Commonwealth Dreams

Interview with James Stephenson (April 2002)

James Stephenson is probably best known for his second place finish in the X-zone 2001. However, not only has he won several triathlons, but he has a 2k rowing time of under 6:15, and has a very real chance of being selected to row for England in the LWT 8 crew at the Commonwealth Games later this year. DB Max caught up with James after he posted a time for Smilebuster Series 1. Despite being blown away on the course, Will Whitmore got some degree of revenge by whipping out the dictaphone and asking some searching questions.

For someone who has done so well in one of the top crosstraining events, the X-zone, you're a relatively unknown competitor. What's your normal sport?

Rowing. But when I first did the  X zone I'd just come back from a really serious rowing injury. That happened in 1996 and in 1998 I was just trying to get fit again. It obviously went quite well but being a student I was tucked away in Durham and didn't hear about any other competitions. I only heard about the X zone because they invited the University to send a boy and a girl down.

  Have you finished at Durham Uni now?

Yeah I live in Reigate now. I lived in Australia when I was really young but returned to England to go to school.

I understand that you won the Marlow Triathlon by some considerable distance. Is Triathlon a big sport for you?

Yes. The London Triathlon has gone well for me in the last couple of years. I got into it a few years back. When I was 17 I was purely into athletics. I played rugby and football at school but when the athletics season came round, that was what I did. I made the English schools finals for 800m and when I went to Durham I trained at Gateshead. Although I was up there with the top boys I started to wonder if I had enough in me to be the very best. I started looking at other sports and with my size and strength in comparison to other athletes I thought triathlon would be a good transition.  

You rowed 6:16.7 at BIRC on the Concept 2 and have gone quicker since. Excellent time for a lightweight rower. Do you put it down to power or CV fitness?

I do have quite a lot of power for my size but having said that, I don't push weights. I happen to be naturally quite big and strong for my weight but I also have quite good CV fitness. So the power, lactate endurance type events such as 800m running and 2000m rowing seem to suit me. But if I ever train with the other rowers on weights or on 200m intervals on an ergo, I haven't really got it.

You were first off the bike in the X-zone and your bike time at the Marlow Triathlon was very strong. Do you train a lot for cycling?

I did a lot when I was recovering from my injury. I also think my rowing training helps me on a bike. I have a good power to weight ratio which helps in Triathlon and I'm probably a little bigger than some of the top guys in the X-zone which helps there.  

The events surrounding the 2001 X zone final, both on the day and on the TV, perhaps tainted your reputation within the crosstraining community and some of the other finalists criticised you after what happened. What's your version of the events?

I had no idea about that. I'm surprised. I know on the rope there was a bit of controversy because I touched the line rather than above it. I was only about a cm or so short and I guess the judges decided not to penalise me. The big issue for me in this year's event was when I got stuck on the shoulder press. I couldn't do it because it was a different machine to the one I was expecting and the weight felt far heavier. I think a lot of people found that. I was gutted because over the rest of the course I think I was the fastest. Hywel beat me by 30-40seconds, yet I was stuck on the shoulder press for a couple of minutes. But that's the event which is fair enough and that's why I lost. I think  when I got stuck and realised I wouldn't beat Hywel the judges saw my dismay and how long I was kept there and that might have been why they let the rope infringement go.

You looked really unhappy at the end.

Well yeah. I was in competition and all fired up. I'd trained specifically for the X-zone for the first time and thought I was in shape to win it. I did really well on the course but was taken out on one event and that was really horrible for me. You can see on the TV that I was visibly upset by the end. It was all going through my head, wishing I'd known about the shoulder press, wishing I'd trained harder on it and so on. We'd had the course all worked out, second by second, and we'd estimated that if I came of the runner 30 seconds behind Hywel, I could still win. If you watch the TV, there's a girl shouting times at me from the side. They sound a bit random but they are actually how far Hywel is ahead. Coming off the treadmill it was 3 seconds and we'd accounted for 30 seconds. I was thinking 'Come on, we've got it!', but then came the shoulder press and it hurt.

I was a long way behind in lane 10 and didn't really see what was going on. They kept mentioning the time penalty on the TV though and I remember talk on the day about you being penalised, but then reinstated.

Anything on the day after the finish was beyond me. I certainly didn't go to anyone and plead not to be penalised. I finished the course, shook a few people's hands and that was it. I could have been given a penalty and that would have been fine but it was their decision to leave me in second place.

The other top crosstrainers all know each other very well and compete against each other regularly. Do you think that gives them an advantage over you when you all line up at the X-zone?

Possibly. I guess they know what to expect from each other and know the machines and how to prepare. I wasn't actually aware that they did know each other though.

They all compete in events such as Ultra-Fit, Boxfit and Tropicana.

I never hear about those other events as I'm not a member of a gym but I'd be keen to give them a try.

What are your goals for the future then?

I'm concentrating on rowing for now. Rowing is probably my only chance to get to the Commonwealth Games but I need to get technically better.

I hear you won the Cambridge Triathlon recently.

Yes. It was an ideal event for me as it included a row on water. Obviously that narrows down how many people can participate and with lots of rowers being fairly big guys who aren't that strong on the run leg it gave me a big advantage. Sport is often about events that suit you. Stephanie Cook did fantastically well because there were five events together that she could do and she's a great runner. The event suited her perfectly. Hywel Davies, for instance is a fantastic crosstrainer, but he's not made it in a well known sport or been to the Olympics. That's because there's no event that's ideal for him, despite him being an incredible athlete.  

Good luck with making it to the Commonwealth Games.

Thanks. And thanks for giving me the chance to answer the questions. The last thing I want is to come across as an arrogant competitor. I don't like arrogance in competition and it's not me at all. In the heat of battle when you're really up for it, problems that affect your chances can make you distraught. The X-zone has been frustrating for me what with last year and then not being able to race on the bikes the year before. Hywel's 5 year scalp would be a massive one to take and when I stood on the line in 2001 and they announced 'James Stephenson has a chance of beating Hywel this year' I thought 'Yes. Come on. I'm coming at you'. But it wasn't to be. That's the way it goes.

To contact James for tips or training advice email us at enquiries@dbmax.co,uk and we'll pass your messages and questions on.