About Us

Jeff is Marathon Tours & Travel’s President, based in the US.

Jeff first found Marathon Tours & Travel as a client while pursuing his interest for international adventure travel. He is respected for being an innovative corporate and philanthropic leader with a passion for helping clients accomplish their goals.

Prior to joining Marathon Tours & Travel, Jeff enjoyed a 28 year career in various client-centric leadership roles at Morgan Stanley. Jeff is a middle of the pack runner who enjoys a good challenge – like earning the Abbott World Marathon Major Six Star Medal twice and becoming a Seven Continents Club Finisher at the 2019 Cape Town Marathon

In addition to completing 44 marathons, Jeff is also an avid climber, skier and paddler. Jeff is a proud member of the Oceanites Board of Directors, President of T.O.U.R.S. (Tour Operators United for Runners), a Founding Board Member and Past President of the Make A Wish Foundation in North Texas, and recently concluded ten years of service on the National Board of Back on My Feet.

Brendan is Destination Sport Experiences’ Managing Director in the UK.

Brendan graduated from the University College of North Wales with a degree in Banking and Finance and has been working in the travel industry since the mid-1990s. Brendan helped found Destination Sport Experiences in 2021 and has overseen Marathon Tours & Travel, Sportive Breaks and Tri Travel join the company since its foundation.

Brendan is a keen athlete and during his time as Managing Director has also run in the New York City and London Marathons, as well as cycling in many locations around the world. He recalls with fondness the start of the 2019 NYC Marathon as “great as I managed to slip into the tail end of wave 1, so virtually had the Verrazano Bridge to myself going across it, although I was eventually gobbled up by the Nike shod Wave 2 runners in Brooklyn a few miles later!”

In his spare time, Brendan loves cycling, both riding and following the professional scene. He has previously competed for Great Britain at Mountain Bike Orienteering when he was younger, which he describes as “a lot of fun!”

Thom is Marathon Tours & Travel’s Founder, based in the US.

Thom founded Marathon Tours & Travel in 1979 and has been the front-runner in destination marathon travel ever since. His previous professional experience with British Airways, Air Canada and a tour wholesaler enabled Thom to start a career that combined his knowledge of the travel business with his passions for running and adventure.

Thom has also been featured in Runner’s World, the front page of The Wall Street Journal, as well as the cover of Travel Agent magazine, and was named the top specialist in running-related travel nine times by Condé Nast Traveler magazine. Thom personally leads groups to marathons in London, Madagascar, France and more, including Antarctica where he is the race director and expedition leader for the Antarctica Marathon® and Half-Marathon.

A former president of the Greater Boston Track Club, Thom has run 62 marathons around the world with a personal best of 2:30:45. An avid golfer, he holds a 6 handicap and admits that he is hopelessly addicted.

Ann is one of Marathon Tours & Travel’s Trip Designers in the US.

Ann joined the Marathon Tours & Travel team after spending five years working as Group Sales Manager for a domestic tour operator specialising in train travel. She has now been a member of the team for eight years and hopes to continue to expand her knowledge of the world. Since her seventh grade world geography class, she has had an interest in learning about all the world has to offer.

During her time majoring in geography at the University of New Hampshire, her love of travel really kicked into gear after spending a semester abroad in Australia. She has completed several half-marathons, 10K and 5K’s around the globe and in her local community.

Ann currently manages trips to Bhutan, Dragon Challenge, Comrades Ultra Marathon, Rio de Janeiro, Big Five, the Australian Outback, Sydney, Cape Town, Dublin and Patagonia in addition to being an Oceania Cruise Line Specialist.

Karen is one of Marathon Tours & Travel’s Trip Designers in the US.

With more than twenty years of experience in travel logistics, conference planning, and marketing it has been Karen’s dream to blend her passion of running and travel with her career. She has completed 30 marathons, including Boston (2011, 2022, 2023), one ultra-marathon, and many half marathons and local races. She earned her Abbott Six Star Finisher Medal in London (April 2023).

Karen is certified as a running coach with Road Runners Club of America, a member of USATF and Marathon Maniacs, is a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP). In addition to this, she has earned her MS in Marketing Communications from the University of Kansas and BS in Economics/Finance from Bentley University. Alongside working on Marathon Tours & Travel marketing efforts, Karen manages our programs to Bermuda, Israel, Kenya, the Italy Coast to Coast Relay, Madagascar, Scotland, Athens and supports our U.S. packages to Big Sur and Boston. She is always looking forward to the next adventure!

Allyson is one of Marathon Tours & Travel’s Trip Designers in the US.

Allyson joined the Marathon Tours team over five years ago after enjoying a successful start to her career in the hotel industry. As a Group Sales Manager at The Langham, Boston, Allyson learned about Marathon Tours and their role with the Boston Marathon. Allyson now manages our hotel partnerships around the world by delivering exceptional value and service related to the lodging we offer our clients. While assisting with hotels for many of our international trips, Allyson also manages Boston, Chianti, Chicago, New York, and our Sydney hotel program.

During her time at Endicott College, Allyson studied abroad in Florence, Italy and fell in love with travel and Italian cooking. She travels as often as she can with her family, and enjoys hiking, cooking, and being active outside.

