Dan Braddock started to get serious about his fitness back in 2010 after years of, in his own words, being on the chunky side.

Initially, he started cycling to and from work, something he enjoyed so much that he rapidly graduated to taking part in cyclosportive events all around the UK.

His running journey started in 2016, when - as with so many people - he began parkrunning. With both cycling and running now part of his life, it was a logical step into the world of triathlon.

Over the eight years that followed, Dan took part in 20 triathlons - despite encountering health problems along the way, including Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol, and even a suspected heart issue.

By 2023, his fitness journey had seen him transition to marathons and he completed his first 26.2-miles in Stockholm. He has since completed several European marathons, with London, Copenhagen and Valencia to his name, knocking large chunks off his time as he did so.

Dan is also the man behind the 'Other Adventures Await Me' YouTube channel, where he chronicles his running experiences.

Running Tales spoke to Dan about why he has fallen in love with running, chronicling the stories of runs and runners whatever their ability, and overcoming injury and other setbacks to hit his marathon goals...

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Follow Dan Braddock's journey on his 'Other Adventures Await Me' YouTube channel.

Becs Gentry has made a life out of running.

Hoka's newest Global Brand Ambassador has worked as a coach for some of the biggest names in the sport in cities like London and New York.

Along the way, she has excelled at a range of distances, including trialling for Great Britain's Olympic team.

However, her journey was sparked not by a desire to be an elite athlete and coach, but a need to escape from the pressure of work that will relate to everyday runners across the world.

A keen runner at school, Becs drifted away from running during her time at university but returned to the sport with a bang in 2011.

Initially, it was that need to find a release from the stress of work that prompted her to take running up again. It quickly, though, turned into a new career as Becs became a running coach, firstly for Nike Run+ in London and then for Peloton in New York.

Her own running also went from strength to strength, as she began taking on marathon and ultra marathon events. In 2019, she finished as the first non-elite woman in the New York City Marathon.

And by 2021, Becs had been invited to the British Olympic Marathon Trials, where she finished fourth in a time of two hours, 32 minutes and one second.

Her role at Peloton and road running success has seen Becs gain a loyal following of runners who look to her for inspiration, including more than 200,000 on Instagram.

Running Tales spoke to Becs about how she loves helping others achieve running success, the step up to the British Olympic trials, and her number one tip for all runners...

'Part of a team that moves together':

Hoka welcomed Becs Gentry as its newest Global Brand Ambassador by celebrating her running achievements, including her 2024 completion of seven marathons in as many days.

The running shoe and apparel giant said: "Becs has earned deep credibility within the global running community as a dedicated road runner and accomplished marathoner, with a loyal following of runners who look to her for guidance and inspiration."

The partnership will allow Becs to share her passion for running and inspiring others to move, as well as to engage with Hoka's community across the world.

Hoka added: "An accomplished marathoner, beloved Peloton instructor and mom to daughter Tallulah. motion is at the centre of all things Becs.

"Now, as our latest Global Brand Ambassador, she's part of a team that moves together."

• NOTE: In the interest of full transparency, please be aware that Hoka arranged this interview with Becs Gentry. Our thanks to them for backing our work. Running Tales received no payment of any kind for this interview, and we were given full autonomy on the questions we asked. Thanks again to Becs and Hoka for being part of the Running Tales project.

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Back Running Tales and help us continue to tell the extraordinary stories of everyday runners: ⁠⁠⁠https://buymeacoffee.com/runningtales⁠⁠

Path Projects:

Path Projects offer some of the best running gear in the business. I love this kit and it looks really cool even on a 48-year-old, decidedly average runner like me!

Visit⁠⁠⁠ Path Projects via this link⁠⁠⁠ and back Running Tales in the process (affiliate link).

Terrell Johnson is Substack 'Running Royalty'.

With more than 39,000 subscribers, his The Half Marathoner newsletter is hugely popular, combining personal stories with those of runners from around the world, training plans, lists of often exotic-sounding races, and intimate community conversations about everything running related.

His own running story started when he was in his mid-20s. At that time, he took on a variety of distances including several marathons. But it was when, in his early 30s, he discovered a love for half-marathons that Terrell really became immersed in the sport.

It may seem strange in today's climate, where races scream at you from every corner of the internet, but in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Terrell struggled to find many half-marathons to run. There was certainly no comprehensive guides telling people how to find them.

If you can't find it, make it - and that's exactly what Terrell did, building his own website. The Half Marathon Guide would become the world’s leading resource for runners looking to run the 13.1-mile distance.

The Half-Marathoner followed a few years later and has created a strong community, with Terrell exploring how running can help people find meaning and spur them on to achieve things they barely thought possible.

Running Tales spoke to Terrell about his love of the half-marathon, what makes running so special, and the exciting races he would love to take on...

Visit Running Tales on:

Substack: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://runningtales.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/runningtalespod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Buy Me A Coffee:

Back Running Tales and help us continue to tell the extraordinary stories of everyday runners: ⁠⁠https://buymeacoffee.com/runningtales⁠

Path Projects:

Path Projects offer some of the best running gear in the business. I love this kit and it looks really cool even on a 48-year-old, decidedly average runner like me!

Visit⁠⁠ Path Projects via this link⁠⁠ and back Running Tales in the process (affiliate link).

Terrell Johnson on Substack:

Read The Half Marathoner