James is one of my three sons (I also have a wonderful daughter). James is the middle son in as much as he was born 20 minutes after his identical twin brother George. Without going into more detail than is necessary this is something my daughter wrote recently:
My amazing brother James Shoulder is running the Brighton marathon for Save the Children.
He has been running for about five years now but with a birth weight of less than two pounds and a very rocky start there were many years when we couldn't imagine him running at all. He has overcome so many challenges and is one of my biggest heros. A real fighter that just runs and runs until someone tells him to stop. Please sponsor him if you can. Just a pound would make all the difference to such a fantastic cause. Proud of you Jimbo.
James was tiny and premature when he was born as a result of Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome. See http://www.tttsfoundation.org/
We have always been quite a sporting family. Much of James's childhood was spent living in a squash club. He can play badminton well - but he won't mind me saying he was never been one for over exertion. We all laugh about it now. James's school sports day when he was about 11 or 12. The race was 2 laps of the sports field. It turned into a most compelling spectacle. James was running next to last - miles behind. Two girls were behind James and running and walking holding hands. When the girls did the run burst they always overtook James. They would then walk and James still running overtook them. This battle continued. In the end James was pipped at the post! He wasn't too bothered. There was little sign of the excellence to come - ha!
Anyway 5 or 6 years ago James started running. Reluctantly at first but brother George was doing it and encouraged James and James also ran with the local running group at the IOW Sports Club. (who have been brilliant - particularly Phil Bell, Cathy, Catherine, Mick and Simon). Gradually he got into it and everyone encouraged him. (again James won't mind me saying - the challenge with James has always been deciding whether he had done his best and deserved a slap on the back or he was being lazy and could do better and needed a bit of a proverbial kick up the backside - ha!.) He moaned sometimes but he loved it really. The rest is history. James has proved dogged. Of course he has exactly the same genes as George and George ran the Paris marathon in under 3 hours. James has gradually built up the distances and it has been fantastic to see. It has been great for him. He has finally found the bottom of his lungs and it has been tremendous for him physically and spiritually. His achievements have been massive and we are so proud of him.
I have written a related blog before :
http://davidshoulder60onwards.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/parismarathon-2015.html
The Istanbul run we did together and the Paris Marathon with the 3 boys was a fantastic emotional high. Brighton was different. James had spent months preparing on his own. We had supported him riding beside on a bike but for many dark evenings and cold days he was out there on his own putting the mileage in. George calculated James had run 400 hundred maybe 500 miles in preparing for Brighton - an amazing effort. On the day he was running on his own. This was James. When we walked around the expo on the Saturday it was all so real. When we walked to the start he was nervous and in a bit of a zone - he wanted to get started - to get it done. I felt very emotional when I left him. He was in a crowd of 10000 yes but James was on his own. He was doing it. The Brighton Marathon it turns out is not a flat marathon - it is quite an undulating course especially in the first half. The supporting crowds are good and the main thing is we could criss cross the course and have viewing points at various stages in the race. We saw James at 3 and then 5 miles - going great and smiling and we were able to shout encouragement that he heard and grinned. We couldn't catch up with him again until the 14 mile mark - still going well but understandably not such a big smile. These times are very emotional when you shout out his name in a big field. We see him at 24 miles. Not much fun for him now but he is going to get there. He is going to do it and his time - not the most important thing by any means is by a long way a personal best. We rush to the finish but of course it is mayhem and as with all marathons the crowd are kept away from all finishing runners as they funnel in. We have in theory agreed a meeting point in the Marathon Village on the beach but it is so busy and of course runners are disorientated. We want to get to him quickly to see he is ok. Plans do not work out but thankfully George picks out James and by the time I see him he is in the Save the Children tent wrapped in a foil blanket. Initially he seems in a bad way. He is cold and shivering and his arm for some reason is killing him. We get some clothes on him, sugar and hot drinks and an amazing transformation. He massively perks up, The huge smile returns - great to see indeed. He has a massage, photos, more food - his time is fanatastic - 4 hrs 8 mins. He has done that all on his own - no pacing - no time keeping - just dogged non stop running. Amazing and tear jerking. James now has a sense of what of he has done and it is now evident all the pain and agony and thoughts of why am I doing this dissipate and it seems to become - it was all worth it. He wears his medal proudly. He shares a bond and mutual respect with all the other tired runners in the crowd. This is a fantastic thing. Eventually we find our way to a pub - for food and a drink and to talk about the race. It is brilliant to see the interaction between runners and James has a great time recounting his thoughts and rightly so proud of his time.
Sat here a proud dad - thinking how proud his late mum Cherry and grandparents would be too. Please understand this indulgement - I have been thinking about some of the things James has done so far and I started listing them in my head. James I have written them down for you as a prompt. Here are some I remember. :
My amazing brother James Shoulder is running the Brighton marathon for Save the Children.
He has been running for about five years now but with a birth weight of less than two pounds and a very rocky start there were many years when we couldn't imagine him running at all. He has overcome so many challenges and is one of my biggest heros. A real fighter that just runs and runs until someone tells him to stop. Please sponsor him if you can. Just a pound would make all the difference to such a fantastic cause. Proud of you Jimbo.