Nicole is one of Marathon Tours & Travel’s Trip Designers in the US.

Nicole joined us in 2011 with eight years of professional experience in international and domestic group travel and flight management. From middle school age, she has had the travel bug and loved being on the road and exploring new places.

With a year abroad and sometimes (intentionally) getting lost on a quaint cobblestone pathway in Belgium or Germany, it was the true history and beauty that struck a chord within her that keeps her travel passion still alive. Nicole currently manages marathon trips to Barcelona, Berlin, Rome, Reykjavik and Tokyo.

Christine is one of Marathon Tours & Travel’s Trip Designers in the US.

Christine has been working in the health and fitness industry for more than 25 years and is a Registered Massage Therapist, Multisport coach, rehabilitation and personal trainer and a Registered Clinical Counsellor. She operates her own coaching and counselling business and works part-time with the Health Authority in BC. Most recently Christine worked with athletes as a Mental Performance coach helping athletes with the mental side of sport to enhance performance.

Christine has worked as a Multisport coach since 2007. She has trained athletes of all levels in long distance swimming, marathons, ultra-runs, sprint, Olympic and lronman triathlons. Christine has completed 10 Ironman races, qualified for the World Championships in Kona, has run multiple ultramarathons, ultra swims, and was the first woman at Ultraman 520 in 2019. Christine also does contract work as an Adventure Concierge, driving zodiacs in Antarctica and on the east coast. Christine has been working with MTT as a trip specialist since 2012 and recently joined the MTT Team fulltime!

Sarah is one of Marathon Tours & Travel’s Product Managers in the UK.

Sarah has always been a lover of sport for the unique way it unites people and instils a sense of community. So much so, she was able to explore sport tourism as part of her degree. After graduation, she joined a leading adventure travel tour operator and spent six wonderful years working on amazing worldwide products and itineraries, across some major brands in the industry.

She feels very fortunate now to be working amongst giants in the sports travel world, with a team of passionate and knowledgeable people. Sarah said the one and only downside is her continuous FOMO. She has already upped her running miles, inspired by challenge-seeking clients.

Her weekends are usually filled with country walks (including pub breaks) with her husband, or out running with her dog on the trails of Yorkshire and visiting family. If there’s a Liverpool FC win in there somewhere, then that’s an added bonus!

Simon is Marathon Tours & Travel’s Operations Manager in the UK.

After graduating with a degree in French and Business in 2010, Simon has worked in the travel industry ever since. Post-university, he decided to head to the French Alps for a year while deciding on what to pursue as a career and ended up spending 5 years in various ski resorts, managing the operations for a chalet company.

Having initially managed to resist the pressure to run a marathon, Simon took a group of runners to the New York Marathon, and is now always keen to fit a marathon into a holiday, whether it’s London, Paris, or even Muscat!

Simon is one of our keenest staff participants and has taken part in Paris-Roubaix and the Paris Marathon. Alongside that, he has worked at the Medoc Marathon, Tour of Flanders, Mallorca 312, Etape du Tour, Haute Route, Paris Half Marathon, New York Marathon, Chicago Marathon and the London Marathon!

Alex is a Director of Marathon Tours & Travel, based in the UK.

Alex has spent over 25 years working in the sports travel industry, having started with work during the ski season in 1996, he has now turned his passion into a lifelong career. After living and working all over Europe Alex came to the UK in 2011.

Having previously lived and worked in the French Alps, Alex has a keen passion for any event that takes place there.

In Alex’s free time he likes to spend time with his wife and two boys, as well as playing tennis. In the winter he likes to go on the turbo trainer regularly, as well as going to the gym.

Olivia is Marathon Tours & Travel’s Contracting Specialist in the UK.

Liv joined Destination Sport Experiences in 2022, having worked in business travel for five years, aiming to combine her interests of sports and travel in her career.

As Contracting Specialist, Liv plays an integral part in putting together our packages and providing extraordinary experiences for our clients. She has also helped out with the operations side of a number of our events, including the 2022 Berlin Marathon.

In her spare time Liv loves to play a lot of netball, as well as watching Man Utd and is a big Formula 1 fan. On weekends Liv will either in the pub, watching sports, drinking wine with the girls or walking with her dog!

Kieran is one of Marathon Tours & Travel’s Performance Marketing Analysts in the UK.

Adam is Marathon Tours & Travel’s Content Manager in the UK.

Adam graduated from Northumbria University with a Bachelors degree in Journalism, before following it up with a Masters degree in Media & Public Relations from Newcastle University. From university, he began his career in marketing, before taking a role in journalism. Adam joined Destination Sport Experiences in August 2023 and is enjoying being able to combine his love of sport with his experience in marketing.

In his spare time, Adam is a season ticket holder at Huddersfield Town and also enjoys watching and playing cricket and football, as well as reading and going to the pub.

Marie is our Senior Product Manager for Marathon Tours & Travel in the UK.

Marie has nearly 40 years experience in the travel industry, having begun working in travel straight after leaving school. Marie grew up in England, but spent 290 years of her life living in Cape Town, South Africa before returning back home to England. Her passion is for helping clients reach their goal and creating their own sporting memory.

