The small, but successful, Wirral Athletics Club has been taking on the country's athletics powerhouses at their own game - and coming out on top.
Three years ago the Wirral club appointed a group of eight coaches to work with endurance athletes, each with their own specialism in aerobic training, strength work and speed.
It was an innovative model and the results are starting to make the country sit up and take notice.
Following a string of team and individual medals in the North of England, Wirral AC have just returned home from the National 5k Road Championships in Birmingham with two silver medals.
Wirral travelled to Sutton Park with a sense of trepidation amongst the coaching team, a mood which was not shared by the club's young athletes.
Despite taking on elite clubs such as Aldershot, Farnham and District (AFD) - who in 2013 made up the entire GB U23 women's cross country team at the European Championships - the Midlands 5k team champions and Woodford Green & Essex Ladies, home of famous Olympic Champions like Sally Gunnell.
On a cold and windy course the Wirral U15 boys were first up, and packed really well.
Led in by Ethan Brady Jones in 12th, Dan Hayes in 13th and TJ Jones in 14th place they did enough to secure a silver team medal ahead of Royal Sutton Coldfield but behind the mighty (and inevitable AFD).
With such a fantastic start the U15 girls were inspired to an amazing race.
Obviously they couldn't let the boys have bragging rights in the bus on the way home, so they set out to beat them.
Led in by Ellen Mary Kearney who ran a brilliant race in third to take Merseyside's first individual medal at the National 5k, she was backed up by Kiera Brady Jones in sixth and Zara White in 10th.
Overall the team were neck and neck with AFD at halfway but missed the national title in the end by just six points.
AFD were champions again, but Wirral girls had beaten the Midland Champions to take another fantastic team silver.
