10.17.2024
JAMIE RAMSAY: THE CHARMING ADVENTURER & FATHER
Jamie Ramsay is a British endurance adventurer, public speaker, brand ambassador and father to a little boy. Jamie has completed 35 different adventures and challenges in 32 countries. Jamie doesn’t restrict himself to one sport, taking on running, cycling, hiking and mountaineering challenges. Right now, he has completed over 21,061km of running, equivalent to over 500 marathons, 31,288km of cycling and has submitted ten mountains over 3000m.
Jamie doesn’t seek world records or firsts. For Jamie, each adventure is a chance to challenge himself in a new way and push his perceived limits further. Most of his adventures are solo and unsupported and he has never had a fitness coach, physio, PR team or nutritionist because he regards all these disciplines as part of the process to be the best version of himself.
Over the years, Jamie has used his adventuring to raise money and awareness for charities that tackle mental health, cancer, MND and clean water provision.
Jamie recently became a father and now has the added adventure of a 1-year-old when he gets home from his travels. Jamie dreams of the day he can go adventuring with his little boy and has already started running with him, putting his experience pushing a baby stroller 17,000km down the Americas to good use.
When Jamie is not adventuring, he can normally be found travelling around tasting wines, cheeses, charcuterie and beer.
How Did You Become an Endurance Adventurer?
"I was working in the City doing a job that didn’t excite me or leave me feeling any sort of satisfaction. This started to manifest itself in negative ways, and after 12 years of not pursuing my dreams, I realized that if I didn’t make some changes, then I would most likely head down a path I didn’t want to venture into. I had always admired British adventurers like Ben Fogle, James Cracknell and Sean Conway and came to the realization that the only difference between them and me was that they were prepared to take the risk to pursue their dreams. I quit my job, and a decade later, I am still adventuring.
I started out as a runner, with my first two adventures being a 240km solo & unsupported run through Vietnam (2013) and then running 17,000km solo and unsupported from Canada to Argentina (2014). Running has always been one of my favorite ways to spend time, and being able to do so in such an extraordinary way while discovering new places and learning about myself was exhilarating.
Then, in 2017, having completed an unsupported three peaks run in the UK and the Scottish Isles, I decided to try my hand at cycle touring. I packed up a bike and flew to Sao Paulo, Brazil, and cycled solo to La Paz, Bolivia. Since then, I have cycled across the USA, and Australia, 10,000km around the UK and various smaller trips around France.
In 2019, I thought I would take on my first mountain, and accompanied by my friend Al Hogarth, we successfully summited Aconcagua (6962m) without a guide or any support, apart from a mule who carried our food up to Base Camp! That led to wilderness hiking through Utah along the Hayduke Trail, summiting the three highest peaks in Ecuador and fast-hiking the Pyrenees in 18 and a half days.
The reason I love these adventures and the main motivation for me to keep going is the thrill of putting yourself in a situation where you must perform at the highest level, take risks and teach yourself how to overcome physical and mental challenges on a day-to-day basis. There is a huge rush from being in a vulnerable situation and overcoming it; it is a feeling I try to replicate in all my adventures, and it makes me appreciate life."
How Do You Structure Your Training, and What Does a Typical Week Look Like for You?
"One of the aspects of adventuring that people ask me the most about is training and planning and I do a lot less than people would think.
When it comes to planning an adventure, I tend to come up with the idea of what I want to achieve and how I want to test myself, I then plan a route, and that usually is where the planning ends. Unless I have to, I don’t like researching the route because for me travelling into the unknown is a massive part of the adventure. I spend more time honing my kit list and ensuring I have the tools and equipment needed to take on whatever the adventure throws at me.
For the training, I like to maintain an overall fitness that allows me to take on any opportunity for adventure that comes along. For instance, this summer, I ran ten marathons in ten days and managed to complete them all sub 4 hours and with only one month of training. For the type of adventures that I normally undertake, it's the mental strength that gets you to the finish line."
