Club Captains

Laura Rangeley

I would be the first to say I am very much not a “natural” runner and used to cheat at the eight-lap mile challenge at school, reckoning that a sprint finish made it look like I’d done them all. I first got into running by signing up to run the Sheffield 10k for charity along with my workmates, found it really hard, and hated it – but fell in love with the race day buzz, the community atmosphere, and the feeling of accomplishment that went with finishing it. Following on from this I signed up to the 2019 Steel City Striders 5k to 10k course, which genuinely changed my life.

From then I’ve got stuck in to everything from road races, relays, cross country, trail and fell running, and have even successfully completed three ultramarathons! And when I’m not running, you’re likely to hear me before you see me cheering on from the sidelines.

I’m a firm believer that determination, resilience, a sense of adventure and a smile are what makes me a successful runner, and that good vibes are worth just as much as fast times. Having won Long Distance Strider and Most Improved Runner in 2023, I think I am proof that a Personal Best can come in many forms!

In my role as Club Captain I hope to be able to encourage members from across the entirety of Steel City Striders to get involved in events, leading by example that they can be genuinely inclusive and not at all scary. Competing at the National Cross Country Championships at Parliament Hill in 2022 was one of the best days of her life, and I will try my hardest to make sure every member of the club has the confidence to get involved and the opportunity to feel that joy.

My post race refreshment of choice? Bowl of chips, pint of bitter shandy.

Malcolm Baggaley

After having a brief sprinting career during school, my adult running life started back in 2017. After initially cycling for fitness, I started to run and realised I actually quite enjoyed it.

18 months of running on my own and I signed up to Dronfield 10k. I was already looking for a club to join and when I got to Dronfield there was a sea of gold and green. Not only that, but every single one of you were smiling, and so full of encouragement for everyone, from the very front to the very back. I knew I’d found my home.

Road racing is my forte, and although I think 10k is my best distance, half marathons are my favourite. But I just love that race day feeling and will race in anything from cross countries, trail, fells, marathons, and ultra marathons. Having said all that, nothing beats a good relay, whether that’s on the road, or cross country (I’ve not made it to the fell relays…yet), the team camaraderie in Striders is hard to beat.

I’m also a sucker for a challenge, and when I’m not in prep for a specific race, you can often find me tagging along on someone else’s hairbrained scheme. Spontaneous ultras, days out on the fells, taking part in the highland games, or traveling halfway across the country just to cheer on and support running buddies. And every single Saturday you will find me at a parkrun somewhere in the world, love it.

Recently, I was lucky enough for the club to fund my coaching qualification, and find joy in helping others achieve their running goals, whether it’s starting out, getting quicker, or going further. If you want any advice, tips, or to join our track sessions on Thursdays, feel free to drop me a message, or have a chat at one of the club nights or races that I’ll invariably be at.

And, for the record, it’s a post race coffee and flapjack for me.

Laura Mella

I was basically allergic to all sport until my mid-30s. If you’d told a younger me that I’d one day be a Captain of a running club, I’d have laughed in your face.

That all changed when I got a bike for commuting and got hooked on cycling. After discovering my lifelong belief that I was terrible at all physical activity was incorrect, I decided to give running a go, and while it felt very hard indeed, it was possible, and I realised it had the potential to be something enjoyable. I started with Graves parkrun (why pick an easy one?!), then plucked up the courage to enter Sheffield 10k and never looked back.

Many races and training sessions later, I’ve done a mixture of road, trail, cross country and even a tiny bit of fell running (which is definitely not my forte!). I did my first marathon in 2023, which I still can’t quite believe I did, and I am planning some more in the future. I really love being out on the trails, but I need to build up my confidence on more technical terrain, and on downhills in particular. Always something to work on!

I’ve had a fair few periods of injury since starting running, and while they have been frustrating, I’ve been able to stay involved in the running community by volunteering at various events, which I really love. I am often found standing pointing in the woods at Steel City Trail 10 races, timekeeping at the SY Road Leagues, or telling people to not to stop in the funnel at parkrun.

Running and being a Strider has been genuinely life-changing for me. It’s helped me to push myself, try new things, and has shown me that I am capable of more than I think I am. But most importantly, I feel part of a brilliant community of people who celebrate each other’s success and support each other when things are hard.

It’s exciting to be part of the Striders team, and I hope I can help other people to have such a positive experience of being part of the club.

Hannah Holliday

After spending my school years being “not good at sport”, I dabbled with running in my twenties but it wasn’t until a few years and a couple of kids later that it really stuck and I found myself actually starting to enjoy it. I joined Striders in 2020 as I’d decided to enter my first ultra and needed some training company. So I nervously went along to the Millhouses Tuesday Daytime group and haven’t looked back since. 

What I thought I wanted from a running club was simply somewhere to turn up and get the miles done with like-minded others. When I joined I had absolutely no intention of ever getting involved in a club race, firmly believing that they were for ‘serious’ runners only. Several relays, Parkrun cups, road champs, local races, track nights, a Run Leading qualification, a Coaching qualification, new friends and many happy miles later, I think it’s safe to say I got a lot more than I bargained for. 

I owe a lot to the club and particularly to the people who have encouraged me to get involved in things that were previously very far out of my comfort zone. And yes, I may occasionally have been known to say “never again” on the finish line…but we all know I don’t mean it, and it’s not a secret that I secretly love it! 

I prefer longer distances and would always choose a marathon over a 5k, but I can generally be talked into most things, especially if there is a social aspect and/or coffee and cake at the end. I actually find it quite hard to say no to a challenge these days, so probably need to start being more careful about who I hang around with…

I’m excited to be part of the Club Captains team and am looking forward to supporting as many others as possible to get involved. My enthusiasm for my own running is nothing compared to the enthusiasm I have for everyone else’s, and I love nothing more than encouraging others to do and achieve things they didn’t think were possible.

Rob Byers

As a teenager you’d usually find me out cycling in the Yorkshire Dales, but that quickly fell apart during university, where my focus shifted and my fitness quickly faded. A random work health screening which flagged me as “overweight” was what finally pushed me to reluctantly lace up my running shoes.  

I’m fiercely competitive and spent my first year of running unaffiliated, chasing a high of winning races and breaking personal bests. Everything came crashing down in 2021, when a family crisis turned my life upside down. Suddenly running didn’t seem so important anymore, and I scrambled to find anything that could pull me out of a very dark place. I finally came along to a Striders’ club run in January 2022 and immediately got hooked on the camaraderie that a club brings. Rather than doing most of my running alone, I was now surrounded by friends and familiar faces. 

One of my proudest running moments came in 2024, where twelve of the club qualified for the national 12-stage road relays by the skin of our teeth. With every member of the team putting everything out there. 

I’m very excited to be a member of the team and hope I can help foster that same inclusive environment that got me hooked from the start. I love a good chat about all things training and racing, so never feel shy to pick my brains about anything!  

John Egginton

Coming soon

Naeem Stevens

Coming soon