Danny's passion for running ignited early in life, blossoming during his primary school years. A natural talent, he quickly progressed to represent both his school and county in a variety of cross country and athletics competitions across the nation. This competitive drive continued until he left school in 2002.

A renewed enthusiasm for running was sparked after Danny volunteered at the London 2012 Olympics. Eager to lace up his trainers once more, he joined the BADGERS running club in 2013. His rapid return to peak fitness was evident in his impressive 5-minute reduction in 5k time during his first year with the club.

Danny's athletic abilities extended beyond the running track. In 2013, he represented Jaguar Land Rover at the UK Corporate Games, demonstrating his versatility with a fourth-place finish in the 5k and a silver medal as part of the relay team.

His first full season with the BADGERS in 2014/15 was nothing short of exceptional. A remarkable achievement of five awards at the club's annual awards evening marked the beginning of a string of accolades. Danny has since been bestowed with numerous honours, including BADGER of the Year, Runners BADGER of the year, Most Committed BADGER, Male Road Runner of the Year, and Male Cross Country Runner of the Year.

A pivotal member of the club's success, Danny has been instrumental in securing multiple league titles for the men's team. His consistent scoring prowess contributed to victories in the LRRL and DRXC divisions. Beyond team achievements, Danny has also earned individual recognition within these leagues.

Driven to share his knowledge and passion, Danny completed his Coaching in Running Fitness course in 2018. The same year, he made history by becoming the first club member to win the BADGERS Atherstone 10k. In recognition of his exceptional contributions, Danny was awarded lifetime membership to the club in 2019, a prestigious honour bestowed upon only a select few.

Taking on a leadership role in 2020, Danny became club chair. His guidance was invaluable in steering the club through the challenges of the pandemic and returning it to its former glory while setting a course for future success.

Danny's journey from a promising young athlete to a revered club legend is a testament to his dedication, talent, and unwavering passion for running.

Paul’s rise to prominence at Badgers is nothing short of miraculous. As an overweight beginner, he battled hard to complete the course and the resultant 5K parkrun back in 2017. Since then, he has taken over 11 minutes off his time, an incredible feat of progression, despite passing 40 years of age in the process. He is one of dozens of Paul Coopers on Power of Ten but he remains the only one at Badgers.

Andy grew up in the small village of Blyton in Lincolnshire and faced significant health challenges from a young age, including a rare condition called Pseudohypoparathyroidism. Despite this, he found success in golf, representing Lincolnshire at county level and achieving a 0.5 handicap by the age of 16.

After university, Andy pursued a career in accounts and eventually settled in Tamworth. The sudden loss of his father in 2014 had a profound impact on him, and during the 2020 lockdown, he turned to running to support his mental and physical wellbeing. That June, he ran 300km in memory of his dad, raising £400 for Crohn’s & Colitis UK.

He joined the BADGERS in 2021 after a warm welcome from then-membership secretary Leesa Dennis. The club’s friendly and supportive environment reminded him of his early days in golf, and he quickly felt part of the community. Since joining, Andy has completed several races, including the Cathedral to Castle and two marathons, with his sights now set on the Manchester Marathon in 2026.

In 2023, Andy became the club’s treasurer as a way to give back to the group that has supported him so much. Running continues to be a vital part of his life, and he hopes to one day see his children join the club too. His personal motto is: “Keep going, never give up—if you set your mind to it, you can achieve anything.”

Sara once proudly declared herself “not a runner.” It was a label she wore with confidence. “I can’t run” was a phrase she stood by.

Everything changed in 2018, when at 35, Sara was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. What followed were two major surgeries and a long road to recovery. In those early days, her goals were simple: to sit up, to stand, to walk across a room. Those small victories reshaped her perspective, teaching her just how precious her health and her life really were. Unbeknownst to her at the time, they were also laying the foundation for an entirely new chapter.

In 2019, Sara took her first steps into running through the NHS Couch to 5K programme. What began as a tentative effort quickly grew into a routine, and before long, she became a regular face at parkrun. Encouraged by her brother, who was already a BADGER, she considered joining the club, but like many, she believed running clubs were only for the fast, and held herself back.

