2020
54
Biography
James Cunnama
James Cunnama began competing professionally in triathlon in 2007 and he has been a regular on the podium since.
Growing up in one of South Africa’s sporting hotbeds, Pietermaritzburg, it was ironic that his love for the sport came about after he moved to Port Elizabeth to study at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.
James volunteered to assist at the 2004 and 2005 IRONMAN South Africa races, and after watching the event close up, decided to give triathlon a go. He was hooked.
He excels at middle and full distance and has victories over the latter in Florida (2010), Hamburg (2017) and France (2019) as well as lifting the 2012 European Champion title over long distance.
James has also won numerous titles on the 70.3 circuit, including one on home soil in South Africa in 2014 (held in East London).
Success has also come twice for Cunnama at the Alpe d’Huez Triathlon, his victory in 2010 was his first professional triathlon success and unsurprisingly the event is his favourite.
James has also come close to medalling at the World Championship in Kona, finishing fourth in 2013 and fifth in 2017.
Becoming a professional endurance athlete was no surprise for James as both his parents competed in marathons. He discovered the art of long-distance running at an early age, regularly joining his mother’s running group known as the ‘Pukers’.
The one thing James cannot live without is coffee, his favourite cheat meal is pizza and his favourite sport away from triathlon is football. He is driven by the desire to be the best and the proudest achievement in his life is raising his three children with wife and fellow triathlete Jodie Swallow.
The best advice James has been given in the sport is “not to be afraid of rest, and not be afraid of hurting,” and his most embarrassing moment to date was forgetting to take off his swim-skin before the cycle stage of a race.
Ranking History
Results
60 Races9
1
8 2
8 3
2020
Points: NaN
| Date | # | Race | Swim | Bike | Run | Overall | AIT The Strength Of Field (SOF) score is calculated based on the average PTO World Ranking points of the top five ranked athletes who start the race. | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06 Dec | 34 | Challenge Daytona | 25:56 | 1:43:04 | 1:05:52 | 3:17:12 56.4839 | 03:05:07 | 56.48 | |||
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| 15 Nov | 1 | People's Triathlon | 26:42 | 2:07:13 | 1:10:48 | 3:46:09 77.5001 | 03:38:46 | 77.50 | |||
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2019
Points: NaN
| Date | # | Race | Swim | Bike | Run | Overall | AIT The Strength Of Field (SOF) score is calculated based on the average PTO World Ranking points of the top five ranked athletes who start the race. | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Oct | 32 | Ironman Hawaii | 52:12 | 4:27:59 | 3:16:19 | 8:41:19 47.113 | 08:03:00 | 47.11 | |||
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| 30 Jun | 1 | Ironman Nice | 48:50 | 4:16:35 | 2:04:30 | 7:16:16 86.7529 | 07:07:46 | 86.75 | |||
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| 09 Jun | DNF | Ironman 70.3 Staffordshire | --:-- | --:-- | --:-- | --:-- | 03:49:49 | - | |||
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| 07 Apr | 15 | Ironman South Africa | 28:16 | 4:36:56 | 3:03:05 | 8:12:26 48.3888 | 07:37:03 | 48.39 | |||
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| 27 Jan | 3 | Ironman 70.3 South Africa | 16:07 | 2:17:42 | 1:18:17 | 3:56:25 68.1907 | 03:45:39 | 68.19 | |||
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2018
Points: NaN
| Date | # | Race | Swim | Bike | Run | Overall | AIT The Strength Of Field (SOF) score is calculated based on the average PTO World Ranking points of the top five ranked athletes who start the race. | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02 Dec | DNF | Ironman Western Australia | --:-- | --:-- | --:-- | --:-- | 07:48:42 | - | |||
