Name: James Ellis

Occupation: Nutritionist

Home Town: Leeds, UK

Questions

What is your running background?

I used to be forced to run cross country for my school as it was a condition of being on the
football team and so I hated it for a long time. Then in 2008, a couple of years after losing
my dad I decided to get fit again and dabbled a bit as well as going to the gym. In 2009 I
took a voluntary redundancy from my job as a journalist and decided to start a blog called
1095miles.com where I effectively from a standing start ran three miles every day for a year
and blogged about it. As I was running round my home in Streatham it started to get a bit
fed up of the surrounding streets and so I entered a half marathon, before being asked to
run the inaugural Brighton Marathon and it kind of spiralled from there.

When did you first start running Ultra marathons and why?

In 2011, myself and Sparta regulars Jamie Holmes, Darren Strachan and David Bone took on
a challenge to run the Brighton Marathon one week, London the next and in between run
from Brighton to London – all for a charity dear to Jamie’s heart. Now it sounds like a
regular training week but back then it was an enormous task – and just before we set off on
the Brighton to London leg Jamie’s mum emailed him an article: “If you think you are doing
something special, take a look at this). It was about Spartathlon and the die was cast. We all
got qualifiers and Jamie and I ended up being drawn from the hat for the race in 2015. It
was, I think, my seventh ultra. Ridiculous thinking about it now, but the love affair started
and I’ve been back every year since (even in the pandemic with Sir Ian Thomas and I ran a
self-penned SpartathlOFF when it was cancelled)

When or where (at which events) are we most likely to see you?

There’s a series of events up in the hills of Yorkshire around me called Punk Panther. I love
their races (plus the finish is less than two miles from home, so I can even run back if I
want).

What are your personal key running achievements to date?

Five Spartathlon finishes
One Spartathloff
Third at the Athens Ultra Festival 2018 with 137 miles (not sure I’ll ever beat that)
Quite a few podiums at the Punk Panther events above

What was your hardest experience?

Pulling out of Spartathlon in 2019 just past half way when a combination of sticking my
hand in someone else’s shit at the start (long story, ask me in Athens), really hot weather
and a minor injury all played on my mind so much I just kept dropping further back. I ended
up surfing the cut offs for about six hours but I was mentally gone and couldn’t pull it back. I stopped drinking for a year after in part punishment/part incentive to make it back to the
foot before I could have a beer.

What is your typical race strategy for an ultra?

Fight the urge to start like a twat. Try and keep it steady. Walk if need to when miles are
banked. Try and eat/drink regularly.

What does a typical training week look like?

Couple of strength sessions in the gym, Maintenance miles between 40-60 then ramping to a few weeks of 100 plus before a big race.

What one tip would you pass onto people running an Ultra marathon for the first time?

Know that it will get better. Then worse. Then better. Then worse… (repeat).

Tell us one interesting fact about you?

I’ve thrown a punch at Muhammad Ali and have a pic of me and Mo Farrow doing the
Mobot.

Have you taken part in the Spartathlon before?

This year will be my eighth run of the route.

What tip would you pass on to those taking part for the first time?

Five finishes, 1 DNF, 1 SpartathlOFF

What tip would you pass on to those taking part for the first time?

Keep it steady to Corinth and preserve strength through the heat of the first afternoon. You
can make up time when the cut offs get a bit slacker.

What are you looking forward to at the Spartathlon race?

Kissing the foot.

What are you not looking forward to during the Spartathlon race?

The dogs at night, they are vicious little twats (I’m only saying this to wind Allan Anderson
and Ian Thomas up).

How will you prepare specifically for the Spartathlon race?

Big block of six weeks before the race, lots of heat training. The treadmill in the garage is
surrounded by heaters at the moment

Will you be bringing any support crew to the race? (If so, please introduce them briefly)

Yes. Two legends, Matt Blackburn and Graeme Boxall.