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Coventry University helping firefighter take on year-long challenge for Breast Cancer Now
Taz Maguire was put through his paces at Coventry University
University news / Student news
Thursday 12 February 2026
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A firefighter has embarked on a mammoth charity challenge of 10k runs, stair races and a half marathon - all of which he’ll do in his kit.
Taz Maguire will stand out from the crowd in full firefighter gear as he takes on a total of 16 events throughout 2026 in aid of Breast Cancer Now – one of which takes place in Atlanta, America, in memory of those who lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks.
With a few years having passed since his prime running days, Taz has joined forces with Coventry University to ensure his body is in the best possible condition for what lies ahead. He will work alongside lecturers and students from the university’s master’s course in Strength, Conditioning and Rehabilitation to test and monitor his fitness and shape his training regime and prevent injury.
I have only just started running again and I’m very aware that any injury and I’m done. All of these challenges and runs I have booked, anything happens to me and that’s it. The big thing for me is injury prevention, so if I can get better that’s fantastic, but if I can get through this without injuring myself then that’s the main goal.
Working with the university is going to give me a bit of direction as I have a couple of small goals in mind I’d like to get to – sub-30 minutes in the kit on a 5k run and sub an hour for 10k – but the nice thing is it’s not about chasing a time for me, it’s about being there, being in my fire kit, raising awareness and getting people to donate.
Taz Maguire
The university’s staff and students put the 31-year-old through his paces as they carried out initial baseline aerobic, strength and power tests and will welcome him back on a regular basis throughout 2026 to hone his training and recovery regime.
Taz, from Lutterworth in Leicestershire, was inspired to raise money for Breast Cancer Now after someone close to him was diagnosed with the disease and “watching them, their family and our friendship group go through it has been quite humbling”.
Taz will soon be completing his challenges in a bright pink firefighter kit as he joins the UK Pink Firefighters – a group of retired and serving firefighters who raise awareness, funds and support for cancer research.
I believe that if you’re in a position to do something to help others, you should. That belief is part of why I joined the fire service, why I’m an active union official and why I’m proud to be a UK Pink Firefighter. It feels like a natural extension of my core values to be a part of this selective team.
Taz Maguire
Taz came to us to ask for help and then gave us the long list of challenges he is doing. Ordinarily they would not sound too bad but what he has layered on top is completely different as he’s doing it in his full fire suit and then his stair climbs are also more intense.
It will be about managing him, getting him fitter and keeping him in one piece for things that are already challenging and have been made twice as challenging by the fact he is going to do it in his suit.
We will repeat Taz’s tests throughout the year to see how he is progressing and allow him to make the best use of his time and get more bang for his buck when he is training. Long term it’s about preparing him for his half marathon at the end of year and get him to the point where he can complete that in full kit.
Dr Richard Taylor, Course Director for Coventry University’s master’s course in Strength, Conditioning and Rehabilitation
Find out more about how to support Taz in his challenge.
