THE TELEGRAPH OUTDOOR ADVENTURE & TRAVEL SHOW – DRIVEN BY SEAT
James travelled across the Arabian Desert with Ben Fogle and some camels. The adventure was broadcast on BBC2
The list of things you’ve achieved and done is so long – what’s left on your to do list? I definitely don’t want to go back and finish the Race Across America – part of me does, but it’s just not fair to anyone else and I need a strong rational to do something. I haven’t really got a massive desire to climb anywhere massively high, so that’s that out. I’d like to do something in the future my kids – hopefully one of them will be vaguely active. But I’ve got to get to the election on May 22nd first, that’s the priority because you can’t play at it when you’re asking for people to trust you with their vote.
Which has been the most enjoyable of your feats? The Marathon des Sables, a running race in the Sahara Desert, was fun. When I was doing it, it was hard but I surprised myself by how well I was doing. I crossed the line in 12th place which I wasn’t expecting but was still a little bit disappointed that there were people ahead of me. Although, unlike the Olympics, if you win the race you get a rug. So in terms of a nice prize the Olympics is better, you
get a nice gold medal, which I’ve found more useful than a rug. In 2012, when I was going round schools and showing my medals and trying to get young kids interested in the Olympics, they were quite interested in the gold medal, but I don’t think they’d have been that interested in a rug. And to be honest I think it would have taken up all my baggage allowance – I’d have travelled back naked and with a rug. Unless it was a magic carpet and I could fly – but as I didn’t win one, I may be speaking out of turn. I think the winner also got a lifetime’s supply of tea, a type of tea that required quite a lot of fiddling about with to make it taste alright. So yeah, I enjoyed the race, but in prizes it’s not really all that if I’m honest.
Of all your challenges and sporting achievements, which are you most proud of? To be honest, not giving up is the thing I’m most proud of. The first Olympics I went to I wasn’t able to race. I got tonsillitis on the day of the opening ceremony so they withdrew me – I’d trained for four years and hadn’t actually made it to the start line.
Everyone, even my Dad, was telling me to give up and get a job rather than spend another four years training because, let’s face it – in your mid 20s, with no house, no job – you’re not actually that good a commodity to anyone of the opposite sex, but carrying on meant putting my life on hold and I backed myself and I’m pleased I did. And it’s the same with politics now
– a lot of my friends don’t understand my decision to do it, but if something matters to you then you should do something about it, and it matters to me. Politics affects every part of our lives, it’s going to affect my kids and their kids and if I can do something about it and influence things positively I’ve got to make sure I try and do it. If I don’t get elected I’ll just be moaning like a b****** from the outside.
What are your key campaign messages? Europe is better off with us in it, but we need to be better off for being in Europe and until we get that situation renegotiated that’s where the battle is. And to assist that battle, we need to get as big a turn out [at local
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telegraphoutdoorshow.co.uk
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