A new character arrived onto the scene of the Tour of Tameside last summer, raising eyebrows amongst the long-standing athletes.

Three days later, this character would go on to win the overall Tour and create a great show while doing so.

It would soon be revealed that this runners name was Joe Baker, a talented and determined athlete hailing from just over the hills in Halifax.

Having entered the Full Tour of Tameside just four days before the first race, Joe had limited knowledge of the courses and admitted he saw the event as ‘a useful opportunity to race’.

“I had a friend at work who had ran the Tour a couple of times and he said it was a great environment.

“I’d done a few multi-day events and had enjoyed them. I didn’t enter until the Sunday night before the races started on the Thursday, so it was definitely a last minute decision.

“I thought it would be a useful opportunity to get some racing done and I like the difference in tactics compared to single day events,” Joe said.

Local runners will remember seeing Joe fly around the Longdendale Trail and over the peaks of Stalybridge, but few will know that his running journey only began in 2016.

Most runners are known for their endurance, but strength is not usually a recognised trait. However, Joe’s sporting journey began in rugby, where he played successfully until an injury struck him down.

“I ended up with a bad injury and had a few operations to fix that, which set me back for a while.

“I started running in the summer of 2016 to get fit again, I had a Fitbit and Strava, so I started collecting data and improving my times.

“My first event was Parkrun, which some people can view as a race. I think I ran the course in 25 minutes back then, but in the early days of running you get fit quite quickly.”

Seeing his times improve was a real motivational booster for Joe, who liked to have constant goals to aim for.

Shortly after starting his running journey, he joined Stadium Runners, where the goal of completing a marathon soon loomed on the cards.

“Members of the club were getting their London Marathon ballot rejections and I’d heard of the good for age places. So, I decided I could run that, which was 3:05 at the time.

“I set out to run Manchester in 2017 and achieve my time, but my training was going well and I soon wondered if I could go 3 hours.

“I soon learnt that running a marathon under three hours while being an inexperienced marathon runner was not the way to go.

“I still managed to finish in 3:15, which I know a lot of people say is a good time for a first marathon, but I sat on the floor and was just in pieces,” Joe said.

Knowing that he should’ve been able to run 3:05 if he hadn’t been greedy, Joe was filled with disappointment, but knew that his mission was not going to stop here.

After Manchester, he ran the marathon distance every three weeks, desperate for his time goal. It took thirteen goes, but unlucky 13 became a lucky number for Joe as he ran a sub three-hour marathon in Manchester in 2019.

Shortly after, he set his new goal of 2:45, in order to achieve a championship place at the London Marathon.

But, then the Covid pandemic began and with it came lockdowns and cancelled races.

“I searched to see if I could find another marathon to run, I was in shape and I felt I could achieve my time.

“I almost travelled down to Bedford, but then everything shut down and I was forced to race around my local athletics track.”

Here, he clocked 2:53, but quickly found the benefits of lockdown as he doubled his running sessions in a day.

Fast forward to 2022 and Joe eagerly lined up on the start line for the Tour of Tameside, where he would of course be crowned champion just days later.

“I knew I wanted to preserve my energy for the half marathon, as I knew that would be a race I would do well in.

“One of the biggest parts of the Tour is recovery, it’s all about who can recover better each day and night.

“I remember catching Sean from the Local Runners Podcast on the first day, these guys all know the course well and come back year after year.”

Runners often comment on the friendly nature of the Tour, where athletes meet like-minded people and are able to make some great relationships.

Joe echoed this, and said that he met great people, who he has since seen at various other races in the area.

A double day runner, Joe trained on both the Thursday and Friday morning before racing in the evening, showing pure dedication.

The 2022 Tour of Tameside was potentially the closest ever, with just seconds between the men’s podium positions.

It was something that was picked up on my various members of the community, who eagerly followed along with the results online.

With an overall time of 3:10.46 from Joe, second place runner Gavin Browne was just a glimpse behind, with a time of 3:10.50.

Joe credits his great performances to his fantastic amounts of effort, proving that with hard work comes impressive results.

“When I first started running, my Parkrun time was 25 minutes. Whereas now, my marathon PB is like running 18-minute Parkruns back-to-back.

“If you’d have told me back then that I would achieve these times I would’ve never believed you.

“I attach running to other things, it has become a lifestyle for me, but if you use the time to learn something while you’re out then it’s fantastic. I listen to podcasts while I run, so I get a good workout and I educate myself,” he said.

The Tour of Tameside is the ideal place to immerse yourself in the running community. Make new friends, learn new routes and become a part of this historical event.

🏃 Tour of Tameside 2023 🏃

We're proud to be delivering this year's four-day running festival, which takes place from 15 to 18 June. 

Find out more and book your place here. 

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