James Edward Cracknell, OBE (born 5 May 1972) is a British rowing and endurance athlete, double Olympic gold medalist and winner of six world championship titles.[1] Cracknell was appointed OBE for "services to sport" in the 2005 New Year Honours List.
With Redgrave then having retired, Cracknell swapped from rowing on strokeside to bowside to join Pinsent in the coxless pairs. The pair won the World Championships in 2001, when they also won the coxed pairs, and 2002. However, in 2003 a disappointing season was capped by a failure to win the World Championships, and Pinsent and Cracknell were shifted into the coxless four, with Steve Williams and Alex Partridge. Ed Coode replaced the injured Partridge in time for the 2004 Summer Olympics and this crew won the gold medal in Athens, beating world champions Canada by 0.08s.
He came second in the pairs division of the 2005–2006 Atlantic Rowing Race in "Spirit of EDF Energy", partnered by Ben Fogle. Although they took first place in the line honours of the pairs event (overall, they were third to finish the race behind the two men's fours), the use of ballast water during the race resulted in the pair being moved to second position of the pairs event in accordance with the race rules. The event helped raise money for Children in Need.[5]
They made landfall in Antigua at 07.13 GMT on 19 January 2006, a crossing time of 49 days, 19 hours and 8 minutes. In February 2006, he announced his decision to retire from competitive rowing. Shortly after, Through Hell and High Water, a BBC/Twofour television programme of Cracknell and Fogle's experience of the Atlantic race, was aired. The pair wrote a book called The Crossing: Conquering the Atlantic in the World's Toughest Rowing Race, about their trip.[5]
On 4 March 2006, Cracknell's home was burgled: his Olympic gold medals were stolen, together with his wedding ring and a computer containing 20,000 words of a new book and family photographs.[6] The gold medals were subsequently recovered by a neighbour's dog where the thief had discarded them. The thief, Mark Murphy, 30, was caught and jailed.[7]
He ran the London Marathon on 23 April 2006, in a time of 3 hours, finishing over an hour ahead of his rowing teammate Matthew Pinsent.
In January 2008 Cracknell set up Threshold Sports with Julian Mack and Charlie Beauchamp.
In December 2008 he set off yet again with former teammate from the Atlantic Row, Ben Fogle, and Dr Ed Coats (the winner of a nationwide search),[8] this time to take part in the inaugural Amundsen Omega3 South Pole Race. The team traversed the 473.6 miles suffering frostbite, infected blisters, dramatic weight-loss, pneumonia and exhaustion and came second[1] only to a pair of Norwegians (over 20 hours[9]). The BBC aired a 5 x 1-hour, prime-time Sunday night series of the adventure, On Thin Ice (Twofour), in June–July 2009. The series was accompanied by a self-penned book of the race, Race to the Pole (MacMillan).[5]
In July 2008 Cracknell competed in the European Triathlon Championships for GBR for his age group and in November 2009 he took part in the New York Marathon. In April 2009, James completed the 125-mile non-stop Devizes to Westminster Canoe Marathon in a two-man racing K2 kayak with canoe partner Bernie Shosbree.[10]
James Cracknell at the London Triathlon 2007
In August 2009 Cracknell attempted to break the non-stop Land's End to John O'Groats mixed tandem world record along with Olympic gold medallist Rebecca Romero. The pair got just past Johnstone Bridge in Scotland before being forced to stop due to problems with Romero's knees. They were on course to break the record by over three hours.[11] The attempt was to launch the 2010 Ride Across Britain that Cracknell's company organised
In April 2010 Cracknell became the highest placed Briton ever in the 25-year history of the Marathon des Sables, finishing 12th. His exploits were filmed for a Discovery Channel documentary The Toughest Race on Earth to be aired in October 2010. This highest ever placing was beaten in 2013 by another Briton, Danny Kendall who finished 10th.[12]
Six months after his cycling accident which damaged his frontal lobe (see below), Cracknell competed in the Yukon Arctic Ultra. He finished second in the 430-mile race across the frozen Alaskan countryside, beaten only by British cyclist Alan Sheldon who beat Cracknell's 163:20 with his own 99:30.[13] Cracknell's participation in the race was filmed for the documentary The Coldest Race on Earth aired on the Discovery Channel.[14]
Cracknell ran the 2012 London Marathon in just under three hours, one of the fastest celebrities, but behind Nell McAndrew. In 2017, he ran a time of 2:43:12, making him one of the fastest notable non-professional marathon runners.[15]
From 27 February 2008, Cracknell covered over 1,400 miles from Britain to Africa in 10 days, rowing, cycling and swimming. He rowed from Dover, England to Cap Gris Nez, France, then cycled to Tarifa, Spain, and finally swam across the Strait of Gibraltar from Tarifa to Punta Cires, Morocco. The comedian David Walliams joined him for the final part of his journey providing support from his previous experience of swimming the English Channel.[21] The money raised by the challenge went towards the BBC's Sport Relief charity, with highlights of the action broadcast on 14 March. He was the celebrity guest at The WiG GiG which raise over £10,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support.[22]
In January 2009, Cracknell took part in the Amundsen Omega 3 South Pole Race with his TV presenter friend Ben Fogle and Dr Ed Coats as members of Team QinetiQ,[23] finishing in second, 20 hours behind the winning Norwegian team.[24] The race and the reasons behind was broadcast on BBC Television during summer 2009 in the series On Thin Ice. The trio raised funds for the children's medical research charity Sparks, chosen as the charity partner in memory of Cracknell's niece, Eva, who died at six days old after suffering oxygen deprivation at birth.[25]
On Saturday 3 October 2009, Cracknell and Ben Fogle started a 60-hour (estimated) journey from Edinburgh to London riding a rickshaw in support of SSAFA. They aimed to arrive in time for the Pride of Britain Awards ceremony on Monday 5 October 2009.[26] They endured storm force gales in Scotland and Northumberland on their first day of the 450-mile ride.[27] Early on the last day they made a stop at Etonbury Middle School in Arlesey, off the A1 road to London, where about 100 children welcomed them and to wave them on their way.[28]
