Meet the Member is our way of introducing you to your fellow Rams ❤️ 🐏
And first in the hot seat for a new series is one of our very newest members, it's RRC560 James Brooks.
First up James, what do you do for a living?
I work for a multinational semiconductor manufacturing company, and my role is to try to automate the factory equipment, so we can reduce errors of human input and handling on the machines.
How and why did you first get involved with RRC?
I have been cycling for decades, including regular commuting. For ages I thought I couldn't run, and nearly proved myself right the first time I tried it four years ago, getting about 200 metres down the road feeling ready to die, fitness from cycling did not translate!
I persevered and was persuaded to try parkrun by a colleague, and I've never looked back! My kid is running for their Duke of Edinburgh physical challenge, so we joined RRC to add a bit of structure and sociability to our running.
What is your favourite running memory or moment?
I can’t pick one! Solo runs bring a peace of mind and a flow state when it’s all going well. parkrun has to be the best invention of the 21st century, I have loved (almost) every parkrun I have done, at Heaton Park and quite a few other locations. I even plan my work trips to Greenock to enable me to do the parkrun there. And RRC offers something different again, the chance to chat and run in a way that benefits everyone.
Tell us something about yourself that might surprise us ...
I broke my knee into many pieces and my wrist in a cycling accident 12 years ago. My knee was carefully rebuilt by a brilliant specialist and I still have a metal plate in my wrist. The physiotherapy was brutal - no pain no gain, and there was plenty of pain. But I was desperate to get back to cycling and got into better condition than ever before. I reckon starting running has taken my knee recovery from 95% to 99%.
Who would be your 4 fantasy dinner guests (dead or alive)?
Alastair Campbell, Carol Vorderman, James O’Brien, Yvette Cooper.
What's your pre-race routine?
Pasta with a tomato-based sauce the night before. Hopefully a good night’s sleep. Cereal and coffee for breakfast. An unspecified number of visits to the toilet before leaving the house.
Favourite book?
That They May Face The Rising Sun, by John McGahern.
Favourite film?
Delicatessen. Or The Incredibles 2. Or Schindler’s List. Or…
Favourite band?
The Beatles (of course). Or Pixies. Or The Bees. Or Belle and Sebastian. Or Grandaddy. Or MGMT. Or Sparklehorse. Or The Divine Comedy. Oh God I can’t do this!
Favourite parkrun?
Heaton Park. But that’s another tough one as so many parkruns are fabulous. I particularly enjoyed Swansea and Fountains Abbey and I look forward to plenty more parkrun tourism!
Who is your running hero?
I don’t really do heroes but I am inspired by several really good runners at work who are generous with their encouragement and support, and all the amazing people of all ages and abilities at parkrun and elsewhere who are doing the most important thing of all and just getting out there and being active.
What would you choose as your Mastermind specialist subject?
As a child and teenager growing up I could have had several specialist subjects. I was car mad and knew all the models of the 1970s and 80s. Unfortunately I have not been able to get much of that useless information out of my head. So if there’s anything you want to know about Morris Marinas, or Vauxhall Vivas …
Thanks so much to James for taking our questions in such good spirit! Now you know what to chat to him about next Tuesday.
And that's the point of meet the member, to celebrate our lovely RRC community.
If you'd like to feature in a future episode, drop us a line members@ramsbottomrunningclub.co.uk