Landlord Tony grapples charity challenges
NRLA member and former professional wrestler Tony Simpson talks to Sanjeev Shetty about running, raising money for charity and what could be the next mountain for him to climb.
Having willed his body into a series of runs during the past two years, you would forgive Tony Simpson for taking a break from punishing any more physical exertions; after all, having lived a life as a professional wrestler, he’s had his share of bumps and bruises.
It was after a night out with a friend, where the drink was flowing, that the idea of doing the London Marathon was born.
“I’m not a natural runner but I am someone who likes to overcome obstacles,” Tony tells me from his office in Hackney Wick, in London. “I like problems and getting into solving problems.”
“The great thing about being a landlord is the flexibility it gives you (in terms of devoting your life to training and running).”
Preparations
To prepare for the 26.2 mile route, he tried his hand at going half that distance in a run in Brighton – ‘the perfect distance for me.’
Given his former career as a professional wrestler, it seemed only natural for him to compete in the London Marathon in 2023 dressed as the iconic Hulk Hogan.
That meant wearing a red vest and head covering but also growing a moustache which he dyed blonde, as well as spray-tanning his body six times to make himself as authentic as possible.
The outfit attracted the TV cameras, who grabbed him after the finish for a few words. He could smile and charm the BBC but inwardly, he wasn’t quite as positive.
“Never again,” he said to himself after crossing the line but now admits another marathon is on the horizon.
He also did the Dartford half marathon in September of this year, which he says was ‘as gruelling as doing the full London Marathon, because of the number of hills you have to run up.’
As it stands, he has already raised more than £4000 for the Sussex Beacon, a charity specialising in supporting and caring for people living with HIV.
Fatherly advice
The subject of professional wrestling is never far from the conversation, and it was his obsession with the grappling game which prompted his father to say to him he needed a ‘fall back option’ if the wrestling career didn’t become his full-time job
“I was training (to be a professional wrestler) from the age of 13 and my dad, who is very ‘corporate’ said that I needed an alternative career. So, I went to a free seminar which taught me about property. It gave me the bug and I had lots of ideas,” he continues.
“A lot of people don’t see being a landlord as a business, but I do – I see my tenants as customers, and I deliver a high-quality product which make them very happy.”
He bought his first property when he was 18 – a studio property in Tottenham, in London. The economic crash of 2008 derailed his portfolio expansion before he got back into the business when the economy stabilised and he has continued to expand.
“I’ve now got 17 properties, and they are dotted through Essex, Dartford, Crayford and the rest in Hastings,” he adds.
What’s next?
Completing a marathon is just the start of what Tony hopes to achieve, as he ponders how to raise money for people suffering from dementia, an illness that affects his grandfather.
“A friend of mine has completed an ultra-marathon through Iceland, which is 200 miles over four days,” he says when I ask him about his future goals.
“I started looking at whether I could do an iron man challenge… the problem is that I’m not a good swimmer!”
“But I am interested in doing something like a tough mudder – which is more like a 10 or 15 kilometre run with things to jump into, freezing cold water or things to climb. That’s my future.”
Do you have a great story to tell? Do you do good work in your community, raise money for charity, or maybe you have an interesting story about your property business or how you got started in the industry. If so contact us by emailing magazine and digital editor Sally Walmsley at [email protected]