What Was the Toughest Challenge You’ve Faced in Your Journey as an Athlete?
"If I could adventure all year every year, then that is what I would be doing, but sadly, financially, that isn’t an option. To be able to take on some of the bigger challenges I have completed, you need to have financial support, and that can be incredibly hard to come by. This has been made even more true with the arrival of my son. In the past, I could live cheaply and channel all my money into adventuring, but now I have to think a little more responsibly."
Which Projects Did You Take on this Year?
"2024 has been a ride with lots of different challenges. The biggest and most exciting is being a new dad to a boy with boundless energy. But that has also made me focus on delivering more from my adventures and being more strategic in what I focus on.
In terms of adventure, I successfully completed the 13,000km Atlas Mountain Race. Having never entered a cycling race or really ridden a mountain bike before, there was a lot to learn and fast, but that only made the sense of achievement sweeter. Backpacking races are definitely something I would like to be focusing more time and energy on in the future.
On the running front, I took on a challenge to run ten marathons in ten days to reach the 500 marathon (equivalent) and raise money for two charities – Young Lives vs Cancer and The Doddie Foundation. Being a new father made training for this one difficult, and before I started, my longest run in training was 12km. To add to that, it was over 30 degrees each day and I had a lot of social commitments during those 10 days!
I have also been trying to get my book to the point that I can self-publish it. I must admit that I am finding writing about running the Americas as hard as actually doing it!"
How Do You Balance Your Sporting Life with Your Personal Life?
"Balancing work life, adventuring and family time is definitely tricky and not something I have completely worked out. My partner and I agreed that we would focus most of our time on our son for the first year, which has been an amazing experience, but I'll be honest: it is hard to go from solo adventurer to father. I think it is healthy that my son sees both his parents out there pursuing their passions and that is something my partner and I are focused on going forward. Going forward, my adventures may become more frequent but dramatically shorter, but that doesn’t mean they will become any less challenging."
Why Partner with GOREWEAR?
"I met GOREWEAR by chance. I was in a PR Agency office talking about my Americas run and was introduced to the PR for GOREWEAR. He asked what I was doing next, and I told him it was running the UK Three Peaks solo and unsupported. He seemed impressed and offered to gift me some clothes. The rest is history...
I was then contacted and asked if I would like to take part in the Transalpine Race 2017 as a GOREWEAR Athlete, which I duly did. I then ran the Cape Wrath Ultra as a GOREWEAR Athlete and came third overall and then represented GOREWEAR again for the 2018 Transalpine run and came third in the Elite Mixed Category with Eva Sperger.
Since then, every adventure I have been on has involved some items from the GOREWEAR kit. The beauty of our partnership is that it has always been about supporting my adventures rather than dictating them. I have come up with the ideas and GOREWEAR has made sure I have kit that will give me the best possible opportunity to succeed. That is how a team is meant to work."
What is Your Favorite Summer and Winter Piece from Our Collection and Why?
"I am going to have to break this down into running and cycling as it's too difficult to just choose two items of clothing.
For cycling in summer, it is the Spinshift Cargo Bib Shorts+, and in winter it is the Endure GORE-TEX Jacket (Fireball). The bib shorts are probably the most comfortable I have ever worn and after nearly a week of living in them 24/7 for the Atlas Mountain Race, they had hardly stretched. The jacket is a reliable waterproof that performs on and off the bike which is essential for the type of riding I do.
For running in summer, it is the Contest 2.0 Tee, and in winter, it is the CONCURVE GORE-TEX Jacket. I was tempted to pick the R5 5-inch shorts, but the Contest 2.0 Tee was awesome when I did the fast-hike of the Pyrenees. The CONCURVE jacket is quite simply the best running jacket I have used. The fit is awesome, and it’s lightweight and packable."
Outside of Sports What Can We Find You Doing?
"At the moment, I am trying to plan an epic running, riding and swimming challenge for 2025. It is going to be bonkers, so watch this space!"