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| 13 Oct | 17 | Ironman Hawaii | 50:41 | 4:21:02 | 3:02:00 | 8:18:18 76.2136 | 08:01:08 | 76.21 | |||
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| 09 Sep | 5 | Ironman 70.3 Santa Cruz | 24:14 | 2:07:25 | 1:19:10 | 3:55:22 54.5134 | 03:40:20 | 54.51 | |||
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| 02 Sep | 19 | Ironman 70.3 World Championship | 24:07 | 2:11:36 | 1:16:31 | 3:56:21 62.1432 | 03:43:39 | 62.14 | |||
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| 29 Jul | 3 | Ironman Hamburg | 19:52 | 4:00:44 | 2:48:44 | 7:13:54 83.4941 | 07:03:25 | 83.49 | |||
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| 01 Jul | 6 | Challenge Roth | 47:55 | 4:22:21 | 2:46:04 | 7:59:15 83.8041 | 07:47:53 | 83.80 | |||
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| 03 Jun | DNF | Challenge "The Championship" Samorin | --:-- | --:-- | --:-- | --:-- | 03:43:03 | - | |||
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2017
Points: NaN
| Date | # | Race | Swim | Bike | Run | Overall | AIT The Strength Of Field (SOF) score is calculated based on the average PTO World Ranking points of the top five ranked athletes who start the race. | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Oct | 5 | Ironman Hawaii | 49:09 | 4:21:02 | 2:56:46 | 8:11:24 100.565 | 08:11:49 | 100.56 | |||
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| 16 Sep | 1 | Ironman 70.3 Weymouth | 25:32 | 2:14:42 | 1:16:01 | 4:02:32 72.5243 | 03:52:56 | 72.52 | |||
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| 02 Sep | 1 | Ironman 70.3 Lanzarote | 22:53 | 2:06:31 | 1:14:02 | 3:47:07 86.5748 | 03:42:38 | 86.57 | |||
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| 13 Aug | 1 | Ironman Hamburg | 49:05 | 4:24:32 | 2:40:58 | 8:00:36 99.491 | 08:00:14 | 99.49 | |||
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| 09 Jul | 4 | Ironman Frankfurt | 48:54 | 4:09:25 | 2:48:49 | 7:51:02 96.0134 | 07:48:14 | 96.01 | |||
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| 11 Jun | 2 | Ironman 70.3 Switzerland | 23:50 | 2:09:40 | 1:13:49 | 3:51:06 78.6131 | 03:43:55 | 78.61 | |||
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| 28 May | 3 | Challenge Salou | 26:02 | 1:56:20 | 1:06:08 | 3:28:30 49.679 | 03:13:52 | 49.68 | |||
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| 02 Apr | 10 | Ironman South Africa | 49:10 | 4:28:47 | 3:02:46 | 8:24:42 62.0244 | 07:57:30 | 62.02 | |||
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| 29 Jan | 2 | Ironman 70.3 South Africa | 26:59 | 2:23:02 | 1:16:52 | 4:11:27 56.757 | 03:56:08 | 56.76 | |||
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2016
Points: NaN
| Date | # | Race | Swim | Bike | Run | Overall | AIT The Strength Of Field (SOF) score is calculated based on the average PTO World Ranking points of the top five ranked athletes who start the race. | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08 Oct | 26 | Ironman Hawaii | 48:52 | 4:38:33 | 3:10:24 | 8:42:03 57.9614 | 08:11:05 | 57.96 | |||
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| 10 Jul | 3 | Ironman 70.3 Sweden | 23:41 | 2:09:02 | 1:15:54 | 3:53:01 63.9626 | 03:41:04 | 63.96 | |||
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| 19 Jun | 2 | Ironman 70.3 Durban | 30:19 | 2:11:02 | 1:20:25 | 4:06:47 35.998 | 03:45:10 | 36.00 | |||
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| 05 Jun | 2 | Ironman Nice | 50:10 | 4:47:13 | 2:47:54 | 8:30:35 63.1416 | 08:03:50 | 63.14 | |||
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| 10 Apr | DNF | Ironman South Africa | --:-- | --:-- | --:-- | --:-- | 08:01:50 | - | |||
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| 24 Jan | 3 | Ironman 70.3 South Africa | 26:08 | 2:18:42 | 1:19:49 | 4:09:12 37.4253 | 03:47:49 | 37.43 | |||
