The Southland Boys’ High School and SBS Bank Academy Southland athlete has had a memorable few months, without even talking about going deep into the playoffs with his beloved social basketball team, the Bricklayers.
We’re here to talk about James running, so pull up a pew.
In January, he won his first New Zealand title, taking out the under-20 men’s mile at the 25th anniversary Potts Classic in Hastings in a time of 4min 07sec.
In April he finished third in the Australian men’s under-20 1500m championships, before heading to Kenya in May to represent New Zealand at the world secondary schools cross-country championships. He finished a credible 27th at the spiritual home of the sport and helped the New Zealand team to a fifth-placed finish overall.
The St Paul’s club member was part of a 12-strong New Zealand team which contested the world under-20 championships in Peru in August, where he ran the 1500m in a personal best 3:45:12 to qualify fifth in his heat, before finishing 14th in the final.
"The last six months, if I look back on it I wouldn’t have expected all these opportunities. I’m just really stoked about it," James said.
"This year, it’s been about the experience that I’ve gained, particularly at the world champs in Peru, lining up in the final with thousands of people in the stands. That was an unreal experience that I’m really grateful for."
As much as the results have been impressive, learning from each experience has been important for James.
"I’ve learnt a lot, and a lot of that has come through from the Academy, especially around how to fuel yourself with nutrition. It was different in Peru, you had to be cautious and not just eat random things. I was mainly living on rice, and eggs on toast.
"I remember one of the first things they told us was not to drink the water or put your toothbrush under the tap and five minutes later I had put my toothbrush under the tap. I was fine, but you have to be cautious because those little things can affect you."
Training for an extended track season through winter is a challenging ask in Invercargill, but after having all of 10 days off after his return from Peru, James is ready to get stuck into the mahi again.
The next mission is his final tilt at the New Zealand secondary schools championships, being held in Timaru in December.
"I’m definitely looking to do something good in Timaru. I just want to have a crack and do well." — Supplied article
