Jared Martin

Community Bursary Award Holder

MPhil Modern Middle Eastern Studies (2023)

I am a second year MPhil student of Modern Middle Eastern Studies at St Cross. I also completed my undergraduate studies at Oxford and have been involved in running since I arrived here. A stalwart member of Oxford’s cross-country team, I gained a Full Blue award in 2023 and helped the team to a clean sweep of victories in the Varsity Match against Cambridge earlier this year. I placed 12th in the British University Cross Country Championship (Short Course) in February, helping Oxford to a team bronze. Outside of university competition, it is cross country and mountain running in which I excel. I have gained 13 international caps for Northern Ireland in cross-country and mountain running, and two for Ireland, totals that I hope to add to this year. In June 2024, I was the first Irish finisher at the European Athletics Off-Road Championship in Annecy, while in March 2025, I was a scoring member of the first Northern Ireland team to win a UK Intercounties Cross Country gold medal since 1995. I have also given back to the community through sport while at Oxford, sitting on the cross-country club committee for four years and serving as Club Captain in 2023-4. While Club Captain, I founded a charity to fundraise for the club and support its alumni engagement work. I also co-organised the Bannister Miles 70th anniversary celebration in May 2024 and chair the Oxford University Sports Council. As well as recognising my efforts, I am grateful to receive a Community Bursary because it will allow me to accelerate my development as an athlete and a leader. I will be able to cover the costs of participation in running, complete a high-altitude training camp in Europe, and fund an athletics coaching course, much of which would not have been possible otherwise. Thank you so much for your generosity.