Week Ending - 2025/03/29

BRILLIANCE IN BERLIN, THE BACKYARD AND BEYOND

This weekend saw some amazing performances from some very special Badgers, three female stars turning in personal bests in the Berlin Half-marathon, a monumental 75-mile 18-hour Ultra marathon from David Grant and a great turnout of graduates at Kingsbury Water Park for the completion of their 12-week Beginners course.

Travelling the furthest were the intrepid trio of Erica Bassford, Krystal Knight and Bryany Sherwood, who made it to Berlin for the fast flat half-marathon event there, and all three returned with new personal bests, if not their luggage! It was Polesworth-based athlete Bassford who led the way with a simply outstanding run of 1:50:38. Already deep into her Manchester marathon training block, the pacy 23-year-old took more than 17 minutes off her existing best, a staggering amount in both real and percentage terms. Her run was one of maturity beyond her years, picking the pace up throughout and ending with a big negative split, a terrific effort, especially in a mass-participation event. Krystal Knight joined Badgers after fundraising for her London marathon attempt a few years ago and stuck with the sport thereafter, going from strength to strength along the way. She managed to knock 11 minutes off her PB with a quite marvellous run of 2:02:20. And not wanting to be outdone, Bryany Sherwood completed a stunning hat-trick of runs with a time of 2:03:21, ten minutes quicker than ever before and arguably against the most challenging of personal circumstances as her chosen airline managed to lose her luggage forcing the Badgers star to source brand new and unfamiliar kit in the German capital before beginning her epic race. 

Between them, the ladies ran over 39 miles, just over half of the distance covered by David Grant in his incredible Rasselbock Backyard Ultra marathon in Sherwood Pines. The 51-year-old had a phenomenal 2025 but ended the year on the injury list, making his comeback to complete this gruelling 18-hour challenge all the more remarkable. While it wasn’t his first foray into the world of Ultras, the distance covered was some 33 miles further than he had ever gone before in one go. The former serviceman started at 10am on Saturday, running through the night to end at 4am on Sunday, long after the majority of the 269 starters had been eliminated. 

The aim of the race is to complete 4.167 miles, on the hour, every hour, until you can do no more. Each lap of 4.167 is called a Yard. Grant managed his effort superbly, but at just over 60 miles in, stomach cramps and physical niggles came to the fore, along with foot soreness from having to run the hard stones/pebble sections in between the forestry sections. Notwithstanding, Grant battled back and was somehow able to complete another three circuits before calling it a day, a truly monumental effort, made all the more poignant by falling on the 30th anniversary of the day he found his father at home having suffered a stroke, a life-changing moment for the then 21-year-old. 

At the other end of the distance spectrum, Badgers first group of Beginners in 2026 graduated successfully with their 5K run at Kingsbury Water Park. Under the careful guidance of Clare Carter, Jill Miller, Paul Cooper, Sara Hawkins, Kate Rathbone, Joanne Crow, Mark Reynolds and others, over a dozen runners made the two-lap course look easy on a bright and fresh Saturday morning. They included Ann Meads-Tallis, Fiona Wright, Lydia Pattinson, Rachael Warren (who narrowly missed out on a place in the top ten!), Hannah Morris, Grace Pattinson, Chris Bailey, Gemma Spencer, Emily Jones, Sarah Burge, Jorgia Downing and Liz Richards. 

Also at parkrun, Rachael Browne was back after some impromptu cardiac problems. One of the most bubbly Badgers going is something of a parkrun pro and not only was she able to bounce back to record her 350th career parkrun, but she finished in the top ten with an impressive run of 26:31. Ryan Preece was first Badger back taking second in 17:39. Chris Horton started late and caught all but the top three in his valiant effort. Glyn Broadhurst, Bill Gutheridge and Matt Green all made the top ten males. Meg Griffiths was the first female finisher in 22:35, a time quick enough to rank 9th overall regardless of gender.  New signing Nick Barnwell bagged a strong PB in 22:52. At Long Eaton parkrun, Maggi Savin-Baden ran a brilliant 27:57 to earn her a career high wava rating of 73.65%, making her one of the highest-ranking females currently at the club. Jack Burton-Peet took second at Tamworth in a rapid 18:03 as his new form continues impressively. And Pete Mann clocked a tremendous 27:00 in Vingis, Lithuania, as he battles his way back to full health. 

Mia Cox took part in the Nuneaton Open, competing in the 800m and 3000m, running 2.49 and 12.21, respectively, both great efforts. Last but not least, at Salcey Forest, Colin Lees (52:07) and Suzy Farrell (56:33) completed the Big Bear Petzl Night Trail 10K race, birthday girl Farrell even making tenth lady on the night.