Club Captains

Laura Rangeley

Laura would be the first to say she isn’t a “natural” runner and used to cheat at the eight-lap mile challenge at school, reckoning that a sprint finish made it look like she’d done them all. She first got into running by signing up to run the Sheffield 10k for charity along with her 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 she signed up to the 2019 Steel City Striders 5k to 10k course, which she says genuinely changed her life.

From then she’s gone from strength to strength, getting stuck in to everything from road races, relays, cross country, trail and fell running, and at the time of writing has been building up to her first ever ultra. And when she’s not running, you’re likely to hear her before you see her cheering on from the sidelines too.

Laura is a firm believer that determination, resilience, a sense of adventure and always having a smile on her face are what makes her 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, Laura is proof that a Personal Best can come in many forms!

Laura hopes 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. She cites competing at the National Cross Country Championships at Parliament Hill in 2022 as one of the best days of her life, and wants to make sure that every member of the club has the confidence to get involved and the opportunity to feel that joy.

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.

Kate Scott

Coming soon!

Seth Kirby

Seth became one of the Club Captains in September 2022. You’ll probably find him run leading on the fells, or at races on the trails, or more recently on the track. Seth did cross country at school but instead chose to pursue his football and cricket career which took up much of his time, and he still ended up being mediocre at both sports… During his teenage years, he ran cross county for the Staffordshire and West Midlands Army Cadet Force but later ditched running until a few years after university when parkrun looked appealing, and there was nothing to do in Cheltenham!

He has been a member of Steel City Striders for a number of years and enjoys local track events and short fell races, as well as participating in team and relay events – if he is quick enough to be picked! This is now much easier as he is able to make some of the selections. You never know he could be given a reserve spot for some of the relay events…

Promoting opportunities, particularly for those club members who do not think they are quick but really are ‘faster’ runners at the various relays and club championship races, alongside enticing and encouraging others to participate in fell runs, trail and track races are just some of the areas that he is interested in supporting. All with the hope of continuing the growth and success of the Steel City Striders.

And to follow the other’s lead, cake and hot chocolate are fine post-race treats (as he quit drinking a few years ago!).