Marie has vast experience in visiting, guiding and running on many of the trips that we sell. As well as guiding and assisting clients on many of our trips she has also run…Berlin, Paris, New York, London, Comrades, Cape Town (all more than once) and the Marrakech Half Marathon as well!

In Marie’s spare time she enjoys visiting coffee shops, going for walks in the country, visiting new places, especially quaint countryside or seaside towns and spending time with family and friends

Polly is Marathon Tours & Travel’s International Running Operations Specialist, based in the UK.

Polly graduated from the University of Huddersfield with a BA (Hons) in Event Management. Since her graduation in 2018 she has worked in travel and events, and has travelled with Marathon Tours & Travel to a number of our events, most notably to the London Marathon, Berlin Marathon and New York Marathon in 2023. Alongside that, she has seen 3 of the 6 Abbott World Majors in her first year working with the company.

In Polly’s spare time she enjoys spending time outdoors, hiking and camping with friends, as well as going to the theatre, travelling and exploring new places. Most importantly, she describes herself as a “professional supporter” of all of our clients as they take part in events.

Christian is Marathon Tours & Travel’s Head of Product in the UK.

Christian graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University with a BA (Hons) in International Hotel Management. He has been working in the travel industry for 30 years, having started working within a hotel in London, whilst also operating as a chalet host and ski guide during ski seasons. As Christian’s career has developed, he has worked for large, multinational travel companies, before moving in to the active holidays industry.

Christian joined Destination Sport Experiences in April 2023 and helped assist our clients during the Etape du Tour of the same year. Alongside his experience working in active travel, he has also previously completed a 100km ultra trail walk along the Cotswold Way non-stop in 24 hours, a charity ski event the equivalent of skiing 5 times down Everest and 2 x 10k runs for Cancer Research, as well as a charity cycle ride from Northwich to Warwick (100 miles in 2 days) for the Exodus Foundation.

In Christian’s spare time he plays cricket and loves walking, mountain biking and cooking.

Will is one of Marathon Tours & Travel’s Performance Marketing Analysts in the UK.

Alan is Marathon Tours & Travel’s Head of Business Development in the UK.

Alan joined Destination Sport Experiences having worked in the events and travel sector for 10 years, working closely with UK and overseas event partners and managing charity programmes. Before he began working in travel, he spent 5 years working in the charity sector across sports events and community fundraising teams.

Alan also plays a key role in the operations of our events and has relished the opportunity to get to 4 of of the 6 World Marathon Majors in 2023 (London, Berin, Chicago and New York), representing the Marathon Tours & Travel brand and enjoying looking after our runners.

All of his experience comes amidst a background of fully immersing himself in the products that we sell. Alan got into cycling in 2023 and completed his first sportive, the Tour de Manc this year, as well as a 3 day charity cycling event (Demelza Hospice Paris to Kent cycle). He is also planning to run his first ever full marathon in 2024.

In his spare time, Alan enjoys cycling, running, trekking and charity volunteering.

Amy is Marathon Tours & Travel’s Customer Service Manager in the UK.

Amy graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University with a degree in Tourism Management. Upon leaving university, she got the travel bug and visited some great places in the past few years, from the British Golf Open to watching a League 2 football team in Vietnam and doing 2 seasons working in Ibiza!

Amy now enjoys being able to combine her passion for sports and travel into her work. In her time with Marathon Tours & Travel, she has travelled on a number of our trips to assist our clients, including her personal highlights of Antarctica, Berlin and London.

James is Marathon Tours & Travel’s Customer Service Executive in the UK.

James joined Destination Sport Experiences in December 2022, having obtained a Bachelors degree in Economics from the University of Sheffield and a Masters degree in Sports Business Management from Sheffield Hallam University.

During his time so far with Destination Sport Experiences, James has worked on the Paris Marathon and Etape du Tour 2023, whilst also enjoying being on both sides of the tape at the 2023 XC Mountain Bike World Championships as a hospitality guest and a marshal.

In his spare time, James is a big football, rugby league and snooker fan and also enjoys mountain biking and playing pool in a local pub league.

Paul is Marathon Tours & Travel’s Product Loading Specialist in the UK.

Paul hails from Bucharest in Romania and graduated with a degree in International Hospitality Management from Copenhagen Business Academy and the University of Northern Denmark. After completing that degree, he attained an MSc in International Business Management from the University of Huddersfield.

Paul has been involved in the travel industry since he was in college. He held a part time job in market research, as well as three internships in travel, including two in hotels in Cordoba, Spain and St Julian, Malta. After finishing his masters he did two years working for a travel company as an Online Solutions Executive, as well as holding a position for an online travel hotel bank.

Paul has also helped out with a number of events during his time at Destination Sport Experiences. During summer 2023, he travelled with the company to the UCI World Championships in Perth this August and enjoyed learning about how things work on our trips and the organisation involved to keep on top of events.

During his spare time, Paul has a YouTube channel where he documents his journeys, posting trip reviews on the multiple transport options he uses during a trip, including, trains, planes, buses, coaches etc.