James Richardson, Finance Assistant at Qubic, will be another member of the firm taking on the Great North Run this year in support of the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation. James joined Qubic in 2015 as a Business Support Apprentice and has enjoyed continued growth and progression in various areas of the firm ever since.
James has taken part in the Great North Run once previously but this will be the first year he will be running in support of The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.
James said, “Last year’s run had an amazing atmosphere which was heightened by it being my first time participating. This year representing Qubic, and supporting the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, will make it even better – especially if I can beat my time!”
Have you run a half marathon before?
I took part in the GRN in 2018 which was also the first time I had ran a half marathon.
What made you want to take part in the Great North Run?
I wanted an opportunity to beat my finish time from last year. I also found that just applying for the GNR motivated me to start training more consistently and had me wanting to improve my general fitness.
What motivates you to train?
I am motivated when I have an end goal to work towards. I was struggling to retain the level of fitness I achieved after training for last year’s run until I signed up again this year.
How is training going to date?
Training is going pretty well. At the start of the year I was running 6 miles at a good pace and have been working towards improving my distance and time. I have since increased my distances to approximately 9 miles and I aim to complete an 11 mile run before the big day!
What is your expected finish time?
I expect to finish in about 2 hours 10 minutes. I finished in 2 hours 34 minutes last year so feel like that would be a good improvement.
What made you want to run for The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation?
I am a fan of Newcastle United and first got my season ticket when he was Manager. Since then, I have always respected him and think that the work the foundation do in supporting cancer patients is admirable. I have lost family to cancer and think they are such an inspiring charity.