Runner Profile: Ben Jackson

Thank you, Gill, for the nomination. It’s fantastic to see so many unique and inspirational stories within the club, including yours. Having only recently turned 21, I’ve already learned so much from everyone at the club, despite still being relatively early in my running journey. 

How did it all start? 

From a young age, I never enjoyed running. It never came naturally to me. My first parkrun was in 2017, and at the time, running 5 kilometres didn’t really mean much to me. I had no idea whether I’d find it easier or tougher than expected. For those who don’t know, my uncle Alastair generously paced and guided me round my first one, helping me finish in under 37 minutes.

I ran my second parkrun a year later in just under 38 minutes. To be honest, I didn’t enjoy either of them whatsoever. Why would anyone willingly put themselves through all that pain? 

Instead, it was always about football. Even then, I preferred watching it rather than playing it. During lockdown, most of my school days were spent working from home, which meant I became much less active. I remember one of the Joe Wicks workouts we had to do as part of our virtual PE lessons. It felt ridiculous at first because it was such a new experience for me, and I was physically out of shape. But after trying a few more beginner-friendly workouts, I started to enjoy the feeling of making progress, and that’s where my interest in running really began.

By my final year of school, running 2.5 kilometres twice a week had become normal, eventually progressing into running 5 kilometres in around 30 minutes. Running helped me massively through a difficult final school year, with all the uncertainty around exams, assessments, and teacher-predicted grades.

When I moved on to college to study Public Services, the course involved a variety of physical activities and events, and I was encouraged to keep running. Alongside that, I developed a much better understanding of training plans, recovery, nutrition, and strength training. As a result, I returned to parkrun regularly. Starting from around 30 minutes, my times gradually improved to 29, then 26, and eventually 23 minutes. There was no better feeling than seeing a new PB appear on Strava or the parkrun website.

For my 17th birthday, Alastair and Bridget gave me an entry to the Twilight 5k, which was my first-ever organised race. It was an amazing experience. My finishing time was completely irrelevant; what stood out was the atmosphere and the opportunity to catch up with friends and family around the event.  

Not long after, Bridget mentioned an entry for Kirton 5 Miles. Despite only really running 5ks at the time, I thought I’d give it a go. It was quite a step up. I remember seeing a huge sea of red shirts, and that’s when Felixstowe Road Runners really caught my attention. Knowing Alastair was a member made me curious to find out what the club was all about. I thoroughly enjoyed Kirton and immediately felt like I wanted to do more.

Joining FRR: 

After Kirton, joining the club on a trial basis felt like the obvious next step. My brother Jamie joined me, and although I was excited, I was definitely nervous. I remember wondering: Do I need to be good at running? Am I going to be one of the slowest there?

Very quickly, I realised none of that mattered.

Everyone was incredibly welcoming. The club is full of people with different abilities, but what stands out most is how supportive and social it is. Despite being the youngest senior member by quite some distance, I never felt out of place. The sessions were well organised, well led, and easy to follow.

I’ve never regretted turning up to a session. Whether I’ve had a stressful day, felt low on energy, not run for a while, or been faced with one of those freezing January evenings, I always feel better afterwards. You get to meet so many great people, train alongside them, and then see them out racing too. Everyone supports one another and celebrates each other’s achievements, which creates a fantastic atmosphere.

Best Moments: 

It’s difficult to pick one standout event because different races have been special for different reasons.

The Cambridge Half Marathon is probably my best performance. I’ve run it three times now, and the 2024 race was the best I’ve ever felt in a race. Everything seemed to click from mile two onwards. As the race went on, my splits kept getting quicker, which allowed me to relax and focus on my form and breathing.

What helped most was knowing I was on for a PB. Just six months earlier, I’d run the Ipswich Half Marathon in 1 hour 43 minutes. At Cambridge, I managed to run 1 hour 33 minutes. That performance gave me the confidence to believe I could achieve any target I set for myself. It was the moment I started believing I was capable of running a marathon.

That leads nicely to my second point: completing the Manchester Marathon last year remains my greatest achievement.

I knew it wasn’t something I could underestimate. What impressed me most was how well the training block went. I followed a structured plan, adapted when illness or other commitments got in the way, but always kept the long runs as the priority.

During my 20-mile training run, I bumped into Debbie, Sam, and Louise after about two miles. They invited me to join them, and I gladly accepted. Running with others made such a difference. The miles seemed to pass so much quicker, and their experience helped me settle into a sustainable pace. It gave me a much better understanding of what I could realistically maintain over a long distance.

One of my biggest sources of support leading into Manchester was my girlfriend, Eva.

We first knew each other through cadets, although we barely spoke at the time. Eventually, we kept bumping into each other at running events and Ipswich away matches, and it quickly became clear that we had a lot in common.

We trained together for the Cambridge Half Marathon in 2024, both exceeded our expectations, and later achieved course PBs together at Colchester. Although we run for different clubs, which will never change, we always make time to fit runs together where we can. Whether that’s once every couple of weeks or several times in a week, the support is always there.

Unfortunately, Eva was running London Marathon on the same day I was running Manchester, so we couldn’t be there to support each other in person. Thankfully, my family was there.

Seeing them at mile 22 was exactly what I needed.

I’d trained through winter expecting cool conditions, but race day ended up being over 25 degrees. I struggled badly with the heat, my fueling wasn’t going to plan, I’d barely slept the night before, and I felt like everything was working against me. Seeing my family so close to the finish gave me a huge lift.

I crossed the line in just over five hours. The time honestly didn’t matter. It was my first marathon, and it’s a memory I’ll never forget.

Moving Forward: 

My focus remains firmly on running, and I still feel like I have a lot of unfinished business when it comes to personal bests.

I entered Manchester Half Marathon in October, so by the time this is published, I’ll have around 18 weeks of training to try and break 90 minutes. It’s a big challenge, but I genuinely believe it’s achievable. If not, I’ll simply go again next year.

I’m also returning to Manchester Marathon next year, with the aim of learning from last year’s experience and targeting a sub-4-hour finish. Taking more than an hour off my time will require a huge amount of work, but I believe it’s possible.

Other targets include finally breaking 40 minutes for 10k. I’ve got races coming up at Kesgrave, Twilight, and possibly Framlingham. To achieve that goal, I’ll probably need to get back under 20 minutes for 5k first, so it may be a little way off yet.

For now, the plan is simple: stay consistent. Running three to four times a week, including one or two strength sessions, while avoiding injury and burnout. Most importantly, I want to continue enjoying it.

Beyond racing, I want to keep doing the things I love. With Ipswich back in the Premier League, I’m looking forward to combining football with more parkrun tourism, ticking off more letters of the parkrun alphabet around Teesside, exploring new places across the UK, and maybe even venturing abroad one day.

Thank you for taking the time to read my profile.

Next month, I’d like to nominate Chris Green.