BAD RAT Runners, Bridgwater (2026)

09/06/2026

The BADRAT Adventure Checklist

The weather doesn't always get the memo. One minute it's sunshine☀️, the next it's wind and rain 🌦️. Whether you're heading out for a 5K, a long run, or a trail adventure, being prepared can make all the difference.

Here are some useful BADRAT tips from our Trail Run Lead, Allan:

🐀 Be bothered
If something feels uncomfortable at the start of your run, don't ignore it. That shoe rubbing, loose lace or chafing spot is unlikely to improve as the miles tick by. Take a minute and sort it before it becomes a bigger problem.

🐀 Act accordingly
The weather can change quickly. It might feel like summer at the start and winter by the finish. Pack the waterproof, wear the sunscreen and be prepared for whatever the day throws at you.

🐀 Dehydration sucks
Water is important, but on longer runs your body also needs salts and electrolytes. Consider taking an electrolyte drink alongside your water to help keep you feeling strong.

🐀 Refuel
Your body needs fuel. Gels, rice bars, potatoes, sandwiches—whatever works for you. Don't wait until you've completely run out of energy before topping up.

🐀 Stay alert
Does somebody know where you're running? Most GPS watches allow live tracking or route sharing. It only takes a few moments to set up and could be invaluable if something goes wrong.

🐀 Watch out for troublesome critters
Ticks and horseflies can be an unwanted part of trail running. A little prevention goes a long way, and carrying a small tick remover can be a smart addition to your kit.

These are just a few of our BADRAT Top Tips to help you enjoy your running safely and comfortably.

Stay safe and we'll see you out there! 🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️🐀

Team BADRAT

08/06/2026

Happy Monday BADRATS 😊🐀

What a weekend here has been. More great achievements and amazing runs by your amazing runners representing the BADRATS

Saturday started with the traditional park runs, some travelled and some were staying local

Cirencester Parkrun 😎

Becca L was in Cirencester in preparation for her half iron man the next day

Burnham Parkrun 🏃‍♂️

🐀 Jo B N
🐀 Michael B
🐀 Ben C
🐀 Mark B
🐀 Stu S
🐀 Jim
🐀 Peter K

Bridgwater Parkrun

🐀 Emma B (new PB)

You all did fantastic. A special mention to Stu S for completing his couch to 5K graduation. We will look forward to seeing you at our club runs very soon.

Saturday races

On Saturday, Chris S took on a 55 mile challenge at the Cateran Yomp . He achieve this in an amazing 17 hours and 16 minutes.🤩 What a great achievement and what an amazing effort that was Chris

Saturday, also saw Charlotte S take on the Conquer Cardiff 5K. Once again, another great run from Charlotte doing an impressive 26 minutes 33🤩🐀

Saturday also saw Richard C complete an epic 7 laps at the Endure 24 backyard ultra. Although Richard was disappointed because he couldn’t go further due to an injury occurring on the 2nd lap, we still think he did amazing

Sunday 😎

Sunday, saw Lucy taking on the Crewkerne 10 K and as always putting in an amazing time. She also won a hat, hopefully that’s not replacement for a medal. 🥇

Peter K took on the Chew Valley 10k and completed it and impressive time of 45 minutes 💪

Becca L was entering her first half iron man competition and completed it in an incredible six hours and 17 minutes
This included a 1.1 mile swim a 55 mile bike ride and a 13 mile run 🏃‍♂️ I think we all agree that’s a huge achievement and you should be very proud of yourself Becca. We certainly are 🤩🐀💪

As well as all of those events going on during Saturday and Sunday, there were was also a few social runs being done by club members, as always getting out there putting and the miles in.

What’s a great weekend of some huge achievements some amazing runs and a huge amount of effort. It’s an absolute pleasure to be part of this awesome running club
Gary
Team BADRATS🐀

06/06/2026

Morning all

So then the first week of June is coming to a close, and how has it treated you? ☀️🐀

Well, we're now officially into the summer... although looking out the window this week, I'm not convinced the weather got that memo! 🌦️😅 One minute we're digging out the sunglasses and sun crème, the next we're wondering whether we should've packed a waterproof instead.

