Matt James Reveals His 'Happiest' Moment of the 2023 NYC Marathon (Exclusive)

Matt James feels "amazing" after his massive achievement during Sunday's New York City Marathon. The Bachelor alum, who ran in support of ABC Foods, finished the race with a time of 3:04:50 and an average pace of 7:03 min/mile, crushing his 2022 time of 3:46:45. Following the marathon, James shared his experience with PopCulture.com – from what keeps him going mile after mile to how he's celebrating ahead of the holidays. 

"[The NYC Marathon] is just one of the funnest days to be a New Yorker," James told PopCulture the day after he crossed the finish line. "Everyone is just so nice, and it's like no one ever is just smiley to strangers up here. So, it's so cool to see what the city could be like if every day was marathon day, just everyone's so happy and smiley. But yeah, I feel good. I feel great."

Setting a new personal best doesn't hurt either. "I feel really good about it," James said of his time. "I worked so hard leading up to the race – just so much training and sacrifice went into hours logging running, and just so much time. So, the gratification is there now. It's not instant with running." Through all the training, James said what keeps him going is thoughts of the people who aren't able to cross that finish line. 

"There [have] been times where I was injured in the cycle and I couldn't run, and I'm just like, oh my gosh, I take so much for granted," he recalled. "Your legs working, your feet working, just everything. You take so [many] things for granted until they're gone. And with running, I don't ever want to be in that position." The former ABC lead continued, "I want to be an old man with my kids and be watching them do whatever they're doing and be like, 'I left it all out there and I have no regrets not going for anything that I wanted,' because you never know. It's just a blessing to be able to do something like it. So, I just want to take full advantage."

Having another marathon under his belt, James said the "happiest" he's been during this cycle was having a huge meal after the race. "I ate like a madman," he joked, revealing that he indulged in everything from pasta, and veal parmigiana to tortellini and lasagna at Carbone post-marathon. With food on the brain, James is turning his thoughts now to the holidays, especially to Thanksgiving and Friendsgiving. 

"Oh man, I'm going to get so much pushback on this. I'm not crazy about Thanksgiving food," he admitted. "I'm not a big ham guy. The centerpiece of all of my dishes, for the most part, ends up being some sort of veggie or carb, and mashed potatoes are my favorite Thanksgiving [food]." So he jumped when he was given the opportunity to partner with Lay's for a limited edition "Potato Chip to Potato Dish with Matt James" cookbook kit – including a limited-edition Lay's Classic potato chip bag reimagined for Friendsgiving and an original Lay's mashed potatoes recipe developed by James himself.

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"Working with Lays on this was so much fun because I don't think a lot of people understand that their potato chips are made with real potatoes," James said of his recipe, which channels a popular TikTok challenge that includes boiling Lay's in water and cream to create as mashed potato dish. "So, that's the only way that this works. You need real potatoes to make mashed potatoes. So, I think a lot of people saw this on social media where people were using these Lays potato chips to make mashed potatoes, and I wanted to put my own spin on it."

He continued, "During the holidays there's not a more joyful time than you spending with your family and sharing a meal. That's what I look forward to. And if I can add to that moment with this recipe, then you're leaving your stamp on someone's holiday, and that's where you're making memories. ... I loved it, and I'm a tough critic. I'm not going to put my name on something I don't think is going to do well or taste good, and these were amazing." Get the details on how to win your own cookbook kit from Lay's on Instagram or here.