Cycling accident, helmet advocacy
On 20 July 2010, Cracknell was hit from behind by a petrol tanker whilst cycling during an attempt to cycle, row, run and swim from Los Angeles to New York within 18 days.[29] The accident happened at around 5.30am on a quiet stretch of road outside Winslow, Arizona. He has attributed his survival to wearing a cycle helmet at the time.[29] In the crash he suffered a contrecoup injury to the frontal lobes of his brain.[30][31] In 2012 Cracknell and his then-wife wrote Touching Distance about his life before and after his brain injury, which has left him with epilepsy, a lost sense of smell and taste, and a changed, more volatile, personality.[32][1] Since the accident he has been conspicuous in advocating the use of bicycle helmets.[33][34]
Politics
Having been a prominent supporter of the NOtoAV campaign in the 2011 United Kingdom Alternative Vote referendum, in June 2013 Cracknell revealed his intention to stand in the European Parliament election of 2014. He commented "The European Union is going to have an effect on my children and grandchildren. I'd like to think I can have an effect - bring a fresh perspective. It's not something I have to do, it's something I want to do."[35]
In May 2023, it was reported Cracknell was seeking to be the prospective parliamentary candidate for Henley at the 2024 general election, following the announcement of the retirement of John Howell.[38] He was selected as the Conservative candidate for Colchester in September 2023.[39][1] . In the 2024 General Election, Cracknell lost to the Labour candidate by 8250 votes.[40] Cracknell has stated he believes Britain could rejoin the EU in a generation.[41]
Personal life
In 2002, Cracknell married TV presenter Bev Turner. The couple had three children: a son and two daughters. They announced their separation on 29 March 2019 after 17 years of marriage.[42][43] They were granted a decree nisi in their divorce proceedings in July of the same year.[44]
In January 2021, he announced his engagement to Jordan Connell;[45] they married in August 2021.[46]
Sir Steven Geoffrey Redgrave is a British retired rower who won gold medals at five consecutive Olympic Games from 1984 to 2000. He has also won three Commonwealth Games gold medals and nine World Rowing Championships golds. He is the most successful male rower in Olympic history, and the only man to have won gold medals at five Olympic Games in an endurance sport.
Sir Matthew Clive Pinsent, is an English rower and broadcaster. During his rowing career, he won 10 world championship gold medals and four consecutive Olympic gold medals.
Rowing at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place at the Schinias Olympic Rowing and Canoeing Centre and featured 550 competitors taking part in 14 events.
Edward R. Coode, MBE is a British rower, twice World Champion and Olympic Gold medalist.
Drew Cameron Ginn OAM is an Australian five-time world champion rower, a four time Olympian and triple Olympic gold medallist. From 1995 to 1998 he was a member of Australia's prominent world class crew – the coxless four known as the Oarsome Foursome.
James Bruce Tomkins is an Australian rower, seven-time World Champion and a three-time Olympic gold medalist. He is Australia's most awarded oarsman, having made appearances at six Olympic games ; eleven World Championships ; four Rowing World Cups and eighteen state representative King's Cup appearances – the Australian blue riband men's VIII event,. Tomkins is one of only five Australian athletes and four rowers worldwide to compete at six Olympics. From 1990 to 1998 he was the stroke of Australia's prominent world class crew – the coxless four known as the Oarsome Foursome.
Jürgen Heinz Lothar Gröbler OBE is a German rowing coach, formerly the Olympic team coach of East Germany and later of Great Britain. He coached crews to medals at every Olympics from 1972 to 2016, with the exception of the 1984 Games, which were boycotted by Eastern Bloc countries.
Stephen David Williams is an English rower and double Olympic champion. In April and May 2011, Williams walked to the North Pole and achieved the summit of Mount Everest.
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Timothy James Carrington Foster, MBE is an English rower who won a gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
Alexander Matthew Partridge is a British rower, and an Olympic silver and bronze medallist.
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Gold Fever is a BBC documentary, shown in August 2000, which follows Steve Redgrave and his British rowing coxless four teammates Matthew Pinsent, Tim Foster and James Cracknell in the years leading up to the Sydney Olympics, where Redgrave was looking to win his fifth consecutive gold medal. The three-part series includes video diaries recording the highs and lows in the quest for gold. Among these were Redgrave being diagnosed with diabetes, and Foster possibly losing his spot on the team after injuring his hand punching a window at a party, and later undergoing back surgery that required additional months of recovery time. Coach Jurgen Grobler is also featured in the programme.
Andrew Triggs Hodge is a British former rower - a three time Olympic champion and four time world champion. In the British coxless four in 2012 he set a world's best time which still stood as of 2023.
Benjamin Philip Dodwell is an Australian former rower - a nine-time national champion, a triple Olympian, Olympic medal winner and representative at World Rowing Championships.
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Heather Mary Stanning OBE is a retired British professional rower. As a member of the Great Britain rowing team, she is a double Olympic champion, double World champion, quadruple World Cup champion and double European champion. She has also been a British champion in both women's fours and quad sculls.
Oliver Robert George Cook is a British international rower. He is a world champion and an Olympian.
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