Undeterred, she kept going. Through Covid, Sara trained solo and even completed a half-marathon on the streets of Tamworth with her brother running every step of the way with her.

Eventually, she found the courage to join BADGERS and hasn’t looked back since. The club has not only transformed her running but her mindset, helping her realise that despite everything her body has endured, it is still capable of extraordinary things.

Now a regular on the league race circuit, Sara embraces her place at the back of the pack, proving it’s one of the most supportive, spirited places to be. She is a passionate advocate for inclusivity within the club, championing slower runners while celebrating and supporting athletes from the back, right to the front of the pack.

Among her favourite races are the Royal Parks Half Marathon, Barmouth 10K, and Cathedral to Castle, each one a milestone in a journey she once never imagined possible.

Currently training for her first triathlon, Sara embodies the belief that mindset is everything. Her story is a reminder that it’s never too late to start.

Bryany did not start out as a runner and was a self-proclaimed hater of cardio, always sticking to weights in the gym. It was a long journey to find the love of running. In 2016, she ran a 10k for charity and raised £500, but the running trainers did not come back out again for a long time. Fast forward to 2021, and after a tough personal year, she signed herself up to the Reading Half Marathon. With little training (definitely not recommended), she crossed the line in tears and pain and swore never again. 

At the end of 2023, Bryany decided she wanted to give running a proper go, and after a couple of months of building a foundation, she signed up for the Birmingham Half Marathon. This time, she followed a proper 12-week training block to prepare and completed it with a smile on her face in May 2024.  She still wasn’t sold on running being for her. 

A couple of months later, she was offered the chance to run the 2025 London Marathon for The British Heart Foundation, and so the trainers came back out of the cupboard. She joined Badgers so she had support and safety during the training through the winter months. She completed the marathon having raised nearly £10,000 for the charity, and the rest is history. Bryany has since represented Badgers at multiple league races as well as completing many other races both in the UK and abroad, and has consistently been improving her times. Less than a year after joining, she took on the role of Social Secretary to give back to the club that changed everything for her. It’s fair to say that despite the long journey to get there, Bryany is now a lover of running.

Chris enjoyed running at school but never really discovered the opportunity to take it further and ended up playing cricket, football and darts plus a bit of rugby and hockey, through much of the two decades afterwards. A one-off charity London Marathon effort in 2002 was all the running he did until 2010 when a friend and mentor from his cricket team passed away. Wanting to make good from a bad situation, Chris undertook another London Marathon in 2011 which helped raise over £4,000 for Prostate Action and established a memorial charity cricket match which continues annually to this day.

This set about him wondering how good he might be if he took the sport a bit more seriously and in 2012, an old school friend, Serena Baker, persuaded him to join a new running club that had not long started out locally. That club was Badgers and it wasn’t long before athletics became the sole focus of his sporting attention.

He took on the role of Publicity and Marketing Officer in 2015 after a career change left him with more time on his hands. He subsequently became a run leader and took his coaching qualification also.

Despite being something of a late starter, Chris has continued to improve his running even into his fifties reaching the giddy heights of the top thirty V50 runners in the UK. He has been fortunate enough to win a handful of races in his career ranging from one mile to ten miles as well as receiving individual honours in the Leicestershire Road Running League.

Joining Badgers has had a huge positive impact on his life and Chris still has ambitions to achieve more while he still can.

Adrian began running in 2013 to help pass the Territorial Army fitness test, following a self-proclaimed “failed football career” in the NDSFL. While football wasn’t his strong suit, he was always one of the fittest and fastest on the pitch, which helped make up for his lack of ball skills.

Encouraged by friends during training, Adrian entered his first race—the Spartan Obstacle Course at Cliff Lakes in 2014. Later that year, after an OCR event at Merevale Estate, he was recruited into the BADGERS by then Men’s Captain Carl Holyoak. Since joining, Adrian has served as Men’s Captain for three consecutive years and qualified as a run leader.

