TheMiddleMan

Middle distance runner James McIlroy has had an auspicious career, packed full of ups and downs, highs and lows.

McIlroy ran for Great Britain in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, he was the fastest Britain over 800 metres for 18 years, he holds five British titles, was third in the All Time list for the 1000m behind Sebastian Coe and Steve Cram and he still holds the Northern Ireland record for the 800 metres.

As an all rounder at Ballyclare High School, James could have turned his hand to many sports.

“I did all sports growing up, I was sports mad,” said James. “My first love would be Larne Football Club and Man United. I always loved football and golf and I also loved running and my father always encouraged me to do all sports.

“I had trials for a football team which didn’t work out so after I left school I went back to running and I joined the local club again.”

McIlroy was 20-years old when he returned to athletics, deciding to focus on 800 metres.

“What attracted me to middle distance? I wasn’t fast enough to be a 100 metre runner and I was a bit fat to be a long distance runner, so that was the decision made for me pretty much.

“I stuck to 800 metres and maybe should have moved up to 1500m but I didn’t,” added the 43-year old.

In just over a year later he was enjoying success on the international stage, finishing fourth at the European Championships.

“Fortunately I was in a position to turn professional within a year - it all happened very quickly.

“My first race was in May 1997 and I was competing in the European Cup in June 1998.

“Within a year I was effectively a full international getting the opportunity to compete in the likes of Gateshead, Crystal Palace, Nice and Oslo.

“From that point on I was travelling to compete in 20 countries a year.

“I then went through a few coaches to find out what worked best for me - middle distance uses quite a few complex energy systems, it’s a little bit more technical than some other distances.

“When I moved over to England, I spoke to UK Athletics and my agent at the time and we came to the decision that it was the best move for me to change allegiance from Ireland to Great Britain - that it was the best move for me - there were no other reasons for it.

“Because of that decision I was required to sit out of international competition. You have to serve an international ban for a year when you switch. However, I was still able to compete on the circuit which I did.

“I wasn’t able to go to the World Championships in Seville in 1999 which was frustrating because I had been running so well - but these things happen.”

Despite having served his one year ban, McIlroy still produced the third fastest British All Times 1000 metres behind Sebastian Coe and Steve Cram when he finished fourth in Rieti, Italy.

In 2000 he won the first of his five British Championships going on to represent Great Britain at the Sydney Olympics where he made the semi finals.

“When people talk to an athlete the first thing they always ask them is about the Olympics.

“In real terms the World Championships are much more difficult.

“At the Worlds, it’s only the world’s best that are invited, you have to hit a certain criteria which everyone does.

“At the Olympics in the early heats you will have some competing who aren’t near the standard of the other athletes.

“You are so focused on your event it isn’t until after you are finished you can soak up the atmosphere.”

In 2002 the Larne man finished sixth at the Manchester Commonwealth Games after getting boxed in.

Despite some impressive times in the following years, he was unable to make a significant impact in major championships.

“2003 and 2004 were bad years for me,” added James.

“I was injured for most of 2003 and in 2004 I was injured pretty much of the year but I stayed race weight and came back at the last moment for the British Olympic trials.

“I was second in the A standard trials but they took someone who won the trials with the B standard which meant I couldn’t go.

“2005 was a good year, I ran a PB and set the Northern Ireland record of 1:44.65, I also finished fourth at the European Indoor Championships in Valencia.

“ 2006 was a Commonwealth year and I went into the games as favourite as I was unbeaten.

“I tweaked my hamstring in the semi final of the 800 metres and because of that I had to dropout of the 1500m so that ended in disaster - but that’s athletics, it’s all highs and lows.

“I can look back at it now and laugh now but at the time it’s your livelihood. It happens more often than you realise to all the top athletes.”

In 2008 McIlroy, who had been Britain’s top middle distance runner for a decade, announced his retirement from athletics.

