Ray James has run every Sydney Marathon since it opened to the public in 2001, the year after the Sydney Olympics. At 76, he is the oldest member of an exclusive club of runners, known as the Blue Line Legends, who share the distinction. Despite having run 23 Sydney Marathons (there was no race in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic) and 420 marathons all up across Australia, this will be James’ first world major after Sydney was upgraded to the elite status last year, joining Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York. “I can’t train as hard, as I have cancer and I have drug treatment, so that kind of interferes with it,” James said. “I’m not a fast runner, I will be five-and-a-half/six hours. But I’ll get across the line, and I’m a winner, really, once you do that.” James was there outside Sydney Opera House on Thursday for the official pre-marathon press conference, helping welcome two-time Olympic gold medallist Eliud Kipchoge and three-time gold medallist Sifan Hassan to Sydney, alongside four other Blue Line Legends.