Determined James McLeay on track for athletics success

If genetics has an influence in sport James McLeay has a head start.  Father Adam was a champion cyclist.  Mother, Josie, was a top swimmer. Uncle, Glen, was a two-time cycling Olympian and two times Commonwealth Games medallist.  James obviously inherited the right sporting genes.

But that was then, James is now.  And genetics doesn’t explain the confidence, self-motivation, ambition and bloody-minded determination the 15-year-old shows in his racing and training.

The hyperactive young runner has already won national medals (Athletics NZ and NZ Secondary School champs) in crosscountry and on the road.  He broke his grade Southland Secondary Schools Crosscountry record earlier this year, convincingly won the Southland secondary school 1500m, 3000m and steeplechase and recently ran a brilliant 33.57 at the recent Clyde to Alex 10k, a time that placed him third in the U20 race.  At 15 he gave away three or four years to the two runners ahead.

His 10k and recent track times puts him on a par with accomplished Southland runners Jordan Rackham and Jack Beaumont, both of whom represented New Zealand a number of times and won athletics scholarships to American universities.   James’s ambition is to follow their successful paths. 

Despite coming from a cycling family background, he developed a love of running in primary school where he won school cross-country and track championships and it grew from there.  As he says, “I enjoy the tactics and wanting to improve.”

As it is he is the youngest on the U18 and open national rankings over 3000m and his recent 8:57.53 in Dunedin made him the only 15 year old to go under 9 minutes so far this year.

The future? In his words: “I would like to try and aim for a track and field scholarship in the States. I got this inspiration from older members of the squad that have experienced this first-hand.”