“What made me retire was the fact that I was taken off the lottery funding in 2008 and it was right before the World Indoor Championships in Valencia which was really frustrating.

“I was thinking, how am I going to get through the next four months without the support of the UK Athletics physio and just the general struggle of covering basic living expenses.

“As an athlete financially it’s a massive fluctuation between a good year and bad year when you depend on funding.”

McIlroy returned to the track in 2010 clinching the 800 metres at the Woodies DIY Irish Indoor Championships in Belfast.

With his appetite for the sport restored he had his eye on representing Northern Ireland in the Commonwealth Games.

“I always wanted to go on and represent Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in 2010 - but unfortunately I just missed the qualifying time.

“In hindsight retiring when I did was the wrong decision to make.

“I wouldn’t say I threw the head up because you don’t throw the head up after 10 years. It was just getting very, very difficult and it was starting to get very, very sore.

“People at the beginning of their career don’t experience it, but after a race for two days after you literally cannot walk, walking about at 5% body fat as opposed to being normal, so things like that all factored in - a lot of things went through my head but in hindsight I wouldn’t have retired,

“I would have kept going until 2010. I would have got another Olympics under my belt but hey ho. I had 13 years - it could have been better, it could have been worse.

“I’m not someone who looks back, I look forward but I did meet some amazing people - I could count 40 Olympians, world champions and world record holders amongst my training partners - you don’t get that every day.

“I had an amazing experience. You get to see some amazing places in the world and fundamentally I love sport and that’s the part I miss most”

“I was lucky to train with some very good Kenyans, I was roommates with Sir Mo Farah. I trained an awful lot with Dame Kelly Holmes, Sonya Sullivan, Daniel Komen, Moses Kiptanui and Noah Ngeny to name but a few.

“Moses Kiptanui was THE Kenyan, he was captain in the army and when I first moved to London I moved in with him. He was very regimented and like many of the other athletes, he took me under his wing.”

After retiring James worked in his father’s shop John Thompson Lighting for a few years before going to university.

“I’m so lucky to have amazing parents. I was able to re-educate myself and got a Masters in Business Administration with a view to getting into commercial sport which is where I am now - I work for adidas.

“It takes four years to make that transition and to make it from professional sport to commercial is so, so difficult.”

Running still plays a big part in the Larne man’s life and the Antrim Coast Half Marathon in particular has got his passion for the sport fired up again.

“I love going to the Larne Running Club Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sun sessions when I’m home or if there are any races or parkruns I will always jump in.

When I’m in England with work, I’ll do parkruns as well. I’m back and forward a lot with work - when we aren’t in lockdown - but home is always home.

“Unfortunately, at the moment I’m injured after jumping on a trampoline with my son, so I’m not doing too much.

“I was so delighted when the Antrim Coast Half Marathon Race Director Billy Thompson aksed me to get involved.

“The committee is amazing, everyone has their own area to deal with and it’s working out really well.

“We took advice, we spoke to athletes, city race directors and the general consensus was that we were following the government directive.

“At the time we worried that we wouldn’t have as many of the elite runners come back for the rescheduled event in September, however, that worry only lasted for a few hours because so many came back to reconfirm their entry.

“I’m genuinely very excited about it. Our sponsors and local partnerships have been amazing.

“The Curran Court Hotel has been amazing. We had effectively booked out the entire hotel for the elite runners and I thought we had lost the booking when we had to postpone, however, they have moved the booking to the new date of September 12 for us.

“The Port of Larne have been brilliant as have P&O - they have been so helpful as our headline sponsor.

“Cairndhu Golf Club have been great as well - they couldn’t have done enough for us and the post race party will return there in September and Tony Hadley has re-confirmed as the headliner for the party.

Larne Football Club have been behind us too. They have all gone the extra mile for us - the local community has been superb and we are very grateful for it.

“This race is going to be bigger and better than anything that has been seen in Northern Ireland before and I am so excited about it.”