George James is only getting started.
The British marathon runner, at the age of 31, made his international debut at the inaugural European Running Championships on Sunday (April 13) and it was all about performing without any limitations.
Competing in just his third ever race over 26.2 miles – he clocked 2:14:59 and 2:11:19 in London and Frankfurt respectively last season – James finished fifth and recorded a time of 2:10:10.
Before the race, in an interview with AW in Brussels, he stated that “there are no expectations” and that “I still don’t believe I’m sitting here with a Great Britain vest shirt on”.
After that run, it may be the first of many occasions he represents his country. Not only did James place higher than any Brit at the entire European Running Championships but his time of 2:10:10 means he is 11th on the UK marathon all-time list this century.
Men’s marathon in Leuven (Getty)
“To finish fifth on my Great Britain debut, in what is just my third ever marathon, is surreal,” he told AW afterwards. “As I said the other day, I was going to run without limitations.
“The course was very up and down and I thought that was challenging. You felt it in the thighs and the last three miles were about hanging on in there. I couldn’t be happier to cross the line when I did!”
James started the race well and stayed with the leading pack through the first 10km, going through in an impressive 31:01. Although the Brit dropped back slightly at the half-way stage he still recorded a time of 64:12, beating his outright half-marathon personal best by 48 seconds.
The Brit, at this point in the event, was 10th but slowly worked his way through a tiring field in the second half of the race. James was eighth and sixth at 30km and 40km respectively, before surging to fifth place just before the finish.
George James (Sportograf)
“I was a little bit on my own towards the end but there was always someone to chase down,” he added. “I overtook two people [İlham Tanui Özbilen and Ibrahim Chakir] in the final stages. I could always see the clock on the car in the distance so that leading group never got too far away. That was nice to know.
“Put me on a fast course and I think I’ll be going a lot quicker in all honesty. My left thigh wasn’t really playing ball at times during that race so I had to maybe just lessen the intensity at times.”
All the more extraordinary given James spent most of his adult life earning a living on yachts and sailing around the world.
At the age of 18, a teenage James left college to work as a deckhand – which involves looking after the maintenance of boats – and, over the years climbed the ladder, eventually rising to the rank of second officer at 29.
Not only did his responsibility on the vessels increase over time – a second officer is in charge of navigation and management of the deck crew – but the size of the boats and breadth of locations he visited expanded.
George James (Sportograf)
Away from the hustle and bustle of working on the deck, he found comfort through running on a treadmill (if the yacht had one) and used the machine to destress.
Now James, who is currently unfunded and spent his own money to train at 8500 feet in Colombia for the European Running Championships, wants to turn this into a full-time job.
“There was a massive chunk of me not racing for about 10 years,” James said. “I was quite a good youth runner and left the yachts at 29 to come back to the sport. So, in the space of 12 months, to go from a 2:14:59 to 2:10:10 is quite steep! Going forwards, it’d be great to do another altitude block and I want to achieve a lot more.
“I think altitude helped massively in this run. I don’t know exactly how much it’s helped me but I’ll take it. You know, I could’ve stayed at home and done the usual training routine but I wanted to challenge myself.
“I need to get to the next level now and it’s about going on from here. I saved up a reasonable amount from the yachts so I’d never forgive myself if I stopped now. I don’t where my limitations lie and it’s about getting to that next stage.”
George James (Marathon Photos Live)
James, who currently lives with his mum in Ashtead, does train by himself but he is coached by Robert Russell, who has a number of Dorking & Mole Valley athletes – the club that the Brit is associated with – under his roster.
All in all, James tends to run about 80 to 120 miles per week, which is roughly double than what he managed when he was working on the yachts.
The test now is to see how quick he can go in an Autumn marathon like Berlin or Valencia. The Brit already has eyes on it.
George James (Sportograf)
“It’s difficult to say how quick I could’ve gone on an easier course,” he said. “I was looking at the entry lists today and there were guys with 2:04 personal bests. They were a bit quicker than me and they crossed the line in around 2:09.
“I would look forward to racing [in Berlin or Valencia]. I won’t put a time on it but I’d enjoy running in those cities.
“I’ve got absolutely no plans for this coming summer right now. “It’d be nice to do a couple of 10km runs and maybe a half-marathon, on top of an altitude block, to prepare for an Autumn marathon. That would be the ideal goal but we’ll see. If I’m feeling good, then I’ll compete.”
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