For many of our spring racers, the big goals are now done and dusted. The marathon medals have been hung up, the recovery runs all ticked off, and now comes that familiar question...

What's next? Well the answer doesn't have to be another race.

Sometimes our best running happens when there's no pressure at all. No training plan dictating every one of your miles, no looming race day, just getting out with friends, enjoying the lighter evenings, exploring new routes, and remembering why we started running in the first place.

🏃🏻‍♂️It could be time to work on consistency.
🏃‍♀️It could be time to chase a new distance or terrain, swapping road for trail.
🏃🏻‍♂️It could be time to get a little quicker and focus on pace work.
🤷🏻‍♂️… or maybe it's simply time to say 'screw it' and just get out to enjoy running again!

Whatever your next goal looks like, our midweek club runs means you don't have to run alone, and we always love to see you there.

➡️ 5k (3.1M) Road Run (Social Pace)
🕡 Monday 8th June, 6.45pm @ Chilton Trinity School
🔗 https://www.strava.com/clubs/1027753/group_events/3497508777598366226

➡️ 8k (5M) Road Run (Social Pace)
🕡 Monday 8th June, 6.45pm @ Chilton Trinity School
🔗 https://www.strava.com/clubs/1027753/group_events/3497132305040224680

➡️ 7.5k (4.3M) Mixed Surface Run (Social Pace)
🕡 Wednesday 10th May, 6.45pm @ Puriton Village Hall
🔗 https://www.strava.com/clubs/1027753/group_events/3497524994717770688

➡️ 10k (6.2M) Continuous Road Run (Workout Run)
🕡 Thursday 11th May, 6.45pm @ Robert Blake School
🔗 https://www.strava.com/clubs/1027753/group_events/3497135731506640256

So please feel free to come along and join us on any of the runs above! We just ask that you're fit and able of running the distances listed.

Hopefully I'll see you soon! 🤩

Take care

Bjorn, Team BADRAT

03/06/2026

Today is Global Running Day, a celebration of something that brings millions of people together across the world, running!.

Whether you run for fitness, friendship, mental wellbeing, competition, adventure, cake consumption 🍰, or simply just because you love it, today is about recognising the positive that running can have on all of our lives. 🤩

🏃🏻‍♂️Running doesn't care how fast you are.
🏃‍♀️It doesn't care how far you go.
🏃🏻‍♂️It doesn't care whether you're chasing a marathon PB, tackling your first 5K, or simply getting out the door for a few miles.

✅It's about movement.
✅It's about feeling better.
✅It's about doing something positive for yourself.

We're very lucky to see every day how running can bring people together, build confidence, create friendships, support mental wellbeing, and help people achieve things they never thought possible.

So why not celebrate Global Running Day by getting out for a run today? Or even better, just pop along and join us for this evenings club run and celebrate it with our awesome members.🥰

📍 BADRAT Wednesday Club Run : 5.5 Mile / 8.8 KM
🗓️ 6.45pm at Parkers Field, North Petherton
👟 Strava Event: https://www.strava.com/clubs/1027753/group_events/3494827477684983190

Whether you're a regular member, haven't joined us for a while, or coming along to try us out, we'd love to see you!

Happy Global Running Day everyone! 🌍💙🐀

Bjorn, Team BADRAT

01/06/2026

Buenos Dias BADRATs!!

So I write this whilst lounging at the pool in ‘sunny’ (aka windy) Fuerteventura whilst eating my weight in all inclusive buffet and being super lazy and feeling just slightly guilty at seeing everyone’s accomplishments over the weekend!!

Being that the temperature in the UK has been hotter at the beginning of the week than here in the Canary’s 😫 I was impressed to see that so many of our members had kick started the weekend off in style at a Parkrun or 2 across the country.

