New members often say to me that they’ve been put off running either because they lack confidence, or they don’t have time, or they think they dislike running. Ceri, for example, joined the club two years ago at the age of 40. She’d always enjoyed running at school but wasn’t sure if she’d be able to do it. She was worried about being left behind and being the slowest runner. But she says she was made to feel so welcome she soon forgot all about that.

James had always hated the idea of running but a friend encouraged him to come along for a taster session and he hasn’t looked back. He never misses a training session despite having a really demanding job.

Leo was worried about having to commit himself to training sessions every week and wasn’t sure he’d be able to fit training into his busy schedule. But after experiencing a lot of stress at work he came along to us and gave it a go. Now he says he feels much more relaxed and he looks forward to his weekly run.

Mark is quite typical of our new members. He’s never considered himself to be a sporty person and it was only when he retired that he decided to take up the challenge of trying to run 5 kilometres. It took him months to find the courage to contact us but felt reassured immediately as there were other people his age who were only just taking up running for the first time.