Is membership free? YES! You can sign up here! We are a totally free running club. There is no fee to join OR for any of our training sessions. We are the only TOTALLY free affiliated running club in the area. 

Do I have to be a member to run with you? No. You can try us out anytime. All are welcome to come to our training sessions.  All we ask is that you sign up for membership after a few sessions so that you are included on our group 3rd party liability insurance policy. 

Do I have to attend every session/event the club put on? No. You can attend as many or as few sessions as you like or are fit enough to run and participate in. We have lots of different activities over the year that you can get involved in. 

Do I have to be fast? No. While most of us dream of being fast, the reality is not all of us are. We have a wide range of ages and abilities in the club. No one gets left behind in a session either as we encourage a re-grouping ethos to keep everyone close together, safe and never alone. 

Okay, so I may not be fast, but what if I show up at a group run, how fast will we go? For our group Fartlek runs on evening sessions (usually once a week on alternate Tuesday/Thursdays) we split into three paced based groups and this is determined by your 5k or 10k time.

If I join the club, will I have to run in races? No. Club members don’t have t9 run competitively if they don‘t want to. We hold our own 5k handicap race series and a handicap 10k at the end of September. These are more low key than public road race events and designed to be fun. The club has a very friendly atmosphere and we aim for all members to enjoy their running. The club has numerous social activities during the year including quiz nights, a summer family rounders match with presentations, pub runs during the summer and chip runs in the winter. 

I have just started running and looking to complete my first 5k, is this a good group to join? Yes. Regularly during the year we run a 0-5k programme through our Foundation group. You will be in a group with similar runners to start with and have a supportive team on hand to guide you through each week and help build your fitness and confidence up. 

Are there any age restrictions for running with the club? The club can accept applications from those who are between the ages of 14 and 18 (classed as junior members) as long as they are accompanied at training sessions with a parent/guardian.

What training gear do I need? Nothing too fancy is needed at all! A comfortable pair of trainers, light/bright clothing for visibility when out along the cycle paths and head/body lights for darker evenings. The club do have a full range of branded kit if you would like to run in club kit during your training sessions. The kit is priced at cost to the club so we keep prices as low as possible. The only time we will ask you to wear club kit is if you enter a race with Stevenage Phoenix as your club. 

Who runs/leads the sessions? We have a great bunch of run leaders. They are DBS checked and have many years experience of running and coaching/leading others. , All we ask in the sessions is that runners pay attention to the run leader, listen to their instruction and alert them if any problems/issues arise during the session. 

When and where do you meet for the different sessions? We predominately meet Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:30pm for a 6:45pm start. The meeting point is most commonly St Nicholas Park, Pilgrims Way, Stevenage. At times the meeting point will vary depending upon the nature of the session. For example, our hill sessions use areas in and around Fairlands Valley, Aston and Chesfield.  During the summer we meet once a fortnight on alternate Tuesday and Thursdays for our grass track sessions at Barnwell School.  On Sundays we have a split run with a 5k- mile run at 8:30am and a longer 6-8 mile run at 9:15am. Both runs are a t a very social pace and often end at a local coffee shop for a dink, Chat and sweet treats afterwards! All of the details of each session and where we are meeting are contained in our training diary on the free to use Team Up app. 

How can I track improvements in my running! As part of coming along to our training sessions you will see how your running improves each week. Run leaders will also give you feedback. We encourage our members to take part in our Personal Performance Awards. These age grade your times from races , our handicap 5k race series and handicap 10k and members can then achieve different levels of award based on these results. 

How can I be kept up to date with all events, socials, team updates and all goings on within the club?  We have a private members only facebook group where we share information about the club, pictures and race results. We also have a weekly newsletter that is posted on the Facebook group and emailed to all members. in addition, we have a very lively WhatsApp members 9n ly group for general club chat and information. 

Can I run with my dog? Yes! We have a few of our team bring their 4 legged friends along to some evening sessions and our long runs on Sunday. All we ask is if they are kept on a short lead (as you would at Parkrun), you run to the side of the team just in case your dog makes a quick ‘pit stop’ and to be considerate of other runners and pathway/cycleway users.