Meet The Committee

Bernie has been a member of Wrexham AC since 1972 (made a life member in 2009 and President in 2023), and started running at the age of 14. Within 18 months he represented Welsh Schools at the Schools Cross Country International in Arrowe Park, Birkenhead.

A reasonable club athlete throughout his senior career, he represented Wales at a few minor events, but turning 40 saw him win numerous masters titles from 1500m through to 10 miles. Despite a variety of injuries he continues to run for Welsh Masters at cross country and on the track.

As well as running, Bernie has been involved in coaching, officiating and team management and is currently Chair of Welsh Athletics Masters Advisory Group as well as Secretary and Referee of the North Wales Cross Country League.

He is Chair of Cheshire Dragons and prior to that was the leader of BJ Training, a forerunner to Cheshire Dragons.

I joined the club back in 2019 just before covid hit as I had been running for a number of years and got talking to Helen (treasurer) in the school playground who invited me to come along and check out the club. After a couple of sessions I knew it was the right club for me (even though at that stage we weren’t an affiliated club). The people were friendly and the training instantly started to push me in ways and got me to zones I hadn’t trained in before and I saw a jump in my performance and fitness.

I enjoy everything about the club and the inclusivity of it, and am now never stuck for someone to run with as there are always options for different runs on different days, even for the gardy few who go out pre 6am throughout the year to train before the kids wake up.

During my time with the club I have broken all of my road race PB’s, some several times and been fortunate enough to complete 100 mile races 2 times, through the support of my team mates and guidance of coaches I have been able to push on and become a much better athlete than I was, something which spurred me on to become a level 1 UKA coach myself.

I am in charge of all things to do with memberships for the club, so renewals and new sign ups aswell as holding all the club kit and organizing the ordering and sourcing of this and distribution and fulfillment of orders.

Since those early days, I’ve pushed myself to achieve some exciting milestones. Crossing the finish line of the Loch Ness Marathon with a time of 2:56 was a defining moment – a lifetime goal achieved! The feeling of breaking that 3-hour barrier was pure elation. I’ve also embraced the unique challenge of the Welsh Castles Relay, twice experiencing the incredible team spirit and stunning scenery of Stage 6.

Of course, nothing beats a classic Dragons’ interval session to test my limits and share some laughs with the team. Those 400m repeats might bring the pain, but they’re over quickly, and the sense of accomplishment (and the rest of the day!) feels like a breeze afterward.

The camaraderie within the Dragons is what truly makes running special for me. The support, encouragement, and shared passion for the sport are invaluable. Every race feels like a team effort, and I’m incredibly grateful for the advice and friendships I’ve gained since joining. Whether it’s offering a word of encouragement, sharing training tips, or simply being there for a post-run chat, I’m always happy to contribute to the club in any way I can.

I joined Cheshire Dragons at the end of 2023 because I wanted more focus and structure in my running and to train alongside other people. I was spending too much time plodding round the park with my dogs and not doing anything to improve my speed.

I am self-employed so I am able to attend Wednesday morning training, which generally takes place at Moss Farm or Mill Lane. These sessions have become sacrosanct for me – I do everything possible to keep my work diary clear. I love the camaraderie and Helen is an incredibly inspiring coach.

I’m not the fastest of runners – I’m nearly 50 years old and built more for comfort than speed. Even though there are a lot of insanely fast runners in the club, I have found it to be very welcoming and inclusive. Everyone has their own personal running goals and supports each another. Mine is to be the best version of my running self and to improve my hill fitness so I can take part in more trail and mountain events.

I stepped up to the role of Welfare Officer because I wanted to give something back to the club – the coaches and administrators put in so much of their time and their passion is infectious.

I have been involved with Dragons from the start and have loved being part of this exciting new venture. My role on the committee is coaching sessions coordinator; I carefully plan each month’s sessions in advance. I try to keep it varied, finding locations that are fun and different, and I put a lot of thought into how people will feel during the sessions, factoring in gradients, terrain, tempo etc. We don’t always feel like doing the sessions but knowing there are like-minded friends there is encouraging and we always get the job done!

There’s no doubt I get more out of Dragons than I put in, in terms of pride, friendship and support. The club has members from diverse backgrounds, and I love hearing people’s stories and experiences.

To be fair, I have a few stories of my own too. A sprinter at school, I took up running as an adult to give me extra fitness when training for my second dan in jujitsu. I have taken part in countless 5km, 10k, half marathon and trail/fell events, winning my age category along the way. I have also run 21 marathons, and taken part in many triathlons, including two Ironmans. I have run one ultra and hope to do at least one more before I hang up my trail shoes.

I started running when I was in primary school and I’ve never really stopped. My school had a strong cross country team and we regularly competed against other schools locally. I then joined Warrington Athletic Club when In was 11 years old. As an under 23 I represented Great Britain and as a senior I represented England at cross country. I was also a silver medallist in the 5,000m at the British University Championships.

Although my PB days are long gone, I still love being part of team competitions. Dragons has massively encouraged me as a Masters runner and made me realise that age is just a number – the club has so many talented runners who are over the age of 40. It has been like moving into a new chapter of training and I am currently getting in racing shape for team events such as the road relays, Masters competitions, trail races and cross country events.

The training sessions are hard but enjoyable thanks to a great group of like-minded people who are so supportive of one another. There is a range of abilities, from some of the best Masters in the country to people who are just starting out running, but all of whom love running and getting the most out of training.
I joined the committee because I wanted to give something back to the club where I could. I help with the members’ discount scheme and update events on the website.

I have been running for many years and was a part of the BJ training group that used to meet up prior to Cheshire Dragons being formed. I have raced all distances from 800m on the track all the way through to 100 miles on trails over the years, my only competitive marathon was back in 2006 in Chicago but am looking to go again at this distance in 2025. I was 3rd Female at the Chester Ultra 50 in 2024 in a time of 9h 16min 42 sec.

Being a part of the formation of Cheshire Dragons means a lot to me. I am a level 2 UKA coach and I am the lead on Wednesday morning sessions on Moss Farm. I enjoy motivating others to succeed and achieve their goals through hard work/dedication and commitment and this helps me to push myself to achieve my goals alongside a busy life outside of running.

I am the treasurer for the club so I handle all the accounts and membership fees along with payments to events that the club want to attend. I also play a role in training and the implementation of sessions throughout the year and help club members with training plans and coaching to reach their targets using my knowledge gained over the years.

In 2012, shortly after my youngest turned two, I realised I needed something just for me that I could fit around work and childcare and that would help me let off steam. Having enjoyed running at school, I started running. The first attempts felt horrific – they were more walking than running – but after four weeks I could run three miles without stopping.

I went on to train with Bernie’s group – a mix of athletes from Cheshire and North Wales – and when this evolved into Cheshire Dragons I knew I wanted to continue training alongside these people. They were so supportive and encouraging.

The ‘train hard, race hard and have fun’ ethos instilled by Bernie has remained at the heart of the club as it has grown into the community it is today.

I have derived so much pleasure and support from Dragons, not only through my own training, but also through the success of my club mates and my role on the committee. As Club Secretary, I am responsible for the administration of the club, which involves arranging meetings, writing minutes, managing correspondence and handling any admin regarding club constitution and standards. Knowing this work improves the club and what we offer our members makes it all worthwhile.

The last few years have been challenging from a personal point of view. Between family illness, bereavement and redundancy, finding time to train has been hard. My plan for this year is about getting back to running consistently and I know that the club will give me the support, structure and encouragement I need to achieve this goal.