|
Ely Runners meet for
training every Tuesday and Thursday evening at 7
pm in the upstairs bar of the Paradise Centre, Ely (see
location ) where there is the club notice board
in the foyer, and access to changing rooms, showers, gym and a bar.
Evening training runs are
varied and enjoyable. Tuesday training consists of hill training (even in
the Fens!), speed work, repetitions and intervals. Thursday training
is usually a longer steady run (with shorter options for beginners) around
the City or into the surrounding countryside, depending on daylight. For
members not racing on Sundays, training runs of various
distances are often arranged for 9am from the Paradise Centre.
Runners of any ability or
standard are always welcome to join the club. For membership enquiries
email :-
membership@elyrunners.co.uk or just turn up at the Paradise Centre at
7 pm on a training evening. Joining information can be found on the
How to join page.
|
|
In
October 2008, the following
‘Club of
the Month’
profile appeared on the Association of
Running Club’s
website
www.runningclubs.org.uk :
ELY RUNNERS -
CLUB PROFILE
Ely Runners was formed in 1985
and now has around 140 members. Since then, rail and road links have
improved and the population of the small city of Ely, with its close
proximity to Cambridge, has grown from about 12,000 to a younger
population of about 18,000. The club has Community Amateur Sports Club
status.
Ely Runners train
from the Paradise Sports Centre in Ely on Tuesday (intervals and hills)
and Thursday (steady run) evenings, and Sunday mornings (long mixed
terrain run). The evening sessions have varied daylight and dark
programmes with options according to ability. They are enthusiastically
attended with 20-35 members present.
The club has a wide range of membership from under 20 to over 70 years
of age. About a third are ladies. The club’s current activities are
cross-country, trail running, road running, fell running, track racing,
and race walking. Whilst the club caters for runners of all abilities,
it has achieved many successes in national, regional, open, championship,
relay and league events. There are plans for an athletics stadium in Ely
and the club hopes to expand its success into track and field
activities.
True to their Fen Tigers tradition of not being overwhelmed by outside
influences, including excessive bureaucracy, Ely Runners were the first
club to be affiliated to ARC. Also, the 2007 Grunty Fen Half Marathon
was the first ARC permit event and included the 1st ARC
championships. Club secretary John Turner is on the steering committee and also a director of ARC.
|
