BRAT Juniors Power to Historic Best-Ever League Finish!
History was made last Sunday as the West Midlands Young Athletes Cross Country League concluded its 2025/26 season. After five gruelling fixtures, the BRAT junior squad secured a magnificent 4th place overall—the highest league finish in the club’s history! Breaking into the “Top 4” is a massive achievement and a testament to the depth and dedication of our young athletes. We finished the season with a massive 26,940 points, holding off fierce competition to set a new club standard. 🏆 Team Glory: A Hat-Trick of Podiums It wasn’t just the overall table where we shone. Three of our boys’ teams produced outstanding campaigns to bring home league medals, showing the strength of our packing in these age groups. Our U17 Men also put in a strong shift, finishing just outside the medals in 4th place, while the U11 Girls secured a solid 6th place finish in a very competitive league.…
U15 Boys Closing in on Title as Throws Squad Hits “Quadruple Gold”
The penultimate fixture of the Sportshall Athletics League was a showcase of BRAT athletics. With a clean sweep in the U13 Shot Put and vital wins on the track and in the jumps, the club is in a fantastic position ahead of the Grand Finale on March 7th. 🥇 Field Event Fury: The Throws Squad The headline story of the match was the absolute dominance of our throwers. The club achieved a spectacular “Quadruple Gold” in the U13 Shot Put, winning every single category available! ⚡ U13 Highlights: Speed & Power The U13 girls were in electric form in the gym, particularly in the Speed Bounce, where we took maximum points. 🌟 U11 Highlights: Oscar & Leo Shine Our youngest athletes provided some of the most exciting moments of the day. 🏆 U15 Boys: The Title Charge The U15 Boys are now tantalizingly close to the league title. They dominated…
🥉 The Battle for Bronze: All Hands on Deck for the Season Finale!
This Sunday, the West Midlands Young Athletes Cross Country League concludes at Wolverhampton—and we have a massive opportunity. After four grueling races through mud, rain, and hills, BRAT currently sits in 4th place overall. We have had some spectacular individual performances and strong squad turnouts, but the job isn’t done yet. We have one clear target for the final race: Catch Birchfield Harriers. The Mission: Overtake Birchfield We are currently chasing Birchfield Harriers for that podium spot. The gap is real, but it is absolutely bridgeable. In cross-country, points aren’t just won by the athletes at the front—they are won by the sheer volume of teammates crossing the finish line. If we field full teams in every age group, the swing in points can be enormous. We have the talent to take 3rd place, but we can only do it if we out-number and out-run them this Sunday. 📢 A…
Snow, Ice, and Grit: A Challenging Day at Nuneaton! ❄️🥶
Date: 11th January 2026 Event: West Midlands Young Athletes Cross Country League – Match 4 Cross country runners are known for their toughness, but this weekend, the weather really put us to the test! 😅 While Nuneaton was ready to go, a blanket of snow in Birmingham made travel impossible for many of our amazing athletes. 🚫🚗 As a result, BRAT faced our toughest fixture in ages. After soaring to a spectacular 2nd place overall in December, the snow and a smaller squad meant we finished 7th Overall in Match 4. Ouch! 😬 It was a tough day for points, especially on the girls’ side, where a lack of numbers cost us big time in the overall standings. BUT, for those heroes who braved the icy roads to get to The Pingles, there were some truly epic performances, including a standout team victory! 💪🥇 The Challenge: A Struggle for Numbers…
BRAT Club Junior Success at County XC Championships
Warley Woods – Saturday 13th December 2025 It was a fantastic day of racing at Warley Woods for the combined Worcestershire and Warwickshire County Cross Country Championships. BRAT Club’s junior athletes turned out in force, delivering standout performances across the age groups. From individual battles to dominant team victories, our young runners did the club proud in challenging winter conditions. Here is a roundup of the action from the Under 11 to Under 17 categories. Under 11 Boys: Warwickshire Team Champions! The U11 Boys put in a dominant display to bring home the Warwickshire Team Gold, beating stiff competition from Stratford and Leamington. Team Result: 🥇 1st Place – BRAT Club (14 points) – Logan Pearce, Leo Dunigan, Lucas Sacremento Guillaume. Under 11 Girls: Team Silver Our U11 Girls packed well to secure a brilliant Team Silver in the Warwickshire standings. Team Result: 🥈 2nd Place – BRAT Club (22…
Match 3 Report: BRAT Athletes Surge into Podium Contention at Newbold Revell 🚀
Date: 7th December 2025 Location: Newbold Revell (Hosted by Rugby & Northampton AC) The BRAT squad arrived at Newbold Revell yesterday determined to make a mark as we crossed the halfway point of the West Midlands Young Athletes Cross Country League. On a true cross-country course hosted by Rugby & Northampton AC, our young athletes delivered exceptional performances, cementing the club’s position as a serious contender for the league podium. With three races down and two to go, BRAT sits in a fantastic 3rd position in the Overall League Standings with 16,424 points 🥉 after our FIRST EVER 2nd PLACE FINISH! We have successfully leapfrogged fierce local rivals Birchfield Harriers and are now firmly chasing the top two spots. It was a day defined not just by raw speed, but by intelligent pack running, impressive debuts, and remarkable individual progress. Here are the highlights from a brilliant day of racing…