He has competed in events across the UK, Europe, and the US, from 5Ks to 24-hour endurance races. His proudest moment came in 2023, when he and a team of seven BADGERS unexpectedly won the Equinox 24-hour race, completing 31 laps and finishing two laps ahead of the competition.

Adrian’s passion lies in trail running, where he’s completed distances up to 55km with over 3,200m of elevation. He’s won two trail marathons, the V40 Limestone Fell Race Series, and earned multiple podium finishes. His ultimate dream came true in 2022 when he competed in the OCC race at the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, running from Switzerland to France across the Alps. Although he wasn’t satisfied with his result, he plans to return and improve his time.

Known in the club for his “glass ankles,” his 2021 “Best Legs” award, and his legendary hangover struggles.

After completing her brown belt at kickboxing, Clare decided she wanted to get fitter and saw running as the best solution. She struggled to get very far on her own, so she signed up to the BADGERS Beginners programme back in January 2013. "Since then I haven’t looked back."

She completed the 5K beginner programme and before long she was running 10K races and later half marathons. In 2017 she took the next step and signed up for the Ashby 20, she has since completed it every.  In 2019 Clare completed her biggest ever challenge by running London Marathon for Muscular Dystrophy and raising £3000 in memory of my Auntie Jackie.

As well as developing to become a run-leader and now coach, Clare has also undertaken the role of Social and Welfare Officer for the club. "I love the social side of the club and have helped organise a variety of events including birthday celebrations, football matches, quiz nights, overseas tours, presentation evenings and Christmas do’s amongst others."

Due to her networking abilities, Clare has been honoured to receive the “Chatterbox” award three years running at our end of season awards.

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David started running because his wife signed up for the Birmingham Half Marathon in 2012 for a charity she was working for and he was persuaded to join and support her. David joined BADGERS later that year when he saw them at the Kingsbury 10km and Kingsbury Water parkrun supporting each other.

He has managed to win a few races (doing midweek races is his tip) but his proudest moment was managing a sub 4 at London Marathon in 2014 and his Coventry half marathon personal best of 1.37, pushed most of the way around by Esther and Crumpy. 

David has completed 6 marathons and 2 ultras, the hardest being the race to the King 56 miles, they had to add an extra 2 miles because of a flooding river (just what was needed). He would love to get a little faster and break that sub-20 at parkrun (20.29) or the 42 at 10km (42.36).  But is currently happy to be back and running well again after a poor few years. 

As a new father, Rob was advised not to smoke around his daughter or wear clothes that he’d smoked in as they were not good for her breathing. Following a visit to the doctor, Rob enrolled on a no-smoking program. He was given patches and advised that a two-stone weight gain was probable when free of cigarettes. Already weighing in at 18-stone, Rob decided to lace up his shoes and go for a run. 150 yards were as far as he could go, but each day he would go further and further. After a couple of months of running Rob entered his first event, the Tamworth Gate Gallop 10km trail race.

Rob had been running with his partner Jo, when she decided that she’d like to have a look at their local running club, BADGERS. She went along and loved it, so as a Christmas present, he bought her the kit and membership. Rob himself didn’t intend to join, as a shift worker and a coach for his son Tom’s football team he didn’t think he would have time to fit it in but somehow, he did. And now he loves it!

 Robs proudest moment is running came at the Chester Marathon. He followed a 16-week plan set by club Coach Karen Thompson to go sub-4. What he saw as the Holy Grail of running for me. Rob trained hard and was rewarded with the amazing time of 3hr 54min.  

 When offering running advice, Rob thinks Bradley Wiggins sums it up best - “Can I keep going at this pace?” if the answer is yes, I’m going too slow. If the answer is no, I’m going too fast. The answer needs to be MAYBE!

After a bad ankle injury playing football in 2003 along with tendonitis in the knee, Matt decided to hang his boots up as he'd had enough of being at the wrong end of miss-timed tackles that could end in a leg break!

Matt decided to set a focus to see if running would help maintain some fitness and completed the London Marathon in 2005 in 4hrs 30mins.  The running bug was caught and the next challenge was to run marathons in all the capital cities in Great Britain and Ireland.  Still running marathons, with a PB of 3:31:55 set in Chester 2018, Matt’s ultimate goal is to duck under the 3:30 barrier!

