James McLeay on record-breaking run

In the space of 3 mins 47.9 seconds James McLeay became Southland’s fastest 18 and under athlete, ever.

The time was recorded at the Porritt Classic meet in Hamilton where the 17-year-old finished third in an open event and put him top of the national U18 rankings.

Subject to ratification, this broke the M18 and M17 Southland records. He has already bettered the M17 time with the previous M18 mark held by Jordan Rackham, a national champs gold medallist, NZ representative and winner of an athletic scholarship to an American university.

In fact, excluding Hannah Miller, McLeay has been Southland’s most successful mid-distance runner since Rackham.

The record-breaking run was all the more remarkable as it was done on just two hours sleep the previous night, thanks to a cousin’s 21st and an early morning debating contest.

“I was napping in car on way to race then had my mate George slap me in face so I was awake” he claimed.

He has, however, a little way to go to match Eddie Crowe’s senior record of 3:46.10 set 33 years ago.

An impossible target? Don’t count on it.

The St Pauls athlete has had a successful season to date, setting a PB (personal best) in the 800m, near PB in the 3000m, winning silver at the national mountain running champs and beating the record (his own) at the Southland Secondary Schools cross country championship.

If genetics play a part McLeay has them in spades. His father, Adam was a noted cyclist, mother, Josie,

was a champion swimmer and uncle Glenn was a two-time Olympic cyclist and Commonwealth Games medal winner.

Where to from here? There’s the NZ champs early March where a medal is the target, Southland

Secondary School Champs mid-March and then the SI schools and Australian champs to round at the

season. but longer term he has his eye on an American athletic scholarship.