A Boston College junior has run marathons all around the world and in taking on that challenge, he’s also out to set a new world record.
In less than two years, 20-year-old James Redding has run all but one of the Abbott World Marathon Majors.
“It’s been something that has been such an eye-opener for me,” said Redding.
Before he began running around the globe, Redding got his start in high school, running around Brighton alongside his mom.
“Me and my mom are so close. We both pushed each other to get better. I pushed her to get out there out of her comfort zone and she held me accountable to keep running when I didn’t want to.”
Despite his love for running, hockey was Redding’s first love. It’s a passion he now shares with skaters of all ages as a coach at Warrior Ice Arena in Brighton.
“That mix between doing something super fast and super fun was something that was such a draw to me,” said Redding. “I’m not a person that likes sitting still.”
“We call him Coach Whiteboard because he wants to coach every aspect of the game,” said Matt Cappucci, assistant hockey director at Warrior Ice Arena. “He’s trying to help kids at every aspect.”
Turned to running to get in shape for hockey
But in high school, Redding felt his weight was holding him back from getting more playing time on his varsity hockey team at Brookline.
“It came down to ‘I’m too big, I can’t move my body in the way that I want to move my body,’ so I’ve gotta make a change somehow,” said Redding.
His solution? Running. He started with 5Ks alongside his mom. Then they graduated to 10Ks and soon after, a half marathon.
“Went to her at the finish line, we hadn’t even recovered or showered yet, I said, ‘Mom, we gotta do a marathon.’ And she was like, ‘Absolutely not,'” said Redding.
He convinced his mom to run Boston when he was still too young. Now a rising junior at BC, he would follow in her footsteps down Boylston Street in 2024. It was his first major marathon.
“Turning that corner onto Boylston, the crowds were unlike anything I’ve ever experienced, ever,” said Redding.
Aiming to run 6th marathon this fall
What’s next? That’s when Redding set a goal of completing the six Abbot World Marathon Majors by the time he graduated college. Six months after Boston, he ran Chicago. Then weeks later, New York, with the help of his bosses at New Balance getting him in. This year, he traveled to Tokyo, earning a bib through a lotto. New Balance then booked him a spot in London.
That leaves only Berlin, which Redding is now preparing to run in September. Crossing that finish line would make him the youngest male runner ever to earn all six of Abbott’s stars.
“It was a mix of the hookup, the blessing and a little bit of luck was needed, a lot of bit of luck,” said Redding.
Surreal but not a surprise to those who’ve seen Redding grow from the rink to the road.
“It’s a tremendous honor and I think I’m not shocked by it at all. And if you ask me if he’s going to do other stuff like that, I would probably say the same thing. He’s always ‘What’s next, what’s next, what’s next.’ Incredible.”