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2015
Points: NaN
| Date | # | Race | Swim | Bike | Run | Overall | AIT The Strength Of Field (SOF) score is calculated based on the average PTO World Ranking points of the top five ranked athletes who start the race. | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05 Dec | 3 | Ironman 70.3 Bahrain | --:-- | 1:58:07 | 1:14:01 | 3:13:54 0 | - | - | |||
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| 26 Sep | 2 | Ironman Mallorca | 49:54 | 4:34:14 | 2:50:52 | 8:19:36 66.211 | 07:55:30 | 66.21 | |||
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| 14 Jun | DNF | Ironman Cairns | --:-- | --:-- | --:-- | --:-- | 07:59:24 | - | |||
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| 10 May | 1 | Ironman 70.3 Vietnam | 24:27 | 2:05:34 | 1:17:57 | 3:51:29 87.6806 | 03:47:17 | 87.68 | |||
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| 02 May | 3 | Ironman 70.3 Busselton | 25:45 | 2:08:13 | 1:11:07 | 3:47:40 63.5578 | 03:35:52 | 63.56 | |||
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| 29 Mar | 10 | Ironman South Africa | 51:34 | 4:51:53 | 2:59:54 | 8:47:45 59.2507 | 08:17:21 | 59.25 | |||
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| 27 Feb | 17 | Challenge Dubai | 25:48 | 2:10:41 | 1:13:21 | 3:52:57 73.2599 | 03:43:58 | 73.26 | |||
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2014
Points: NaN
| Date | # | Race | Swim | Bike | Run | Overall | AIT The Strength Of Field (SOF) score is calculated based on the average PTO World Ranking points of the top five ranked athletes who start the race. | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06 Dec | 6 | Challenge Bahrain | 23:07 | 2:05:40 | 1:12:32 | 3:44:29 67.1782 | 03:33:57 | 67.18 | |||
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| 11 Oct | DNF | Ironman Hawaii | --:-- | --:-- | --:-- | --:-- | 08:12:08 | - | |||
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| 07 Sep | DNF | Ironman 70.3 World Championship | --:-- | --:-- | --:-- | --:-- | 03:42:08 | - | |||
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| 20 Jul | 5 | Challenge Roth | 49:03 | 4:20:16 | 2:59:49 | 8:11:44 79.8403 | 07:57:18 | 79.84 | |||
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| 03 May | 28 | Ironman 70.3 St. George | 24:38 | 2:15:02 | 1:20:14 | 4:03:03 38.4815 | 03:42:31 | 38.48 | |||
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| 06 Apr | 13 | Ironman South Africa | 50:45 | 5:16:03 | 3:26:34 | 9:37:42 0 | 08:15:58 | - | |||
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| 15 Mar | DNF | Abu Dhabi Long Course | --:-- | --:-- | --:-- | --:-- 0 | - | - | |||
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| 26 Jan | 1 | Ironman 70.3 South Africa | 24:37 | 2:20:41 | 1:16:00 | 4:05:01 52.8006 | 03:48:49 | 52.80 | |||
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2013
Points: NaN
| Date | # | Race | Swim | Bike | Run | Overall | AIT The Strength Of Field (SOF) score is calculated based on the average PTO World Ranking points of the top five ranked athletes who start the race. | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Oct | 4 | Ironman Hawaii | 51:13 | 4:34:21 | 2:52:37 | 8:21:46 81.6142 | 08:08:18 | 81.61 | |||
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| 14 Jul | 2 | Challenge Roth | 48:38 | 4:23:46 | 2:49:16 | 8:04:13 71.7767 | 07:44:33 | 71.78 | |||
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| 18 May | 2 | Ironman Texas | 50:17 | 4:32:55 | 3:00:25 | 8:27:35 59.7507 | 07:58:41 | 59.75 | |||
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| 14 Apr | DNF | Ironman South Africa | --:-- | --:-- | --:-- | --:-- | 07:59:16 | - | |||
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| 02 Mar | DNF | Abu Dhabi Long Course | --:-- | --:-- | --:-- | --:-- 0 | - | - | |||
