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James Meadows is set to take on his third marathon when he crosses the start line of the 2025 Chevron Houston Marathon on Sunday, January 19^th, with the RUN FOR AUTISM team. All three marathons he’s run have been with the RUN FOR AUTISM – Houston team. James found OAR while looking for a charity to run with for his first marathon, the 2023 Chevron Houston Marathon. “Autism is something that’s near and dear to me,” he said.  He was looking for an autism charity to run in support of one of his best friend’s children, two of whom are autistic.

James and his friend Scott met in college at a gaming club at Texas A&M but fell out of touch after college. However, a chance meeting on a Christmas Eve reconnected them. “My dad is a pastor and I went to his service on Christmas Eve and he [Scott] was there. He was a member of my dad’s church and didn’t realize the pastor was my dad.” Since then, the two have been close.

Two of Scott’s children are autistic, with different strengths and support needs. The oldest is an artist and about to go to college. “She’s a super talented artist and very intelligent,” James said, “but she needs space and gets overwhelmed easily, especially when events like game nights get rowdy.” Scott’s youngest son is also autistic. “He’s easily distracted and has trouble narrowing down choices to make a decision,” James said. “People like to throw autistic people in one giant box, but that’s not true, and autism manifests in many different ways,” he said. That’s why he’s committed to standing up and raising awareness for autism.

However, James hasn’t always been a runner. “I hated running growing up!”  When he joined the Army, he still didn’t love running. One day in basic training, he and a buddy got in trouble and were told to run back and forth between two points as fast as they could while everyone else in the unit marched. He realized that despite the other guy being an entire foot taller, he was blowing him away. “Maybe I am good at running!” he thought. Once he left the military and was going to school at Texas A&M, he lived a block away from their track and started running to stay in shape.

When he’s not working cybersecurity or running, James is the author of several fantasy novels, including “Tyrants, Tormentors, and the Tiara,” as well as the “Chronomancer and the Time God” trilogy. His writing focuses on unlikely heroes working together. He’s currently writing a book closer to his cybersecurity career, about high school misfits who use hacking skills to battle an epidemic of bullying.

This training cycle to prepare for the 2025 Chevron Houston Marathon has been hard for James, who’s battled recurring upper respiratory infections, including bronchitis and pneumonia. He lost three months of training and is still coughing but is optimistic about the race. Look for him in Houston this Sunday in OAR gear!