Well done Burnham & Highbridge Parkrunners. We had Kev (fastest ginger BADRAT and his fastest 5K this year🥇), Michael, Mark B (2nd fastest🥈5K), Bexy R, Laura, Charlotte (2nd fastest🥈5K), Sam, Jo B-N and Jim (who ran as the 26 min pacer and did amazing considering that it was his first time pacing!) and not forgetting Peter M who gave up his time that morning to marshal 👏

We also had Elaine running with her daughter at Longrun Meadow Parkrun 🥰 Well done ladies 👏

Well done to Becky R for repping the vest in sunny Penrose Parkrun in Cornwall (2nd fastest 🥈5K) 🙌

On her 139th Parkrun, we had Becca L at Blandford, Dorsey Parkrun. Well done Becca!!! 🥳

Smashing it out the park at the Eden Project Parkrun was Peter K with his 232nd Parkrun!! 🎉

Finally we also had Emma B repping the vest at Itchen Valley County Parkrun. After reliving her youth at a Take That concert the night before, she definitely had ‘a little patience’ whilst she ‘ruled the world’ at an awesome multi terrain Parkrun that ‘only takes a minute’ (or 33 of them in Emma’s case) to complete the course. Well done Emma and ‘Never Forget’ how great you are 😁

Moving on to Sunday, the ‘day of rest’ BUT not if you’re a BADRAT !!!

Kicking off the day with the 9 locks - 10K challenge was our lovely Dr Matt. This is a canal race from Stourbridge to Brierley Hill in the midlands. This area of the UK is Dr Matts origin so a brilliant run on his home turf 🏡. Well done Dr Matt !! 👏

Sunday also saw some of our wonderful BADRATs attend the ‘Race the tide, chase the train’ race. This 7.6 mile race starts at the Blue Anchor (PUB!!) and takes you along the beach to Minehead and then back along the coastal path. It sounds horrific to me (apart from the pub bit) but from the photos, it looked like April V, Mel C, and Lucy had a great time!! Well done girls!! 🎉 🙌

Massive congrats to everyone who got out this weekend and as we approach Global Running Day this coming week (Wednesday), remember that it’s fun 🤷‍♀️ (apparently) to run globally 🌎 , whether it be the UK during a heatwave or on holiday in the Canaries 🤥 who knew?!?! 😬 (Damn those hills though 😫)

And finally, I need to give a special shout out to an amazing couple this week who brought home the best PB anyone could ever achieve 🥰. Massive Congratulations to our club members Hannah C and Ry who welcomed their beautiful baby 👶 Daisy in to the world 🌍
We can’t wait to meet her and hope you have that running buggy ready!!!

Lisa xx
Team BADRAT

30/05/2026

Morning all, we made it through the scorching heat of the last week, what a way to end May! Despite the record-breaking temperatures, I hope everyone managed to enjoy at least some of it ☺️

This weekend BADRATs will be out repping the vest at various Parkruns and the first ever 'Race the Tide, Chase the Train' event organised by Minehead running club on Sunday. Good luck and good running everyone! 🚂🍀

🌍 Did you know that the first Wednesday in June is Global Running Day? This year it's on 3rd June, and is a worldwide celebration of running that encourages everyone to get moving - no matter how fast you run or how far you go. The important thing is that you get out and have fun being active! Running is not only a great form of exercise, but can really benefit your mental health too 🧡

Looking ahead to next week, we're welcoming in June with a change of weather, and our usual offering of midweek runs:

➡️ 5.3k (3.3M) Road Run (Social Pace)
🕡 Monday 1st June, 6.45pm @ Chilton Trinity School
🔗 https://www.strava.com/clubs/1027753/group_events/3495060806787608908/

➡️ 8k (5M) Road Run (Social Pace)
🕡 Monday 1st June, 6.45pm @ Chilton Trinity School
🔗 https://www.strava.com/clubs/1027753/group_events/3494609111857348064

➡️ 8.9k (5.5M) Mixed Surface Run (Social Pace)
🕡 Global Running Day! Wednesday 3rd June, 6.45pm @ Parkers Field Car Park
🔗 https://www.strava.com/clubs/1027753/group_events/3494827477684983190

➡️ 10.3k (6.4M) Continuous Road Run (Workout Run)
🕡 Thursday 4th June, 6.45pm @ Bridgwater Hospital
🔗 https://www.strava.com/clubs/1027753/group_events/3494612183267318220

We also have a members-only Interval session on Tuesday and a trail run on Saturday - there's truly something for everyone this week!

