Greta Nerad
Beginning Journalism Student
Mira Costa biology teacher James Locke runs over 45 miles per week, chasing physical fitness and working to deepen friendships.
Locke runs six days a week, usually in the morning before school. On weekdays he runs six to nine miles and on weekends he runs up to twelve miles each day.
“Currently, I’m not at my peak; I used to be training for marathons and would run two each year, but currently I’m not training for any,” Locke said.
According to Locke, prior to moving to Manhattan Beach he hated the idea of running. However, after moving from New York seventeen years ago his point of view changed when he realized he was a worse runner than the moms in his exercise class.
“In New York I never used to run, I even made fun of people I saw running,” Locke said. “I didn’t think it was right that I was slower than the people around me, so I sought to improve speed.”
Prior to Locke’s first marathon in 2001, he had participated in only one other race, the Manhattan Beach 10k. Locke said he was very happy with his time in the 10k, so he decided to train for a marathon.
“My friends thought it was crazy that I’d only ran one race in my life and now wanted to train for a marathon, but I was persistent and started training right away,” Locke said.
Many of the people in the group Locke runs with have been running together for over a decade. Together, they bond over their love for running and give support and advice to each other about every aspect of their lives.
Leave a Reply