James Cracknell – Keynote Speaker

With 2 Olympic Gold Medals, 6 World Championship titles James Cracknell OBE is an inspiring sportsman, athlete and adventurer. In 2010, James Cracknell took on America- racing to cycle, run, row and swim from LA to New York in record time. It was during this trip that James suffered a near fatal accident after being struck from behind by a truck while cycling through Arizona.

After a difficult six-month recovery period, James went to the Canadian Yukon, completing The Coldest Race on Earth. These stunning adventures transmitted as ‘Unstoppable: The James Cracknell Trilogy’ on Discovery. Following this, James’s did a series for Discovery, ‘Worlds Toughest Expeditions’. The series sees James pushing himself to the limit of endurance. James Cracknell has also successfully completed the gruelling Amundsen Omega3 South Pole Race with friend Ben Fogle and Dr Ed Coats and The race across The Atlantic, again with Ben Fogle . Both journeys were aired on the BBC and were accompanied by the books, Race to the Pole (MacMillan) and The Crossing.

James Cracknell’s recent programming saw him and Ben cross the Empty Quarter on camelback, which aired on the BBC in 2013, Ben & James Versus the Arabian Desert. When not crossing oceans and continents, James is in demand as an entertaining corporate and motivational host. Not to mention training for marathons, the Great North Run and many other races in the UK. James is Vice President of the Charity ‘Headway’ and has been appointed to lead Policy Exchange work on obesity and physical activity.