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2012
Points: NaN
| Date | # | Race | Swim | Bike | Run | Overall | AIT The Strength Of Field (SOF) score is calculated based on the average PTO World Ranking points of the top five ranked athletes who start the race. | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Nov | 8 | Ironman Cozumel | 52:16 | 4:35:26 | 3:06:48 | 8:37:46 48.2697 | 08:00:29 | 48.27 | |||
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| 29 Jul | DNF | ITU Long Distance | --:-- | --:-- | --:-- | --:-- 0 | - | - | |||
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| 08 Jul | 1 | Challenge Roth | 47:41 | 4:29:34 | 2:40:06 | 7:59:59 89.1308 | 07:52:17 | 89.13 | |||
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2011
Points: NaN
| Date | # | Race | Swim | Bike | Run | Overall | AIT The Strength Of Field (SOF) score is calculated based on the average PTO World Ranking points of the top five ranked athletes who start the race. | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Apr | 3 | Ironman South Africa | 51:10 | 4:25:39 | 2:53:16 | 8:13:18 68.5348 | 07:51:04 | 68.53 | |||
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2010
Points: NaN
| Date | # | Race | Swim | Bike | Run | Overall | AIT The Strength Of Field (SOF) score is calculated based on the average PTO World Ranking points of the top five ranked athletes who start the race. | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06 Nov | 1 | Ironman Florida | 51:45 | 4:35:55 | 2:43:09 | 8:15:59 61.8946 | 07:49:10 | 61.89 | |||
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| 18 Jul | 6 | Challenge Roth | 52:11 | 4:28:08 | 2:55:36 | 8:18:47 53.9663 | 07:46:34 | 53.97 | |||
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2009
Points: NaN
| Date | # | Race | Swim | Bike | Run | Overall | AIT The Strength Of Field (SOF) score is calculated based on the average PTO World Ranking points of the top five ranked athletes who start the race. | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Oct | 51 | Ironman Hawaii | 57:20 | 5:02:10 | 3:20:14 | 9:25:05 14.025 | 08:20:32 | 14.03 | |||
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| 05 Jul | 2 | Ironman Austria | 51:08 | 4:28:29 | 2:50:17 | 8:14:18 55.9039 | 07:43:38 | 55.90 | |||
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| 05 Apr | 6 | Ironman South Africa | 51:50 | 4:41:42 | 3:18:23 | 8:55:24 6.3713 | 07:49:28 | 6.37 | |||
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2008
Points: NaN
| Date | # | Race | Swim | Bike | Run | Overall | AIT The Strength Of Field (SOF) score is calculated based on the average PTO World Ranking points of the top five ranked athletes who start the race. | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Apr | 10 | Ironman South Africa | 51:05 | 4:46:36 | 3:12:49 | 8:52:17 13.3378 | 07:51:03 | 13.34 | |||
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2007
Points: NaN
| Date | # | Race | Swim | Bike | Run | Overall | AIT The Strength Of Field (SOF) score is calculated based on the average PTO World Ranking points of the top five ranked athletes who start the race. | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Mar | 13 | Ironman South Africa | 1:09:34 | 5:06:28 | 3:32:34 | 9:48:38 0 | 08:03:51 | - | |||
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Ranking per Season
Overall
Year
Points
Pos
2019
39
2018
7
2017
7
2016
62
2015
32
2014
22
2013
4
2012
17
2011
27
2010
26
2009
78
2008
182
Swim
Year
Points
Pos
2020
244
2019
206
2018
104
2017
78
2016
133
2015
157
2014
80
2013
53
2012
76
2011
103
2010
114
2009
122
2008
227
Bike
Year
Points
Pos
2020
92
2019
100
2018
16
2017
11
2016
103
2015
65
2014
43
2013
24
2012
35
2011
26
2010
43
2009
86
2008
218
Run
Year
Points
Pos
2020
188
2019
114
2018
39
2017
37
2016
43
2015
25
2014
38
2013
12
2012
17
2011
14
2010
16
2009
89
2008
276