Have a fab weekend all, and hope to see you soon ☺️

Issy - Team BADRAT 🐀

25/05/2026

Happy Bank Holiday Monday everybody!

The scorching hot Mediterranean-like weather over the weekend hasn't stopped our awesome members heading off far and wide to the four points of the compass to 'rep the vest' in a plethora of events, so let's start with Saturday and the usual round-up of Parkrun appearances, in order of the distance from Bridgwater:

Keeping things local(ish), Club Chair Issy, Allan, Jim, and Michael headed 8.9 miles north on the M5 for a muggy Burnham & Highbridge Parkrun through the park and along the Esplanade.

Becca L headed 12 miles in the opposite direction and took on the Longrun Meadow Parkrun course in Taunton.

Chris S headed 60 miles north on the M5 to Gloucestershire for the Stonehouse Parkrun, near Stroud.

Elaine headed 95 miles in a south easterly direction to tackle the Lymington Woodside Parkrun near the south coast.

Social Secretary, Rach and one of our Club Captains, Kev headed 154 miles east to Northampton to take on the Racecourse Park course. Thankfully, horse racing stopped there in 1904 so there was no danger of being trampled by horses, although the 550 other runners present provided a stampede of their own at the start.

Simon headed 530 miles east to the Rheinpark Parkrun in Cologne, to fly the flag in Central Europe. On any other weekend, this would have taken the win for 'Furthest Travelled BADRAT' however he came up against a formidable opponent in Peter K.

Peter K, BADRAT Runners' very own Judith Chalmers, headed 4900 miles west to Keller in Texas, to take on the Bear Creek Greenbelt Parkrun, where he added yet another '1st in Age Category' to his glowing Parkrun CV.

Great work by all of our Parkrunning members this weekend. If you volunteered at one, well done to you too.

Moving on to Sunday, aka Race Day.

Our other Club Captain, Gary, and Becca L, headed to Exeter to take part in a hilly and hot Great West Run Half Marathon in and around, the Devonshire city. Great times by both of them in the heat.

Four club members headed to Wells, the home of Hot Fuzz, for the annual Festival of Running. For the greater good, Stephen S, April V, and Jo B-N fancied two laps of the 5km course to earn themselves a 10km medal, while Charlotte S was happy to settle for one lap to earn herself some 5km bling and beat the others to the ice cream van.

Lucy C took advantage of the great weather to run alongside parts of the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal and the River Tone, as she took part in the Taunton Trail 10k race. Lucy declined to take a dip in the refreshing waters and scooped the 1st Female prize for good measure.

Kathy headed to Tockington Manor, near Bristol, to tackle the PWR Endure Backyard Ultra. The rules of this event are simple; Each runner starts the 4.167 mile loop at the top of every hour. Finish inside the hour and you can continue. Miss the cut-off and your race ends. Kathy completed a very commendable 13 laps of the course!

Finally, well done to those members who went out to add some long trail miles to their legs on Social runs on Sunday, in preparation for some upcoming Ultras. The Club President Bjorn, Club Treasurer Lisa, Helen, Kerry, Dr Matt, and Vicki Daunton headed to the Quantocks for some hilly miles and an ice-cream, while Michelle and George went to the other local hills, the Mendips, to run up and around Crook Peak.

If you've seen any of our awesome members 'repping the vest' and you want to join us, why not give us a try by signing up to one of our weekly club runs, which you can find on Strava, here: https://strava.app.link/Y4N1LFhvp3b

Have a great week.

Kev, Team BADRAT.

23/05/2026

Hi all, hope you’re planning to enjoy the long weekend!

