Chris writes:
I first started running in the early 80s and took part in the second London Marathon in 1982. After a lapse of several years, I joined the club in January 2013 and was appointed chairman the following November. As chairman I am keen to ensure the club meets the needs and aspirations of its members. I measure the success of our club, not by how large it is, but by the extent to which our members enjoy running with us and by the extent we help them achieve their goals – whether this be simply getting and keeping fit or achieving a personal best in a marathon. I am also a qualified Coach in Running Fitness and former science teacher.

Laura writes:
I have lived in Buckingham most of my life and joined the club in 2012 after I had been running solo for a few years.
The club has turned running into a social activity for me as I have met lots of lovely people, but also I have dramatically improved my performance through all the various training sessions led by the club. I enjoy racing, the half marathon is my favourite distance, but I have now got hooked on running marathons and reached my goal of running 100 marathons in December 2016!

Debbie writes:

I began running in 2006 and quickly caught the running bug and started entering local races of all distances. 2015 was a milestone in my running career as I ran my first London Marathon, took part in the first ever Buckingham parkrun and joined BSRC! I haven’t looked back since as with the help of the club I’ve achieved PBs at every distance and made lots of friends in the running community. I gained my Coach-in-Running-Fitness qualification in October 2021.

Tony says…

“My running story started when I needed to lose a few stone, my blood pressure was horrendous and my mental health needed a boost. At 53 (now 61) I returned home from holiday over 16 stone after 30 years of no activity unless I had to run for the chip van. I knew I had to do something about it before it became too late, I started couch to 5k and after more than the 9 weeks it should take, finally got to keep going at more than walking pace for 30 minutes. Parkrun was next, the weight started to reduce, blood pressure went in the right direction and I loved the endorphins and the effect it was having on the space between my ears. I have now run all the distances up to marathon (slow) and have made some great friends at the club. When it comes to health and wellbeing, I have become a bit of an evangelist for the power of running and in 2018 attended a run leader course. My other favourite things are family, laughing a lot and pubs. My motto is if I can you can and I encourage you to give it a go no matter of age or ability by coming along to one of our beginner evenings.”

I had always enjoyed sport but it wasn’t until 2018 in my late 30s that I took part in my first Buckingham parkrun. In 2019 I decided to take the next step and joined BSRC. By the end of that year, I had raced my first 10k and half marathon. During the tough years of 2020-2021, I stepped up to lead many club runs to help keep people running and put myself forward to go on a ‘Leader in Running Fitness’ course. This was accepted by the committee and I gained this qualification in 2022. I have been part of the committee since February 2022.