Holly and Sam, as well as some famous faces. Fitness has always played a huge part in my life, and it is very beneficial when it come…

No-fly zone in Syria?

Yesterday saw the deadliest single air strike of Syria's civil war, with as many as 54 people killed when a government fighter jet bombed a petrol station in northern Syria. There does seem a way of saving thousands of lives in Syria and that is for the United Nations to create a no-fly zone. If the regime is stopped from using their helicopter gunships and aircraft this would make an enormous difference.It should also speed up the process of ending the fighting. It is perhaps the one thing tha…

Heroes of the sky

Squadron Leader Douglas Bader is one of the great heroes of aviation and his remarkable story is being told tonight. Bader lost both of his legs in a catastrophic flying accident in the 1930s. Surely this signalled the end of a distinguished flying career? Not at all. Bader never accepted defeat and went on to play a pivotal role in winning the Battle of Britain. I was fortunate to know Douglas Bader as a child and used to steal his tin legs! He was one of the inspirations behind my own love …

Kids ask the questions

Kids always ask more searching questions than adults!When I was at school, I think I liked playing more than I liked working. A couple of (very) young academics grilled me on my education and much else besides recently.We made this video specifically for Virgin Media Business so apologies if the intro doesn’t make complete sense. Anyway, I just wanted to share the brilliant questions from my two young interviewers. We discuss everything from history to the moon, bunking off to the schoo…

Travel's transformative effect

Writing this on our Virgin America flight from New York to San Francisco - busy day! Travel can have a transformative effect, bringing worlds closer together and helping us tap our humanity and humility especially in regions where people have far less than us or have endured tragic natural disasters. The wonderful Conde Nast Traveler Magazine celebrated its 25th anniversary by recognizing a group of Visionaries at Lincoln Center last night, and I found myself counted among some amazing Vision…

From Mont Blanc to Mars

Having recently climbed Mont Blanc with the Big Climb, I’ve seen a tough but beautiful mountain close up recently.My favourite recent photo from the Curiosity mission to Mars looks even more fascinating. This depicts the base of Mount Sharp, with four different types of terrain visible in one fantastic image. It’s been fun reading all of your comments as we have posted on the inspiration of space in recent weeks - do keep them coming! Images by NASA…

Does it make you proud?

What really matters is what you create. Does it work or not?Does it make you proud?

See you soon, San Francisco

Wish I could look this good every day! I'll be at Dreamforce later this week. You could be there too and win a pair of round-trip Virgin America flights as well. If you can't make it in person, you can still stream the whole event on any device. I'll be joining Marc Benioff for a fireside chat on Wednesday. See you soon, San Francisco.…

Virgin Kite Jam

We’ve had some fantastic kitesurfing events over the years, but Virgin Kite Jam is top of the pile.After two overwhelmingly successful Kite Jams in the British Virgin Islands, this year’s annual event is on Maui, Hawaii.It is home to some of the most challenging and beautiful conditions in the world, so is sure to be the perfect setting for the world’s leading kitesurfers. I’ll be at a big kitesurfing event on Necker in January next year, looking forward to it already. …

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