Junior Team

Qualifications: England Athletics Coaching Assistant (2014)
England Athletics Coach in Running Fitness (2015)

I joined BRJ Run and Tri when I retired. They helped me back to running and gave me the opportunity to train as a coach. I have been lead coach for senior runners for six years before joining the juniors section. I help organise our sessions in conjunction with fellow coach Paul Harris. Our aim is to ensure the children enjoy running feeling safe, secure and supported in their activities. Children respond best in a friendly environment which is both challenging and fun. I have always enjoyed running but sprinting over shorter distances was not for me. I was slow to start but found I could just keep going. I enjoyed team sports but I ran after footballs rather than kicked them. As a teenager my school held an inter-school cross country race. I found my feet, the finish line and my sport. I won the County Cross Country Championship and was County Mile Champion. Teaching in a residential school I found running again. Running with the children encouraged me to get fit. This eventually led to marathons. I completed the first London Marathon (1981) and continued running marathons until injury, work and family got in the way. Since taking up running again I have completed many more marathons notably some in the master series, London, Boston, Berlin and New York. I hope to complete Chicago this year and next year Tokyo to have the complete set. I feel privileged to be fit and healthy to be able to share my love of running with our juniors. The benefits of health and wellbeing are well established. Our children need them more than ever. I would love to think that finding the fun in running is the beginning of a lifelong active involvement in our sport.

Qualifications: English Athletics – CIRF – Coach in Running Fitness
British Triathlon – Level 1 Coach

I started running in 1996, in preparation for the ’97 London marathon which the company I worked for at the time, purchased a charity place. Probably not the best introduction to start your running journey. This lead to me joining a running club, where I competed over many different distances, through road races, cross country and track events. In 2016 I became a parent helper when my daughter joined the Juniors, joining as a full member the following year. I enjoy creating and delivering session plans for the Juniors and seeing how they have improved, hopefully with a smile on their faces. I also help to deliver session plans for running and triathlons at a couple of other clubs.

Qualifications : UK Athletics Coaching Assistant (2023)

I’ve always enjoyed running and represented the school at cross country, and at the age of 17 I competed in my first half marathon, running with my dad. The previous year I watched my dad in his first half marathon and together we did 4, plus a couple of Great South runs , which was a great privilege. When I moved to Cambridgeshire, I was a warm weather runner until a friend introduced me to Huntingdon parkrun. Since then, I’ve competed in a number of races at different distances including a marathon. In the summer of 2021, I encouraged my kids to attend the BRJ running festival at Hinchingbrooke Park, they loved it and joined BRJ and after a while I became a helper. I hope one day I’ll have the privilege of competing in a half marathon with my kids!

I joined BRJ during covid as I had recently started running. It’s nice to be part of a club and run with others. I particularly enjoy attending the senior track session as I work a lot harder than I would if I was running alone. Since joining the club I have completed 2 marathons, 5 half marathons and a few 10km races. I also tried a couple of triathlons which I hope to do more of soon.

I am a parent helper for juniors and assist where required alongside the coaches. I’ve been a member of BRJ for over 3 years and have competed in various races including two half marathons. It’s encouraging to see the juniors develop and hope they too will challenge themselves further in the future.

I have recently joined BRJ Junior as a Coach as I have always loved running (mainly long distances) and hope to share my passion and motivation for it! I’d like to be part of helping kids improve their health and fitness. If I’m not running, cycling or doing yoga, I’m mostly sipping a cup of Yorkshire tea!

I volunteer with the Race & Pace group. I’ve been running for approximately 7 years and have covered distances up to a marathon. I still often learn new things on the junior sessions.

Alison Orel

Amy

Junior Captain

Henry

Junior Captain