Cambridge & Coleridge Athletic Club member Jack Gray eyeing up Great Britain return after becoming national champion

While Jack Gray may not lack self confidence, even he had started to question whether or not he was ever going to achieve one of his major running goals.

Gray, who moved to Cambridge seven years ago from Birmingham, has always wanted to call himself a national champion.

He had come close on numerous occasions, including earlier this year when he collected bronze and silver medals and the British and English Cross Country Championships respectively.

Those are by no means minor achievements – and Gray is proud of each medal he has won – but they are not of the coveted gold variety.

So when the Cambridge & Coleridge Athletic Club member lined up for the England 5K Championships earlier this month, determination levels were heightened. He was regarded by many as the pre-race favourite and finally – after all of those near misses of the past – Gray lived up to the billing with an impressive performance.

The 30-year-old stopped the clock in 13 minutes and 58 seconds, with his nearest competitor around 80 metres back as he dipped for the line. The smile on Gray’s face in the subsequent pictures told its own story, one of delight but perhaps also tinged with relief.

Looking back at ticking off that particular target, he said: “It’s something that I really wanted to achieve. I’ve got a few national medals, but they’re all coloured silver and bronze.

“This year alone I’d been third in the British Cross Country Championships and second in the English Cross Country Championships. Those are amazing results and performances that I’m really proud of, but it’s nice to eventually get on top of that podium.

“When you’re a competitive runner, you don’t stand on that start line and dream of getting a silver or bronze. You want to win and it’s nice to have got that done after some near misses.

“As you get older you learn to enjoy the process more. You build friendships, you put the effort in with the training and the medals that come are a representation of all of that.

“But you do start to wonder. I turned 30 in April and I know that’s not old, but it’s an age landmark and you start to wonder if you’ve missed your chance.

“I’ve always had self confidence when it comes to running, but coming so close at not getting there, it does put a little doubt in your mind.

“I think that’s one of the things that has pushed me so much in my training this year. I’m not getting any younger and to make sure I could call myself a national champion before I was too old, that was a big motivation.”

No sooner has Gray fulfilled one major ambition, he already has his sights fixed firmly on another.

In 2019 he represented Great Britain at the European 10,000m Cup and to this day that remains the sole occasion in which he has donned the blue and white vest.

However, he could significantly enhance his chances of earning a second shot on the British team with a strong performance on Saturday (May 20) at the Night of the 10,000m PBs in London.

Gray will almost certainly have to set his best ever time over the distance, but he could not be in much better shape – either physically or mentally.

“I’d love to get back in that GB vest. I’ve got plenty of England ones and they mean a lot to me, but the British one is massive. I’ve got an opportunity coming up to stake my claim,” he added.

“I’m going to have to probably finish as one of the top four British guys in a time of 28 minutes and 20 seconds.

“My PB is 28 minutes and 49 seconds. I know that’s a bit of a jump, but I’m in a really good place physically and mentally. I’m in better shape now than when I set my PB.

“I also think my experience – as well as the form I’m in – will really help. It counts for a lot in these types of races. As we say in running, I’ve got skin in the game. I’ve just become a national champion and I know how best to execute plans and what to do if something doesn’t go as expected.

“You’ve got to expect things might not go as planned and be prepared for different scenarios. It will probably happen in London and it’s about remaining level headed and keeping cool in the heat of the battle.”

Yet while Gray is sizing up a return to the international scene, he remains a proud member of Cambridge & Coleridge.

The club has become an important part of his life – both on and off the running track.

He said: “I’d actually stopped running competitively for about a year before I moved to Cambridge, but when you move to a city where you don’t know anyone, it felt like joining an athletics club was a good way to meet people.

“I quickly gained a network of good friends at the club and it’s a really good club to be a part of.

“We train together as a group and I think that’s been one of the main reasons why we’ve had some really good results recently over the longer distances.

“You build up relationships and help each other to improve.

“There’s a really good connection between the club and the university as wel. It feels like everything is going in the right direction.”