And wow, it looks like we’re in for some seriously warm weather over the next few days 😳☀️

So whether you’re planning to get some miles in, head out for a social run, firing up the barbie, or make the most of the sunshine down the beach somewhere, just enjoy it 👊

If you are planning to run in the heat, just a little reminder to take care:

💧 Hydrate well
🧢 Cap, sunglasses & sunscreen are your friends
🐢 Slow the pace if needed
🌡️ And honestly… it’s completely okay to just take a rest day and enjoy the weather instead!

Running will still be there next week 😄

And speaking of next week, our midweek BADRAT club runs are back again as usual with the exception of our Monday run, due to the Bank Holiday:

➡️ 8k (5M) Mixed Surface Run (Social Pace)
🕡 Wednesday 27th May, 6.45pm @ North Petherton Community Centre
🔗 https://www.strava.com/clubs/1027753/group_events/3492065551479828196

➡️ 10k (6.2M) Continuous Road Run (Workout Run)
🕡 Thursday 28th May, 6.45pm @ Bridgwater Hospital
🔗 https://www.strava.com/clubs/1027753/group_events/3492797832123027488

So whatever your plans this weekend, I hope you have an awesome time, stay safe in the heat, and we’ll hopefully see some of you next week.

Bjorn, Team BADRAT

18/05/2026

Happy BOLT MEDAL Monday, Badrats!

Morning everyone! It’s been an amazing weekend for The Badrat Bolt!

Before we get onto Sunday’s mischief 🐀💙⚡️, let’s take a gander at where our rats were repping the vest this weekend!

Parkruns:
Ciao, Becca! 🤌🏻 In Roma Pineto, Italy - Becca Locke
Castlewellan, Northern Ireland - Peter Knight (1st in Age Category)
Burnham & Highbridge - Michael Bashford, Simon Lomen (5k PB)
St. Matthews Field - Ry Fox, Jim Gainsford
Havant - Zoë Stainton, Chris Spink

Great parkruns everyone!

Saturday also saw our amazing Bolt volunteers run the route to earn their medal: Bjorn, Emma, Kev, Sarah (PB), Lisa P (PB) Lisa E, Lucy, Danni A (PB), Mel C, Mark, Hannah (PB), Stu, Matt, Issy, Jo, Gary (PB) and Dan A (PB).

Sunday saw Jo B-N 'repping the vest' over at the Portcullis 10k trail run in Langport.
Well done, Jo!

Now onto the main event! THE BADRAT BOLT! ⚡️💙🐀

It was our first ever event and WOW was it a success! 306 runners crossed the finish line to receive their post-race goodies, including 22 of our very own members: Becky C, Holly G (10k PB), Rachel A, Siobhan E, Emma B (10k PB), Allan M, Rachel, Amanda W, Danielle M, Charlotte S, Kev C, Connor P, Chris J, Tom K (10k PB), Kerry C-E, Martin H (10k PB), Becky R, Kelly L, Jade R, Peter K, Bjorn E, Steve S (10k PB). Well done to you all for raising the profile of the club on your runs!

The Badrat Bolt has taken MONTHS of planning, I questioned myself at times whether or not it was utter stupidity to take it on but I am absolutely BUZZING to have helped create this!

What started as a dream of Bjorn (Club Founder, President, and Secretary) to have a BADRAT organised race, helped start up by Kev, Club Captain, and driven by myself and the race sub-committee, we brought Bjorn’s (first Badrat finisher across the finish line btw 😉🐀 🏆) dream alive in awesome fashion!

Thank you to all the Badrats who gave up their Sunday to help out. Whether you marshalled, gave out water, handed out medals, gave out those delicious cookies or was just a friendly Badrat to help and assist, thank you 🙏🏼

A huge thank you to everyone who put faith in us to put on this event, we hope you had as much fun as we did!

See you next year!

If you’ve been inspired by the Badrat Bolt this weekend, why not join us for one of our friendly club runs this week?

Meg, Team BADRAT

BAD RAT Runners

09/06/2026

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06/06/2026

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