Running Tales

Gareth Snelson is Mr Milton Keynes parkrun. But his journey to founding the event is not what you might expect. Already a keen runner, Gareth stumbled upon parkrun and decided it looked like the perfect thing to get people running together in the new city. Incredibly, though, he'd never previously taken part in the 5km event. That didn't stop him though - although those at parkrun HQ did suggest h...

Alan Hackett has spent a significant chunk of his life running. His achievements include 24 hour runs, taking on the London to Brighton challenge and serving as chairman of Northampton Road Runners. Recent years have thrown a different set of challenges his way, but he's already using the skills and mindset he developed during ultra running to tackle them head on. After developing a back injury, A...

Stephen Buck never intended to write a book about his experiences in the world of running. Then again, he didn't really plan to start running either. Once he did though he found a love for the sport that took him away from fears he would never amount to anything. The simple act of putting one foot in front of the other changed Stephen's life and gave him a new confidence. When a little boy offered...

Dannii Levi has Raynaud's disease, a condition which results in reduced blood flow to people's fingers and toes. For Dannii, Raynaud's can result in extreme pain, in her becoming a prisoner inside her own home when it's really cold and can make running an impossible task. With the help of medication and the Scleroderma and Raynaud's UK charity. Dannii has learned vital methods to allow her to live...

Race walker Shaun Lightman's incredible international career peaked when he represented Great Britain at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico. Competing in the 50kms walk, it was as challenging a race as it is possible to imagine. Press reports before the team left for Mexico suggested athletes might die due to the heat and altitude, once there Shaun found himself out of breath climbing the stairs and, whe...

Shack Baker wasn't traditionally a runner. In 2019, someone challenged him to take on a half marathon for charity. As with so many first time runners, it was a challenge that stretched him physically and mentally - and one which has changed the way he looks at the world. Shack's story is one everyone who has turned from relative couch potato to regular runner will immediately recognise.    -------...

When Kathy Saunders had to have major lung surgery, she had a choice. After having part of her lung removed, she said she could have thrown in the towel when it came to running. Instead, she decided to re-evaluate what she could do - and running has remained a part of her life ever since. This is a story about never giving in, even when all the odds seem against you. This is Kathy's running tale.....

Andy Cottrell only started running when rugby, as he says, became too much for his body. It has now become an obsession. Inspired to take part in 12 marathons across a year, he quickly came across other runners who made even that incredible achievement look minuscule. The Northampton Road Runner, better known as Sharky, soon had his sights set on 50 marathons and then on becoming a member of the e...

Gerald Billis is automatically recognisable at Northampton parkrun. He's one of a group of octogenarian runners who, pre-Covid at least, took part in the five kilometre event week-in, week-out. What people might not know is Gerald spent 60 years, between school cross-country success and parkrun, without running. Once he found parkrun, there was no stopping him though. From joining a running club,...

Doug Richards was only in his 30s when he found himself out of breath having run up the stairs to see his son. It was then he decided to get fit - and start running. It's a habit he's found hard to shift since with Doug having run across all seven continents, including in Antarctica and across the Sahara and Gobi Deserts. He's also become an author, penning 'Running Hot & Cold' which tells the sto...

This week's guest is Lorraine Lewis, the driving force behind a charity which provides support and companionship for adult cancer patients. The Lewis Foundation sources, packages and - in normal, non-Covid times at least - hand delivers free gifts and support packs to people enduring the often lonely, frightening trial of cancer treatment. One way Lorraine funds the charity is through running, tac...

Kevin Orchard loves running - but it's not always enough. The Redway Runners co-founder decided to add cycling into the fray. Before too long he was excelling as a multisport athlete, competing for Great Britain in his age group. I caught up with Kevin at Redway Runners' Daytona 5,000 event earlier this year... -------- Visit Running Tales on Substack: ⁠https://runningtales.substack.com⁠ Search fo...

If 'life is like a box of chocolates' it's fair to say Rob Pope's chocolate of choice is running. Seeking a challenge no-one had completed before, he decided to follow the route Tom Hanks' celebrated Forrest Gump character took in the film of the same name. In all he covered 15,000 miles and travelled six times across America, even growing a Gump style beard in the process. It's far from the only...

