JAMES DUNN took a trip down memory lane as he beat 17,000 runners to claim victory in the ING Night Marathon Luxembourg.
The naturalised Luxembourger, who spent much of his childhood growing up in the small European country, crossed the finishing line in his Corstorphine AAC vest in a course record of 2:29:04 – almost five minutes clear of his nearest challenger.
It meant he was the first home winner of the men’s race in the event’s 18-year history, with the triumph even more impressive as it was only his fourth marathon.
Recalling Saturday’s nostalgic triumph on the streets of the nation’s capital, James said: “It brought back a lot of memories. I was born in Dumfries but moved to Luxembourg when I was six for my parents’ work, so spent most of my childhood and teenage years growing up there. I became a naturalised Luxembourger in 2012 and have dual British nationality.
“The route takes in a few of my favourite places to run and relax in the city, and there was also a lot of old friends out on the course cheering me on, so altogether it was a great experience.
“I knew I was leading from quite early doors when I had a lead bike with me, followed by the motorcade ahead of me after we separated from the half-marathon runners. Once it was clear I had a bit of a gap, I held back a little bit as I didn’t want to keep pushing too hard and potentially throw away the lead rashly.
“I didn’t entertain the idea of winning until around 40km as a lot can happen in the latter stages of a race like that, but once I got up to the expo centre I started to relax and enjoy it. The finish was indoor and there was a big light show, smoke everywhere, with lots of music, which was a full-on assault of the senses – something more akin to a nightclub than a finish line. It was an incredible feeling and very surreal.”
James’s athletics journey began when he was in his early teens after joining the CAL Spora Luxembourg (CSL) club. He studied sports science at Edinburgh University and a master’s degree at Edinburgh Napier before securing a job here and joining CAAC.
He said: “I did the half-marathon in Luxembourg in 2016 but the course has changed a bit since then. I was very aware prior to it that it was not a course for a PB with all the twists and turns and noticeable elevation change.
“Winning was certainly not the ambition entering it. I actually entered for a bit of nostalgia and to take the emphasis away from running a time and more to focus on putting together a good marathon training block in the lead-up, without getting injured.
“I had seen in more recent years that the pointy end of the race wasn’t quite as competitive as it has been in the past. However, you never know who could be entered on the day, so I was just focused on running my own race and enjoying the amazing support on course.”
James, whose wife Sophie is also a CAAC member, was well prepared for both the late start time and the potential for a hot, uncomfortable race. He said: “Given I do a lot of my training in the evening, it didn’t faze me too much with the later start time of 7pm. I made sure to do a few long runs after work on a Sunday to ensure I practised what I would do in terms of fueling pre-race during the day and to see what worked best. I had to make sure I didn’t take too many caffeine gels for these evening long runs, however, as after one I was wired until 2am!
“The other aspect I had to adjust for was the potential for it being quite warm. I deliberately tried to time sessions to be in the warmest part of the day to replicate the heat stress, but there is only so much you can do without beginning to add extra layers, which was not appealing.”
James paid tribute to his fellow CAAC runners for their support and assistance in the build-up to his landmark victory. He added: “I would like to give a shout-out to whole of the Moray Anderson’s training group for all the encouragement and help with the training. A special shout-out to Moray Anderson himself for all the help with putting together the training programme, and all the advice and encouragement throughout my time in CAAC.”
All pictures provided by: ING Night Marathon Luxembourg
Just brilliant James. Great to see.