A rush of gratitude came over James Redding, a Boston College student and BHS alum, as he crossed through the Brandenburg Gate and reached the finish line of the Berlin Marathon. This feat would be his sixth World Marathon Major, breaking the Guinness World Record as the youngest person to complete all six Majors at the age of 20.
Redding began his running career in high school with his mom in order to stay in shape for his hockey season, running a 5k every month and eventually increasing their distance to 6ks and greater. After two years, they decided together to attempt the 2021 Newburyport Half Marathon and, later, he ran his first marathon in Maine.
Deciding to run a marathon is certainly a challenge, but securing a spot is another. After running the Boston Marathon as charity for the Brookline Education Foundation at 18 years old, James Redding got lucky in the lottery process and was able to race the Berlin and Tokyo marathons. He soon discovered that if he completed the April 2025 London Marathon before the September 2025 Berlin Marathon, he would break the Guinness World Record.
In order to combat the doubt he found while training, he said he reminded himself to stay positive.
“You have some days where three miles feels like 10 and you’re like, ‘Can I not run anymore?’ Looking at a month of 10 good [runs], you know one bad run is going to happen,” James Redding said.
James Redding’s mom, Lisa Redding, is Associate Dean of Students. She organized each of their trips to London, Tokyo and the other Majors, with planned activities and minimal walking. James Redding said she helped make his time there memorable.
“I have to give a lot of credit to my mom. It was incredibly eye-opening to go somewhere that I hadn’t been before, and to live and adapt to a certain lifestyle that I hadn’t lived before,” James Redding said. “It made me hopeful to be able to travel to different places in the future. Even though it was uncomfortable at times, it was an experience that I would never trade.”
In his first weeks at Boston College, James Redding met Holden Williamson, a classmate and training partner. Williamson said he helped Redding tackle the days of running preparation with a fun and disciplined mindset.
“Not only is he a great presence to be around when running, especially as the conditions get harsher up in New England during the winter, but it forces you to hold yourself to the same training standards that James sets for himself,” Williamson said. “That means not missing runs, having a lot of foresight into what your mileage will look like leading up to race day and then dialing in on your prep as the race approaches.”
According to Lisa Redding, one challenge they faced while traveling, on top of the language barriers, was when James Redding became sick in the 10 days they spent in Tokyo before he raced. He faced even more unlucky spells with the weather at each marathon, particularly the heat in Berlin.
“Fifty-one years of the Berlin Marathon, and it was the hottest on record. Same with Tokyo. Same with London. These marathons were super hot, and he does not do well in the heat,” Lisa Redding said. “He was like, ‘I’m just going to finish, and I’m going to enjoy it.’ That was really cool because he did it.”
Williamson said the final moment in James Redding’s Berlin Marathon, the last of the six to complete the record, was both suspenseful and rewarding.
“There’s a lot of good memories I’ve shared with James, but the one that comes to mind is finally seeing James make it through the crowd with his six-star medal and Guinness World Record plaque in hand,” Williamson said. “Once he broke out of the crowd, I was able to give him a big squeeze. It felt very full-circle, and I’m so happy that I was there to see him fulfill his goal.”
Next on James Redding’s radar is an ultramarathon, a 50-kilometer race, and the Sydney, Australia and Cape Town, South Africa marathons. Alongside these goals, he said a mantra that has helped him thus far is staying accountable for his progress.
“One of the things I really like about running is [that] I don’t owe it to anybody else but myself to keep going. Nobody’s going to yell at me if I stop running,” James Redding said. “You’ve got to get yourself up onto the road and continue to persevere.”
