Jamie James: running an ultramarathon for medical research!

What inspired you to take on this amazing feat?

“I think medical research - and research in general - is so important, but it’s often undercut by a lack of funding. A lot of research doesn’t get the chance to come to light because of this, so I think the Medical Research Foundation is a great cause - because they particularly help underfunded research.

And personally, an ultramarathon is such as great challenge to take on. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while now. So it’s just combining those two motivations really!”

Can you tell us about your PhD thesis?

“My research involves two main parts. The first part is taking human lung cells and then infecting them with coronavirus. And then I see if these human lung cells send out signals – called danger signals - that say “Help me, help me, I’m infected!” And this is what our immune system would respond to.

The second part of the project is then looking at if the immune cells that we have in our body respond to these signals. I take immune cells out of patients and I add them to the virally infected cells to see if they respond.”

What’s your favourite thing about being a PhD student?

“My favourite part of being a PhD student is definitely the people that I’ve met – all the lovely supervisors and researchers and all the advice they’ve given me.

But also my fellow PhD students – it’s been a real bonding experience because whenever you’re in a tough spot they’re always there for you and you have this friendship that just builds and builds over the course of the years.”

What got you into such long-distance running?

“It was actually 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.

When someone who does that sort of stuff is in front of you, it becomes more tangible and it really inspired me.

He coaches me through it now – we run together – so it’s a really nice thing.”

What does running mean to you?

“It means a lot to me. I started running as a child – it was a really big confidence thing. And now it’s become a release from stress – so whenever I feel a bit sad or stressed out about work, I’ll just go for a run and it’s crazy how it does a complete 180 on your day.

It’s also a social thing for me now, because I’ve met so many like-minded people, and people who push me further. It’s really become quite an integral part of my life to be honest.”

Hardest part of training?

“There are two things. One is not ruining my knees - I work a lot to make sure I don’t damage them.

And the eating, as well – you wouldn’t believe how much eating you have to do!”

How do you balance working on your thesis and training for an ultramarathon?

“I wake up super early. I didn’t realise this wasn’t normal because I’ve been doing this for quite a while now, but normally I wake up at 5am. This means I can train before I get into work, so I can be in for about 9 and still have time to myself to get all my stuff set up.

I also train a lot on the weekend, and it’s quite nice because I manage to combine socialising with training – a lot of my friends now actually are quite into running."

What are your hopes for the big day?

“Number one to finish! That’s my number one priority.

I would like to finish in under 14 hours – so fingers crossed.”

Will you take breaks?

“Maybe a ten minute break here or there – I won’t sleep or anything.”

What would you say to someone else thinking of doing some fundraising?

“I know it seems daunting and it can be hard to put yourself out there and ask for money, but at the end of the day, we’re doing it for a really good and honourable reason – so I’d say just go for it!

Don’t worry about what other people think, or even what you think about yourself, just go for it.

And you’ll be so surprised by how many friends, family, and even strangers will support you.”

Jamie’s ultramarathon will take place on 26 April in the Chiltern Hills.

So far, he’s raised over £900 for the Medical Research Foundation! We want to say a huge thank you for his amazing support, making the research we need most happen.

If you’d like to support Jamie, please visit his JustGiving page, where he also shares all his regular training updates through Strava.

He says, “Whatever you give, it will warm my heart knowing that we are collectively contributing to making the world a better place, one little bit at a time.”