“I never thought I’d be a runner” you said. Now, here you are, a seasoned run club regular, a few races in the books, some training in the legs, and looking for more. One February afternoon, running around Hampstead Heath, you chance upon hordes of runners in striped, hooped, sashed, brightly coloured kits, racing over the muddy parkland. Looking it up when you get home, you discover that what you were witnessing was a Cross Country championship - and your first taste of the world of Athletics Clubs.
Consider an Athletics Club to be the ancient relative of the run club - focused on competition, offering formal coaching and officially structured with membership fees; until recently, they were pretty much one of the only structured ways of running with others. Many clubs have been in existence for over a century, with the UK boasting one of the most extensive and diverse Athletic Club systems in the world.
London also has one of the biggest networks of run clubs in the world, rivalled by very few other cities for number of clubs and the variety of missions, goals and styles of club. From clubs encouraging running in marginalised communities, to crews designed to foster friendship to brand-centred clubs, we have it all. But the AC and Run Club worlds exist in two separate ecosystems. But they don’t have to!
Why join an AC?
Having run for a few years, touring the run club scene and steadily improving, there comes an itch. More like a few itches: to push, to learn, to keep seeing where your potential can take you. If this sounds like you, then it might be a sign that an Athletics Club could be a place to turn.
Unlike Run Clubs, ACs have to be affiliated with the national governing body for Athletics (which includes Track and Field Athletics, Cross Country, Road Running and more). With this brings a formal structure of competitions to enter and a certain code of operating - all that is to say, it formalises their existence. For you, the runner, what does that mean?
Firstly, as a member of an Athletics Club, you are entitled to compete on the club’s behalf at a whole range of competitions that you wouldn’t have access to without membership: Local, County, Regional and National championships for Track, Cross Country and Road; regular league competitions; relay races; club-level entries to the likes of the London Marathon; and beyond. With this comes more opportunity to find your space in the running world and importantly also means you have a team to do it with, making friends along the way.
Speaking of friends and training partners, you won’t be lacking! Every club host training sessions every week, often multiple times per week. Track intervals, road and off-road sessions, longer runs - most clubs have something on offer and a group to join in with. But won’t I be left out as a newbie? No! Most clubs have a huge array of ability levels and have different groups to slot into and find your pace, and coaches will be on-hand to help you tailor a session or run to suit your goals and experience level.
But …?
…aren’t Athletics Clubs elitist? Actually almost all ACs are incredibly welcoming of new members regardless of their background, experience level and goals. As long as you want to work hard, have fun and give it your all, you’ll find a space at an AC
…won’t they make me race? No! It’s your choice entirely. But you might find you do one and you won’t be able to stop yourself from signing up for the next club outing!
….aren’t Athletics Clubs for professional runners? Not at all, you can find a club for your level. Lots of clubs have beginners and olympians competing in the same vest, whilst some are geared towards beginners, veteran age-group runners or specific events.
What To Expect
Joining an athletics club, there might be a few differences that you should be aware of when compared to run clubs. Foremost is cost. Most clubs offer potential new members a chance to try free taster sessions in order to get a feel for the club and how things operate before officially joining, but after this period, there will be a certain expectation to join the club formally.
What that means is paying a membership fee which not only includes your dues to the club itself, but registers you as a runner with the national governing body (NGB) for Athletics - for London clubs, that is England Athletics. This means you have access to all of the resources of the club and NGB. Club subs fees vary a little, but is usually an annual fee of £50-100 with many clubs offering discounted rates to encourage people of all income backgrounds to enjoy running.
Despite these fees, you’ll find almost every coach and official at the club to be there on a voluntary basis with your money being used for track rental, club kits, insurance, entry fees, administrative costs and beyond. It is these volunteers that keep the sport of athletics alive and well. Athletes are expected to be respectful (common decency, really, eh?), with the expectation that you’ll be a committed and hardworking member of the group in return for their time. Simple!
Finding Your Club
So you’ve decided that you want to take the plunge and join an athletics club. The best place to start your search is via the British Athletics Find a Club tool which directs you towards your local club offerings.
Obviously, location of the club is the first place to start, but then it’s worth looking closely at a few other pointers. When does the group train? Can you even make the sessions? What kind of runners do they cater to? Do they offer beginner groups? What kind of races do they compete in? Do they offer taster sessions? Is there a contact I can speak to for more info?
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Sorry to sound patronising, this is probably all pretty obvious.
But for us at Runlimited we want to make sure everyone has their space in running, from your first couch-to-5k to joining a club to elite level athletes and everything in between. Hope to see you out there in your new club colours very soon - summer track season is around the corner!
