We were commissioned to evaluate the work of the strategic health authority NHS London in preparing for the Olympics in 2012. I designed the methodology, trained and co-ordinated the other two researchers in qualitative interviewing and analysis skills, conducted interviews myself and analysed the data. I developed new skills in interviewing elite (professional) participants, and analysing longitudinal data through repeated interviews. I attended an NCRM Longitudinal Qualitative Analysis course to develop the requisite skills for this. Two papers have been submitted to peer-reviewed journals as a result of this work, and a third is in preparation.