Dr. Neil Baxter in an independent sociologist and writer, whose research centres on the relationship between active leisure and identity. He recently completed a five-year project with the University of Warwick, mapping running participation patterns and exploring running cultures, the results of which will be published as a book called “Running, Meaning and Identity” in early 2021. He is currently conducting a study of race participation, as well as research for a second book, on the history of athletics.

Neil has been a runner all his life; once a decent middle-distance runner, he now prefers long, social jogs through the countryside near his home in Cambridge. He is also the founder and director of a consultancy that advises businesses on supporting the health and wellbeing of their staff. He tweets at @neilbaxter77 and blogs at www.runningstudies.co.uk