James was tiny and premature when he was born as a result of Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome. See http://www.tttsfoundation.org/
We have always been quite a sporting family. Much of James's childhood was spent living in a squash club. He can play badminton well - but he won't mind me saying he was never been one for over exertion. We all laugh about it now. James's school sports day when he was about 11 or 12. The race was 2 laps of the sports field. It turned into a most compelling spectacle. James was running next to last - miles behind. Two girls were behind James and running and walking holding hands. When the girls did the run burst they always overtook James. They would then walk and James still running overtook them. This battle continued. In the end James was pipped at the post! He wasn't too bothered. There was little sign of the excellence to come - ha!
Anyway 5 or 6 years ago James started running. Reluctantly at first but brother George was doing it and encouraged James and James also ran with the local running group at the IOW Sports Club. (who have been brilliant - particularly Phil Bell, Cathy, Catherine, Mick and Simon). Gradually he got into it and everyone encouraged him. (again James won't mind me saying - the challenge with James has always been deciding whether he had done his best and deserved a slap on the back or he was being lazy and could do better and needed a bit of a proverbial kick up the backside - ha!.) He moaned sometimes but he loved it really. The rest is history. James has proved dogged. Of course he has exactly the same genes as George and George ran the Paris marathon in under 3 hours. James has gradually built up the distances and it has been fantastic to see. It has been great for him. He has finally found the bottom of his lungs and it has been tremendous for him physically and spiritually. His achievements have been massive and we are so proud of him.
I have written a related blog before :
http://davidshoulder60onwards.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/parismarathon-2015.html
The Istanbul run we did together and the Paris Marathon with the 3 boys was a fantastic emotional high. Brighton was different. James had spent months preparing on his own. We had supported him riding beside on a bike but for many dark evenings and cold days he was out there on his own putting the mileage in. George calculated James had run 400 hundred maybe 500 miles in preparing for Brighton - an amazing effort. On the day he was running on his own. This was James. When we walked around the expo on the Saturday it was all so real. When we walked to the start he was nervous and in a bit of a zone - he wanted to get started - to get it done. I felt very emotional when I left him. He was in a crowd of 10000 yes but James was on his own. He was doing it. The Brighton Marathon it turns out is not a flat marathon - it is quite an undulating course especially in the first half. The supporting crowds are good and the main thing is we could criss cross the course and have viewing points at various stages in the race. We saw James at 3 and then 5 miles - going great and smiling and we were able to shout encouragement that he heard and grinned. We couldn't catch up with him again until the 14 mile mark - still going well but understandably not such a big smile. These times are very emotional when you shout out his name in a big field. We see him at 24 miles. Not much fun for him now but he is going to get there. He is going to do it and his time - not the most important thing by any means is by a long way a personal best. We rush to the finish but of course it is mayhem and as with all marathons the crowd are kept away from all finishing runners as they funnel in. We have in theory agreed a meeting point in the Marathon Village on the beach but it is so busy and of course runners are disorientated. We want to get to him quickly to see he is ok. Plans do not work out but thankfully George picks out James and by the time I see him he is in the Save the Children tent wrapped in a foil blanket. Initially he seems in a bad way. He is cold and shivering and his arm for some reason is killing him. We get some clothes on him, sugar and hot drinks and an amazing transformation. He massively perks up, The huge smile returns - great to see indeed. He has a massage, photos, more food - his time is fanatastic - 4 hrs 8 mins. He has done that all on his own - no pacing - no time keeping - just dogged non stop running. Amazing and tear jerking. James now has a sense of what of he has done and it is now evident all the pain and agony and thoughts of why am I doing this dissipate and it seems to become - it was all worth it. He wears his medal proudly. He shares a bond and mutual respect with all the other tired runners in the crowd. This is a fantastic thing. Eventually we find our way to a pub - for food and a drink and to talk about the race. It is brilliant to see the interaction between runners and James has a great time recounting his thoughts and rightly so proud of his time.
Sat here a proud dad - thinking how proud his late mum Cherry and grandparents would be too. Please understand this indulgement - I have been thinking about some of the things James has done so far and I started listing them in my head. James I have written them down for you as a prompt. Here are some I remember. :
- Worked for 14 years at the Elms and as far as I can remember has hardly missed a day through illness or been late for any reason under his control.
- Walked the Wight and done the Randonee many times.
- Has done the three peaks.
- Has done 3 separate weeks on Tall Ships.
- Has been to Finland twice and slept in an ice cave inside the Arctic Circle.
- Has been to most of the countries in Western and Southern Europe.
- Has been to New York and the top of the Empire State building.
- Spent a month in India
- Been to Gambia (jumped into the River Gambia from a great height!) and Senegal
- Travelled across the Sinai Desert to Cairo.
- Been into the burial chamber deep in the middle of one of the Great Pyramids of Giza
- Been to the very top of Mt Teide, Tenerife.
- Did a parachute jump on his 30th birthday.
- Ran in the Istanbul 15k - the only race to start in one continent (Asia) and finish in another (Europe)
- Done the Paris Marathon.
- Walked the legs of his dog Alfie!
Well done champ. What will come next?
 |
| 2 miles to go |
 |
| beginning to feel better |
 |
| A massage helps |
 |
| Now feeling great. Raised over £1000! |
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| Rightly proud and thirsty |
 |
| A proud mum |
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| Another wondeful moment. The three of them finish the Paris Marathon together. |
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