Snell at White Rock Marathon

James Snell
Age: 52
Hometown: Dallas, TX
Occupation: Vice President of Real Estate Development
Marathons Completed: 12

Although James Snell has been running for 19 years, he admits it did not really love running in those early years. At that time he said it was just a convenient way to stay in shape, but after a couple years he found himself truly enjoying running. This happened when he cut out the competitiveness and stopped watching the clock. Once he did this he learned to love running and the challenge of marathons.

Running has impacted Snell’s life in the last couple of years, he has made it a part of who he is. It has provided him with a focus outside all the stress in his life and has allowed him to be more grounded.

Snell’s goal when he runs the Chevron Houston Marathon is to reach a new personal record. The biggest challenge he says he will face when race day comes is not having a running companion. “Each marathon presents a new personal challenge – a challenge I now love!”

He enjoys running at White Rock Lake in Dallas and reads and studying ways to run smarter. His advice to those who want to run is to “avoid making running just another of your type-A, competitive, accounting exercises.” Snell says, “if you do that, you will miss the true enjoyment and challenge.  Relax, watch the scenery and try to have fun!”

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