Matt's love for running was enhanced, like so many others, on the discovery of Park Run and for the first time felt part of a running community.  Matt is a member of the core team at Kingsbury Water Park Run.  It was at Park Run that Matt got to make friends with members of Badgers and it was a no-brainer to finally join in August 2017.  Matt attends as many league races as possible both cross country & road races and it's that special team support and Badger roar that is like no other that spurs you on to achieve things that perhaps felt unachievable.  Matt has seen new PBs in most distances since running with the Badgers and it's down to the quality of training and encouragement that has enabled this to happen.

Matt was delighted to be asked to become a Run Leader and completed the Leadership in Running Fitness (LERF) in the summer of 2019.  There's nothing better than giving some of the knowledge and benefit of experience back to others and see the improvements people make and the positive gains in both physical & mental health as a result.

Sharon's running did not start until she was 42 years old. She had lost a significant amount of weight and had a challenge thrown at her by her sister-in-law, which was to complete Gelt Gladiators 5k obstacle mud challenge.  Sharon had been at the very start of her fitness journey and had only ever run on a treadmill in the gym up to this point, so had to head outside to start training properly. It was also her sister-in-law who introduced her to parkrun which she had never heard of before. 

From parkrun Sharon found out about Badgers. It took her a little while to get her head around joining a club, thinking it wasn't for her, and thinking she wasn't ‘good enough’. After meeting some Badgers though her thinking changed and she hasn’t looked back since joining. The support received is amazing. It makes such a difference. Sharon loves the wholehearted support shown to everyone, by everyone. This is what she loves - if you can support and encourage as you go along, you never know who you are influencing. 

Sharon's proudest running moment, her first Half Marathon at Leicester in October 2015 and finishing in under 2 hours (approx 1:57). Her parents and husband and children were all there at the end - it was such a great feeling to be greeted by them. Also her 1st marathon, finishing in 4:24:24, after hitting 'the wall' at mile 17, this is still an achievement she is very proud of. 

Sharon's current parkrun PB is 23:44, completed a few years ago now, but having struggled with a few different injuries over the following years, this is a time she is aiming to achieve once again and then improve upon. 

Whatever your running goals are - aim for them, you may impress yourself!

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Adam took part in various sports growing up but didn't take any seriously until he discovered mountain biking then road cycling. Both of these activities were cut short when severe sciatica saw him undergoing spinal surgery in 2014. After recovery activities were limited as he tried to run whilst out dog walking, anything over 100m would see him struggling for breath and suffering muscle soreness for days after.

In 2017 a family friend and Badger encouraged him to try Beginner Badgers and the 12 weeks soon passed and he took part in his first Parkrun on a hot July morning. The following Tuesday Adam took the plunge and attended Tuesday training after almost turning back in the car park as the nerves hit. After the first session he was fully signed up member.

Initially taking part in further Parkruns league races soon came around and the following year brought another nervous debut in the Swithland 6 but the backing of club mates and the famous "Badger Roar" saw him through and another habit formed. Since then he has competed at distances from five miles to half marathon in the LRRL. Aside from the league and other events Adam was successful in the ballot in 2021 and got one of the two coveted club London Marathon places and proudly wore the black and white vest to take part in his first ever marathon in the capital.

The club has made such a difference to Adam's lifestyle and he is keen to develop other runners, particularly those who doubt their ability. The highlight of the running calendar for him is the beginner's graduation and seeing the difference that the previous 12 weeks have made to people's live and remembering his own first steps in 2017.

In January 2014 Judy saw a facebook post from one of our members for the Beginner BADGERS 0-5k Programme.

As a mum of two boys she had spent the last 14 or so years taking them swimming, cricket, football and rugby training - being a general taxi and supporter. As the boys became more independent it has given her more free time and she decided to give the Beginner BADGERS 0-5k Programme a go.

