Meet the team behind
Pensby Runners

Formerly our Club Captain, Nigel regularly attends club training sessions and has been a member of Pensby Runners since 2006.

He is a keen fell runner competing across North Wales in the main but also the Lakes and further afield with events in the Alps and the infamous Marathon Des Sables.

He is a UK Athletics qualified running coach, Corrective Exercise Specialist (National Academy of Sports Medicine) and trained in Biomechanics and Neuro-Training and offers 1:1 sessions and group training via Run True 

Contact Nigel

Having been a 100m & 200m sprinter at school I struggled at distance of 400 meters or more, avoided school cross country like the plague and dropped running as soon as I finished school.

However after getting back into running through Parkrun at the age of 58 when I discovered that I could actually enjoy running distances longer than 200m I joined the club a year later in 2020, 

I now regularly run much longer distances than I used to as well as being a keen member of our cross country team – which I now enjoy even if I’m always the last to finish but still feel very much part of the team.

I’m so proud to be part of such a friendly and diverse club which welcomes people of all abilities even someone such as myself who is happy just finishing a run rather than chasing a specific time.

Rita has a love/hate relationship with running and currently it is in the love phase. It’s probably because she has become more involved in club activities, such as the very muddy Cross Country races and even though she often comes last, she loves the team camaraderie, and just getting out there and having a go. She managed two marathons, and a parkrun PB in 2023, and ticked off her Ultra itch in 2024 with her 50K Race to the Stones. 2025 is the year where she tries to run a little bit faster.

On top of actually running, she loves writing about running, keeping a regular blog at theleadlesspencil.org. 

Wendy’s journey with Pensby Runners began almost 15 years ago. After plodding alone on a treadmill with only her thoughts for company, Wendy decided to join Pensby Runners following a friend’s persuasion. It soon became apparent that she found her pace, and after a few months she was improving beyond her wildest dreams! Since then, her sense of accomplishment has grown. Wendy has enjoyed taking part in a wide variety of running events, numerous trail races, half marathons, multi terrain, cross country and even fell running. In recent years, with the benefit of reaching a certain age, she has triumphed in age categories, and in 2024/2025 she proudly received the ladies league trophy in both cross-country and the summer fell. For Wendy the best part of running is being surrounded by nature, feeling the earth beneath her trail shoes and enjoying the sights and sounds of the changing seasons. When she’s not running, she’s being a mum, working, baking cakes and dreaming of her next running adventures. 

Dave has been running for a number of years, but joined the club in 2009 as he was fed up of running on his own and wanted to get into mountain/fell racing. David mainly enjoys running in anything which involves hills over a range of distances, from local fell races in North Wales to ultramarathons. His first marathon was the Everest Marathon in 2011, with a number similar and longer since. David is also a keen skier, recently taking part in a cross country ski marathon in Italy.

Having always enjoyed the outdoors and run casually to stay fit, in 2015 Neil tried out a fell race and the rest, as they say, is history. A member of Pensby Runners since 2019, he coordinates the club’s fell running activities and is keen to open the sport up to new participants.

Often found plodding around the hills somewhere in Wales, Neil loves all types of running from short fast races to ultras and has even been spotted at road and cross-country events! His favourite race is Man versus Horse, and his proudest running achievement is completing the George Fisher Tea Round in the Lake District.

Mark has been a keen outdoor person all his life and has travelled widely. As a youngster, football, badminton, hiking and cycling were his main activities. Running came much later in life. He was a lone runner and never contemplated joining a club or even running competitively. This is hard for anyone to believe when looking at Mark now!

Everything changed after he ran his first parkrun. Mark really became hooked on the whole running ethos. Since then he has progressed to all distances and has earned several Good for Age entries to marathons. Although primarily a road runner, Mark has ventured into fell running which combines his love of running with hiking.

Mark now runs the Pensby Runners Road League and is also a Run Leader. He’s a firm believer that age or ability should not be a barrier to running. As long as you have enthusiasm and desire, then everything else will fall into place.

Susan has been a keen runner for 20 years, mainly as a triathlete. She loves the freedom and mental
space that running brings as well as the camaraderie of the club.

As a triathlete she has competed in every distance from sprint up to full Ironman. She has represented
Great Britain on a number of occasions as an age group athlete, travelling around Europe to race.

Getting older and slower has encouraged her to enjoy the experience of running rather than
focusing on performance. She has recently enjoyed being part of the club’s cross country team.

As club Welfare Lead, Susan is committed to ensuring that Pensby Runners remains the safe, friendly
and inclusive club we all love. Please do get in touch if you have any questions or concerns.

Eddie has been a club member for a number of years, running socially and competing in anything from a road 5k to a mountain marathon.

Most of his running is on the roads where’s there’s a really strong camaraderie and always someone willing to join in for a session, but given half a chance he’ll be in the North Wales or the Lake District taking in the bigger hills.

He’s passionate about health and wellbeing and a really strong advocate of keeping active and being outdoors. He plays a number of sports but the accessibility of running and the immediate ‘feel good’ factor has always been an attraction of running for him. 

Ruth Roxburgh has been a Pensby Runners member since 2023, but she had already dipped her toes into the muddy fun of cross country races from the age of 12.

There was a bit of a gap between school and joining the club, but now Ruth has immersed herself in all types of running from the fells to the road. Her favourites are the Borders League, multi-terrain races, and the monthly handicap.

Ruth is always looking to improve herself, and has completed the Run Leader course to help and encourage others.