Parkour Red Bull

Ryan was never the athletic type at school. In fact, when it came to having a kickabout at football in the playground, he was always stuck in goal. So Ryan channelled his energy into martial arts, achieving a black belt in Kuk-Sool-Won and later discovered free running and parkour.

Ryan found he could turn any apparent weakness to his advantage, too. A prime example is his very poor eyesight, which he claims is an advantage, “… because if I could actually see the true height of a jump I was on, I’d probably chicken out!”.

Ryan’s creative free running style and strength, combined with his background in martial arts, saw him take three national tricking championship titles in 2006, 2007 and 2009. Ryan also won Red Bull Art of Motion - the first official international free running event - in Vienna in 2007.

Unfortunately, right at his moment of triumph, Ryan broke his leg when he missed the landing mat from a 12ft jump in the final. He now has a 33cm bar held on to his leg with 14 screws as a permanent reminder.

But you can't hold a good free runner down, and in 2012 Ryan was back in action, returning to competition and completing a parkour tour, showcasing his jaw-dropping skills on the Seven Wonders of the World. Ryan also took part in Red Bull Art of Motion 2012, placing eighth overall. Ryan has also gained recognition for his online series 'Travel Story', when it won Best International Series at the third annual Streamy Awards in Los Angeles.