James Bland: 2026 Vision Q&A
Tarkine athlete James Bland is entering 2026 with a sharper focus, a leaner race schedule, and a clear goal: qualify for UTMB. We asked him six questions about what this year looks like, what 2025 taught him, and how he wants to show up.
What does 2026 look like for you as a runner?
2026 looks a lot different than most years I’ve had in running — where I’ve been one not to shy away from running a 50km+ race at every opportunity with the Aus running calendar that sends me anywhere with a trail and a start line within a 3-hour circumference of Melbourne, NZ, or in the last few years Chamonix, France.
Teaming up with Run Together Coaching, I’ve pulled back on the number of events I’m doing to really focus on developing as a runner and taking my time to recover from training and racing. Trying to really pick and choose my races to be as competitive as possible, rather than sitting on the excuses of the past — almost self-sabotaging myself before the race even started by running 10 marathons or a 100km race a few weeks beforehand, as I have done in the past.
In short, this year is focusing on getting as fit and fast as I can for the few races which hopefully qualify me for UTMB next year.
What are you most excited about heading into 2026?
Races I’m excited for this year are some new ones and some I’ve done over the last few years — which will be great benchmarks to see how fast and efficient I’ve become. You Yangs 100km will be a great test; I have to go back and defend my win from last year, but there are a few rockets out there that will make it a really honest, hard race.
Surf Coast Century and Great Ocean Trail 100km both look like amazing races which I don’t normally have a chance to race due to travel, so those could be great options. Depending on how fast I’m feeling, I might have another shot at the Koszi Miler at the end of the year for an entry into UTMB — if I can pull off a top 3. That would be a 5-month lead-up after You Yangs for a real push onto the podium. Otherwise, I might just have a crack at GPT100 in November.
In terms of lifestyle and community — coming from NZ, I’ve always felt like a bit of an outsider. But after coming back from a few weeks away, I think that’s started to flip. People in local and trail running communities were asking where I was and how the racing had been going. I’ve always been a bit of a solo runner but am really starting to come out of my shell with the running community in Arthurs Seat where I’m based. The goal is to really push into local events and help out as much as I can — because there might be other people in the same spot where I was, who just need that one interaction to get them out there enjoying the trails with friends.
What did 2025 teach you that you’re taking into 2026?
Less is more — and I need more of the less.
2025 was great for seeing what my threshold was for endurance — in work, in running, in life. And 2026 is going to be taking the best parts of that and focusing on getting rid of the worst bits. It was a year of finding out what really matters and making really hard choices, which may feel like mistakes now, but in the long run will make me a better, happier person.
The lessons: to RACE. To RUN. To FIGHT.
The setbacks: anything that stops the lessons.
The breakthroughs: realising what the lessons and the setbacks were.
What do you want to improve or focus on?
Physically — I want to get as fast as everyone thinks I am. Really push the envelope into the global trail scene. I’ve had my name on a top 10 prediction for a major race before, and I want that consistently.
Mentally, emotionally, and lifestyle — I want my business life to reflect my personal life. I want to get to a position where I can work and run at maximum without conflict. That’s the end goal. If that’s working at a supermarket but it fully funds my trail running goals, then so be it. So many people are living to work — I want to work to run. You just need to let me go to France for a month every so often.
How do you want to show up as a runner and person in 2026?
I want to show up and be the party of the run — but also might win the event too. These races are meant to be fun, to be a highlight of finishing a goal that someone has worked for months or years to accomplish, and I want to make those experiences better.
I always want to lead by example and help out and make running and running events as special as they should be. All of the things we do should be celebrated — because we’re doing some of the hardest things you can do, but at speed and for a really long time. I want to show up as someone who can inspire people to get out there and try.
My quote: “Effort is effort.” It doesn’t matter if it’s one mile or one hundred. We all have different abilities and we’re all at different stages of our fitness journey — all I ask is to put in some effort.
What does success look like for you in 2026?
Regardless of winning or losing — success to me is knowing I did everything I could on the day. You never know who’s going to turn up, so all you can do is make sure that you do.
