Born in Bradford, Yorkshire and now living in Dulwich with actress wife, Joanna Page, James starred in Holby City spin-off, Holby Blue. He is currently playing John Barton in Emmerdale and has started taking part in Great Run events with the Banana Army (some of whom James, second right, is pictured with above) in support of Leukemia Research.
Have you been running for a long time or have you recently taken it up?
I have been running seriously now for about 3 years.
What inspired you to get running?
I lost someone very close to me to cancer and I decided that running would be a great way for me to do something positive in response and raise money for charity. I started with 10k events and slowly worked my way up to the London Marathon which I have now completed twice.
What is the best piece of training advice you’ve been given?
Do the long training runs. It is easy to just think if I run short distances often, I will become really fit and be able to deal with the longer distance on the day of the event. There is no substitute for putting in those long runs and they give you confidence on the day because you know you have done the distance before.
Do you train alone, with a running partner or as part of a group?
I train alone because I like to load my iPod with new music and listen to that when I am training. I have bought some good headphones so that I can use my training time to really enjoy listening to music. I also train alone because I have to try and fit my runs in whenever I have a bit of spare time, which can mean I often go running at pretty random times.
What was your first race and how did it go?
I ran a 10k in Dulwich. It is a local event and has a fantastic atmosphere. I was very nervous about it but completed it in about 56mins. That event really gave me the bug to continue running.
What is your greatest running achievement?
Completing the London Marathon in 2008 and 2009. It is just the most incredible day and the atmosphere is just so amazing. I will never forget the first time I ran the marathon, seeing Big Ben and filling up because it is so emotional. There were quite a few times on that run when I thought I would never complete it so to finally see Big Ben was just incredible. I remember shouting to Elaine Glover, who was running with me: "We are gonna make it! We are gonna bloody make it!" I could have kissed everyone I saw because I was so thrilled. Then, when I finally saw the finish line it was brilliant! I will never ever forget that moment and it makes me so proud.
Describe the atmosphere at a big mass participation event?
It is amazing. Everyone is there for such wonderful reasons and the atmosphere is always so positive and friendly. You meet some really inspirational people too. It really demonstrates how amazing people can be.
If you weren’t an actor what career path do you think you would have taken?
I am not sure but I always wanted to be an architect when I was young. Maybe that is why I am always pestering the builders whenever we have any work done on the house.
What other interests do you have?
I recently completed my PADI qualification for scuba diving. I absolutely love it and spent the next month after getting my PADI planning how I would quit everything and become a diving instructor. I have calmed down a bit now though.
What advice could you offer new runners preparing for their first event?
I would say don't worry about the target distance at first, just keep running. Every time you go out you are getting fitter and fitter so give yourself small achievable goals that will encourage you to keep going. If you push yourself too far too soon you can find yourself becoming very negative towards running, which is obviously not what you want. Just gently adding miles to your training is best at first and before you know it you will be hitting the long distances no problem.