Published
On 26 April 2025, Jamie James — a third-year PhD student — completed a 100km ultramarathon through the Chiltern Hills to raise funds for the Medical Research Foundation. We caught up with Jamie to hear more about what inspired him, what motivates him, and what’s next.
What inspired you to run the ultramarathon?
I was actually inspired by a guy named Luke, who I met at run club earlier last year. I remember just having a casual conversation with him and he was doing about four ultramarathons that year. Over time we’ve become really good friends.
What were the most challenging and rewarding things about training for this challenge?
The most challenging things were fitting training in around being a PhD student and having a life outside of work, which did get hard at times. Also, eating enough food was definitely a challenge at times!
How much have you raised so far?
Do you have any other future plans to take on similar races or challenges?
So, as crazy as it sounds, I feel like is the start of ultra-running for me. I would love to complete a 200 mile race by the time I'm 30, so that gives me five years to build up to that with plenty of crazy challenges to come in between!
Thank you, Jamie — and best of luck with all your future endeavours!