Strong Throws and Flying Finishes: BRATs Shine at Sportshall League Match 2! 🤩
Date: Sunday, 30th November 2025 Event: Birmingham Sportshall League 🏆 It was another action-packed afternoon for BRAT at the second fixture of the Sportshall League. With a great turnout across all age groups, our athletes delivered some standout individual performances—particularly in the field events—while our relay teams battled hard for every point. 💪 Here is a round-up of the day’s action:—–U15 Boys: Muayyad Leads the Way! 🚀 The U15 Boys squad had a fantastic afternoon, finishing 2nd on the day and cementing their place as 2nd in the Overall League Standings. 🥈 A huge congratulations goes to Muayyad Mohamed, who was the top performer of the match. Muayyad scored an incredible 118 points on the day to lead the team, securing maximum points in the Triple Jump 👟 and Speed Bounce, along with a strong run in the 4 Lap. The “Throws Squad” was also in dominant form. Temi Dada…
Golden Jubilee of Service: Gordon Ainsley Wins Prestigious Award for 50 Years in Athletics
This year, Gordon Ainsley celebrates an incredible milestone: 50 years of volunteering in athletics. And in fitting tribute to his half-century of dedication, this extraordinary individual has been recognized with the very award for which he was nominated, cementing his place as one of the sport’s most impactful volunteers. A Passion Turned Lifelong Vocation Gordon’s journey began in the 1960s as a competitive athlete, specializing in the 400m hurdles at Chelmsford AC. Following a back injury, he transitioned his passion into coaching after moving to Birmingham in 1970. This marked the start of a deep commitment that would see him become a significant figure through several club evolutions—from Warley AC to Borough of Sandwell AC, then Birmingham Rowheath AC, and finally to the formation of the Birmingham Running, Athletics & Triathlon (BRAT) club in 2010. Gordon was instrumental in each merger, ensuring the club always focused on serving both the…
BRAT End of Season Open – Sunday 7th Sept
This was the first open that BRAT have hosted in many years. It was great to see athletes attending from far and wide to attend an event in which the majority of events sold out. A host of new officials supplemented the experienced core team of officials. With the exception of Chief Starter, Ray Lloyd, all officials were from within the club. Additionally, a largely new events team worked together behind the scenes to make the event work. Full results can be found on Entry4Sport on this link and on PowerOf10 here. Photos courtesy of Imageineering can be found on these links: We hope to see you at our events in 2026.
HEART OF ENGLAND: SEASON WRAP-UP – WE CAME, WE SAW, WE WON (A LOT)
A couple of months ago, Colin asked if I’d take over the Heart of England team. I looked him in the eye, smiled politely, and thought:“These are some very big shoes to fill… but hey, why not jump straight in and see what happens?” Fast-forward to comp season: fixture clashes everywhere, athletes flying off to senior events, U15s and U17s disappearing to represent West Midlands Schools at the Mason Trophy, others vanishing for exams (how dare they prioritise education?), and the final meeting landing right in the middle of holiday season. Perfect timing! Was I panicking?Absolutely not (okay, maybe a little). But I looked at our talent pool, counted heads, and realised: we’re still in great shape. We filled every event. Everyone held their own. And some stars even stepped up an age group to compete in the age above, special shout-outs to Gabriella Blake and Amerai White, total legends.…
Spotlight: BRAT Juniors
Our BRAT Juniors are having a fantastic season so far with eight athletes recently landing a clutch of national or world podium and top ten finishes. We currently have 250 junior athletes from eight to 18-years-old, with its junior team currently leading division one of the four-division Heart of England League. We are also actively supporting neurodiverse athletes and athletes with disability to reach their potential and welcomes anyone with a passion for track and field, cross country, road running, and triathlon. Recent BRAT junior successes include: At the heart of BRAT’s success is its dedicated coaching team of volunteers, who run training sessions from the University of Birmingham Athletics Track. Now, the club is seeking new coaches who are ideally ex or current athletes, but with passion for the sport being the most important criteria. Christopher Davy, BRAT chair, said: We’re passionate about being a welcoming and inclusive club…
BRAT Round-up (WC 2nd June 2025)
Sandeep didn’t include himself in his weekly roundup, so i’ll include him. Attempting the Bolton 70.3 on Sunday, he managed to take an amazing 1 hour and 10 minutes off his previous best! He is simultaneously vowing never to do another one whilst scoping out future races, so I all think we know which way this is going! Well done Sandeep, a great performance, one to be proud of 👏👏👏 Super BRAT Leonie Goodwin finished in an awesome 5th in age group at the Eastbourne Triathlon. Tough swim with a windy and very hilly bike. Well done you. Super BRAT Jez smashed his way through Blenheim Triathlon. Well done Sir. Now how would you fancy running 56 miles in the blazing sun with 4000 feet of elevation??? Well take a bow Super BRAT Dan Robinson and Super BRAT Naomi Mitchell they did this at the weekend. What a monumental achievement…