We are a very enthusiastic group of people who love running and enjoy the company of other runners. We think we have a great balance between all types of runners: fast and slow; old and young; male and female; experienced and newcomers. Those of us who joined quite recently have found it a very friendly atmosphere. We have plenty of activities to suit all tastes. As well as the regular weekly gatherings, our members and teams enter and organise various competitions through the year. We always have a large contingent entering the Virgin London Marathon and we make sure that all running events are combined with proper social events; we have sometimes been called a drinking club with a running problem. We have a beginners group, the Little Feet who meet on Monday’s- this is a good place for you if you are just starting out.
We were founded in 1981 and have been pounding the streets and parks of South West London ever since. Our distinctive footprint and eye catching yellow shirts can be seen from a long way off. Many of the founder members are still with us and we have members in all parts of the world. Currently we have nearly 600 paid up members of whom about 100 turn up on Thursdays.
Your questions answered!
Where can I find you?
Our main meeting is on Thursday's at 7:30 at the YMCA Hawker Centre in Kingston.
Our beginners' group, The Little Feet, meets on Mondays at the Albion in Fairfield Road also in Kingston.
For details of how to find these venues and our other meetings, look on our website or send us an email.
What training do you do?
We tend to have 3 main club training sessions a week but, you do not have to commit to all of them. We change training sessions depending on the time of year/season but we generally have 3 club sessions a week:
Tuesday we meet up for 4-6 mile run,
Thursday we do a road session,
Sundays many meet up and go for a Long run.
We tend to find members will not come to all sessions and may even meet up outside the club nights so that they can train together.
Can I turn up or do I have to join first?
Please feel free to come and run with us, member or not. We welcome runners of all ages, abilities and there is no pressure to join. However- you may only enter our monthly handicap if you are a member and you will benefit in many ways by becoming a member and it is much cheaper than joining a gym! See our website for more information.
I am only looking to train for the Virgin London Marathon, how will I find others to train with?
We always have 20 or so runners in the London Marathon whose pace varies from 2h40m to over 5 hours. Our members are a friendly bunch and we will introduce you to people of similar ability and training for the Virgin London Marathon. Many members decide to meet up and train with each other outside club nights.