In 2014, Emma Timmis became the first person in the world to run across Africa, completing the equivalent of 94 marathons in 89 days. It's just one of a series of incredible challenges and experiences Emma has embarked upon, from roller skating across Holland to riding an Elliptigo bike across Australia. As if that wasn't enough she's just finished writing and illustrating a children's book about...

I met Sarah Lightman as she whizzed round Salcey Forest at a recent Big Bear Events race. Sarah, however, wasn't running, she was race walking - and the event was her second Ultra in as many days. It perhaps shouldn't have been a surprise though. Sarah's dad, Shaun Lightman, finished 18th in the Men's 50km walk at the 1968 Summer Olympics. I spoke to Sarah about why she prefers race walking to run...

Lizzie Tovey is remarkable. Despite only recently taken up running when she started to struggle with her eyesight, the visually impaired runner completed the 2019 London Marathon. This year was to bring more battles though. Diagnosed with terminal cancer, she had original planned to drop out of the 2020 race. But when it became a virtual event, she decided to take it on over three stages, includin...

Running had never been a big part of Wayne Chalmers' life. Aside from the odd bit of training to keep fit as a referee, he - in his own words - "didn't really like running". His relationship with the sport changed, though, when his baby daughter Daisy sadly died just an hour after being born. Not one to stand idle, Wayne launched Team Daisy; a charity aimed at raising money for local causes and ho...

Menna Evans only started running seriously two-and-a-half years ago. This year she ran from the tip of New Zealand's north island to the depths of the south in an incredible 35 days and 27 minutes. In doing so, she smashed the previous fastest time for a woman to run the length of the country, becoming a Guinness World Record holder in the process. Menna started running in memory of her dad, compl...

Martin Lawrence started running during his lunch time at work. He grew to love the sport so much that when he was made redundant, he was determined to carry on. He originally took part in running sessions at Milton Keynes' David Lloyd gym, but after it decided to end them he took the mantle on himself. Soon afterwards Redway Runners was born, and ten years later the club is one - if not the - bigg...

It's been a long hard year for those of us who like to get out and do some races. Coronavirus locked us down in our homes, limited us to one run a day and stopped us getting together to run for fun, PBs and those much valued medals. Now, finally, some races are starting again and today I travelled to Milton Keynes to speak to some of those people taking part in Redway Runners' first ever Daytona 5...

Jeff Kase was a star runner growing up in Michigan, but when he went to university partying and alcohol took over his life. For decades, Jeff was caught up in the pain of alcoholism, experiencing personal tragedy along the way. I spoke to Jeff about how he finally managed to kick the habit and how how he embraced a new addiction - running - not only all the way to complete 100 mile races and the A...

Kath Kirkland wrote her debut novel 'Mum Runners' after her own journey saw her start running to lose her baby weight and take on the iconic London Marathon. It was such a success she has a sequel on the way. We chatted about running in the rain, how snooker sometimes beats marathons and the freedom you get on a good run... -------- Visit Running Tales on Substack: ⁠https://runningtales.substack.c...

You might know him better as Bob Hope, but Emmerdale star Tony Audenshaw is something of a running fanatic in his spare time. When he's not serving fictional pints, Tony can often be found pounding the pavements or talking about his favourite sport on the Marathon Talk podcast. He's recorded some pretty quick times as well and is prone to the occasional fancy dress costume, which regular listeners...

Bryan Lewin is one of my favourite runners - but he's so much more than that. Every parkrun has that special volunteer who turns out in wind, rain and shine and Bryan is Northampton's. He even has his own special corner at the Racecourse where he cheers on every runner, walker and wheelchair user. I spoke to him about how he came to take up temporary residence at Bryan's Corner, running marathons...

Josh Lay is an athlete with a bright future ahead of him. The Loughborough University scholar and 1,500m runner has one eye on the Tokyo Olympics - and he's a Northampton lad so we had plenty to talk about. Josh's local 'claim to fame' may not be one he hopes to be remembered for - he sent two-time Olympian Andrew Baddeley the wrong way round the Northampton parkrun course (Baddeley still set a co...