People told her that the hardest part would be getting to the first session. "I am so glad I took that step. I won’t lie, I found every week difficult. I made a commitment to go to every single session of the 12 week course and it was the best decision I ever made. I have made some great friends through BADGERS and this is the longest that I have kept up activity since the school netball team."

Judy was asked to be a Run Leader in 2016 "I was flabbergasted when I was asked if I would train as a Run Leader. I didn’t think I was fast enough or good enough at running up hills but I realised that it's not always about that. I can encourage others starting out and can genuinely say to them on the Beginner BADGERS course that if I can do it, so can you."

In 2020 Judy became Honorary Secretary and has become an integral part of the club.

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Lil started running in March 2017 borne of an innate laziness at the time... she had decided to lose weight and get fit following being told that her sister would need a kidney transplant in the following months. She had bought a Fitbit and was out for a walk in an effort to meet that day's step target, when it occurred to her that if she was running, she'd be home and back on the sofa sooner. The next day she put on what can only be described as fashion pumps (they had pink glittery bits on them, because, of course they did) and the rest is recent history.

 In November 2017, a very anxious Lil attended her first parkrun at Kingsbury Water Park. She was quiet, shy, and knew no one at the time, but was in awe of the groups of people all being so incredibly supportive of each other. She has since become the parkrun's original pompom princess; volunteering with gusto and pompoms (which permanently reside in her car boot as so many situations require emergency pompoms). She was honoured to join the core team in early 2020. 

 It was whilst at parkrun that she started toying with the notion of joining a running club, and becoming one of those proper runner, type people. She'd seen a few clubs represented there, but of all of them the BADGERS looked like they were always having the most fun. She takes a while to push outside of her comfort zones and finally took the leap in 2019. She has regularly attended the club training sessions since joining and realised how much more she could develop and grow as a runner with such incredible support and knowledge around her. Her first league event was the Desford 5-mile race, and she was completely hooked. The level of inclusivity and support overwhelmed her, and she's run every league race she can since. She took part in her first cross country season in 2019 too, after a reliable source said they thought she'd enjoy the muddy chaos of it all; they weren't wrong. 

When the opportunity came to represent the club and hopefully build on the work the previous captaincy did to get more ladies running in both the road and cross-country leagues, she jumped at it. 

 She believes that if the girl who persistently "forgot" her P.E. kit can find the joy in running, then anyone can

Dave started running in 2014 after a friend dared him on the New Year’s Eve that he could not complete a 10K obstacle race. The challenge was set and 4 days later he attempted his first training run. Unfortunately, he found he couldn’t run from one lamppost to the next. So he downloaded a Couch to 5K app and bought a pair of trainers.  

10 weeks later and his first race was completed. There was a real chance that his running career would end as quickly as it began, but somehow it continued. As time went on Dave wanted to run with people, improve his running and vary the routes, so in the November he joined Badgers. 

Joining the Badgers was the crucial step in his running career. His running continues to improve and continues to get PBs even though he is now into his 50s. 

Within the club Dave is famous for bringing cakes made by his daughters to the Cross Country races and for organising 6am social runs. “Although I joined badgers to run with people, I never expected to make so many friends.” 

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Stef began his running journey shortly after transitioning to working from home. Motivated by a desire to improve his fitness, manage his weight, and support his mental health, he also wanted to ensure he could keep up with his young son as he grew up.

Previously an avid obstacle course racer, Stef often found the running sections to be his weakest point. After being introduced to the Badgers by a former member and told it wasn't your "regular running club," he quickly found a home within the team. He remains a member today because of the wealth of experience within the club and the great community atmosphere.

His proudest running achievement came in 2018 when he completed his first marathon. Having stepped in for Mark Cox just four weeks before the event, he tackled the challenging Snowdonia Marathon, finishing in an impressive 4:02. While he missed out on a sub-4-hour time due to a well-earned second cup of tea and biscuits at the final fuel station, the perfect weather and the overall experience made it his favourite running moment to date.

Looking ahead, Stef is aiming to crack the 1:30 mark for a half-marathon. He also has his sights set on completing both the Athens and London Marathons, though he firmly believes that running is about much more than just the finishing times.

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