❤
“In just one month I’ve noticed what a difference being a
club member makes” Yvonne Dehn, 22, is a student from Leven, Fife “I’m the newbie of our running club, the Anster Haddies, but in just a month I’ve noticed the difference that comes with being a member of a club. I’ve been running for about two years, ever since I trained for the Great North Run to help raise funds for the British Heart Foundation.
“I joined because although I can
run distances I always run at the same pace and I never seem to improve much. My half marathon times have been 2:30 and 2:17 and I did the Edinburgh Marathon in 5:30. I knew that as part of a club I would do different types of training that would benefit me. “We meet on Wednesday evenings
and we start with a warm-up jog, then we do a different type of training such as hill sprints. On my own I would do one hill sprint but as part of a group, I’ve found I can do 10 or 11, because everyone is encouraging me. Training is adapted for different abilities – the ultra runners among us get tougher hill routes! “I’ve met lots of new people through
my running club already and they’ve been very welcoming. My one regret is I didn’t join them earlier.”
22 n RUNNING FREE
We love... our running “Our club is like an
extended family” Vince Crowley, 50, is a landscape gardener from Farnham, Surrey, who’s represented his club in 40 UK marathons, raising money in the process “I joined my club, the Farnham Runners, 18 years ago after getting a place in my first London Marathon. I’ve since done the marathon 17 consecutive times, with my best time being 2:52.
“In our club we know the kind of
training that needs to be done and we can quell people’s anxieties on race day. We can also give advice about not starting too quickly. If we give people good tips, they can relax and enjoy their event – after all, it’s supposed to be about enjoyment. “When I joined we had about 25 members. Now we have 140. Our annual event, the Alice Holt 10k, is a multi-terrain race that’s been going for about 25 years. “I’ve won some prizes for the club,
mainly as a member of a team, but I also came fourth in the Neolithic Marathon. I usually raise funds for Leonard Cheshire Disability. “Our club is like an extended family.
We’re always supporting each other.” Leonard Cheshire Disability has places in a number of running events for 2012, including the London and Brighton marathons. Visit www.
lcdisability.org/ilovetorun.
“It keeps me busy!”
David Basham, 66, a retired chartered accountant from Bicester, Oxfordshire, has been a member of Alchester Running Club since 1984 “I joined the Alchester Running Club, which is based in Bicester, on January 1st 1984. I’d done my first marathon in 1983 as a complete novice and I didn’t know much about running. At the marathon I found out everyone was a member of a running club so I decided to find myself one. “Over the decades I’ve been
treasurer, club secretary, and at present I’m a member of the committee. The club organises three races a year and I’m chair of the organising committee for one of them which takes place in December every year, the Andy Reading 10k, in memory of one of my contemporaries who died of cancer 12 years ago. “Events take a surprising amount of
organising. We have to comply with so many rules and regulations. There is a lot of paperwork and there are a lot of people we have to convince that it’s safe to run the events. “In addition to my club events, I
organise the Oxford Town and Gown 10k in aid of Muscular Dystrophy. I also organise the Abingdon Marathon which takes place in October. Both take about six months to get sorted and each has their challenge, but it’s always so rewarding when the events take place and are a success.”
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64