Welcome Pack
An introduction to
Wesham Road
Runners
and Athletic
Club
Prepared by Reg Chapman
August 2008
Welcome
to the Club
A message from the Chair - Dave Waywell
It is my pleasure
to welcome you to Wesham Road Runners and Athletics Club. As a
new member we understand that a lot of what we do at this time will not mean a
great deal to you so this pack is designed to let you know as much as possible
about the activities available for club members.
Nothing in here
is compulsory but we have found that members find what is right for them. Our
aim in life is to help you enjoy yourself and be happy and healthy.
Read on and I
hope you enjoy your time with the ‘Friendly Club’ as we
have become known and I would like to think we are.
1. Our story so far.
Our
club is a product of the running boom of the 1980’s
sparked off by the London Marathon in 1981. Some
runners in Wesham started running as members of the Lancashire
County Fire Brigade, starting an association with the fire service which
continues to this day. An advert was placed in the Kirkham
and Wesham Advertiser, inviting runners to meet at the Lane
Ends pub in January 1985 and 36 turned up
- so Wesham Road Runners was born.
Initially
the club met at St. Joseph’s Primary School in Wesham as
the Head teacher, Mike Carter, was the first
club chairman. Later the club moved to Wesham
Community Centre then, for a short while in 1999, to Ribby
Hall Leisure Centre before moving in 2001 to
our current base at Carr Hill School.
In our
early days, during the first running boom of the 80’s,
there were over 200 members but this dropped to
around 70 by the Millennium. Now
we are back to over 166 and rising. Some
have joined from other clubs but most are new to running – part of what is our
second running boom. For a fuller history of the club by John
Whiteman, one of the founder members, see our website www.weshamroadrunners.com
2. Your club and its
benefits …all this for £20 a year.
.
·
Club night runs from
·
Summer and Winter Handicaps – to spice up club nights a
monthly handicap is held on the first Monday of every
month over two courses.
The Winter
Handicap starts from Carr Hill High School and
is over a distance of 4.0miles through the streets of Kirkham. The Summer
Handicap starts at the Windmill at
the top of Dowbridge and the distance
is 4.9 miles. The route is out in the countryside around Treales.
i)
The first race in each series is a ‘mass
start’. All the runners start off together and their times are
recorded when they finish. The following five races in each series are ‘staggered
starts’. Start times are determined from previous handicap
results.
ii)
The last race of the Summer
Handicap is the Trophy Race. The
first Man and Lady, who
have completed at least two handicaps, to cross the line will be declared the
winners and will be presented with a trophy and prize. The races are organised
by Marian and Keith
Rhead and, if everything goes to plan in the final race, all the
runners should finish together!!!!!
·
Club Predictor – A Predictor Race is
held annually where the winner is the person closest to the time they predict
over a set course. You won’t know the course but will know the distance and can
predict your time. The first home may not be the winner – the last home could
win if closest to their predicted time. To make things more unpredictable
watches are not allowed so it’s all about race pacing and knowing what you can
achieve.
·
Race entries – As a club member you are also registered with the North
of England Athletics Association. This means lower race entry fees.
You should usually save £2 a race so if you are a
prolific racer you soon recoup your club subs.
·
Team events – the club enters men and women teams for all sorts
of events including county and national road, cross country and track and field
competitions. If you are keen and competitive you can join in. It’s a great way
to improve, meet new members and pick up tips on training and racing.
·
Club Magazine – Our quarterly magazine is a gem. Edited and
produced by Brenda and Peter
Earnshaw, it’s free to club members and contains race reports,
pictures, results, sections on different parts of the club and plenty of fun
articles. As a high quality magazine it is costly to produce so we try to cover
costs by sponsorship and adverts in each issue. If you have any articles give
them to Peter Earnshaw on club nights.
If you can find someone to advertise then contact Steve
Myerscough or Sue Jones on club nights as they coordinates advertising and
has a simple form to make things easy for possible sponsors.
·
Club membership – There are four types of membership.
v Full
members - paying full subs, currently £20 p.a., and
eligible to take part in all club activities.
v Social
members, usually partners of runners or ex runners, who pay
reduced subs and don’t take part in running.
v Second
Claim members whose main membership is with another club but who use our
facilities take part in our club championships and pay for the privilege.
v And a
few honorary members who have given
great service to the club over the years.
As a
club member you are also automatically registered with the North
of
·
Website – This is one of the glories of the club and the envy
of other clubs. Brenda Earnshaw designs,
maintains and updates the website on an almost daily basis. It has everything
you need to know about the club plus lots of links to other websites. It has
had over 100,400+ hits since January
2005 and is a ‘must’ for
members to check regularly. One section includes a picture gallery of club
members so you can put a name to those faces you see on Monday
night and people can also find out about you based on what you choose
to supply to the website. It also includes member contact details.
3 Safety matters
·
Insurance - The club takes out insurance provided by UK
Athletics to protect the club, club officers and members from claims
against them. We have Third Party and Public Liability Insurance to
protect you from claims made against you relating to club activities. It does not cover
accidents or injuries you sustain or loss of property. For these you need
personal insurance or take potluck like most of us do. If in doubt check the Website where
insurance details are on the Secretary’s section or
ask Brian Wilkinson, the Club
Secretary.
·
Injuries – We all get injuries from time to time so our
website has a section on injuries and also lets you put queries about injuries
and treatment to Club member Brian Porter; a
specialist in sports massage and injuries. You can’t miss him and he can be
contacted on club nights
·
Be Responsible – Ultimately each runner is responsible for their
own safety. Ensure you follow instructions on club nights or at events and
always wear something light or reflective when running in the dark.
4 Running disciplines and
sections.
The club competes in a number
of disciplines and has several active groups for members to sample and join.
·
The Racers – lots of club members like to take part in races.
It’s a good way to test yourself. If
you want to race regularly then speak to Russell
Mabbutt who is the Men’s Captain or Kath
Hoyer the Ladies Captain.
·
Cross Country (XC) – The club competes in the Mid
Lancs XC League. There are six
league meetings a year between from October to March. We
also send teams to the English National Championships.
Entry to all the above events is paid for by the club and all members are
welcome and encouraged to take part. Cross country is very much a team event
and we pride ourselves on the level of support and encouragement we give to
each individual who takes part. It’s a great way to build up your stamina. If
you wish to take part in cross country or have any questions about it please
see Julie Cruse or Alan
Glasgow, our cross country captains, who will be only too pleased
to help.
·
Ladies Section – This is our fastest growing section led by our two
captains, Kath Hoyer and Julie
Cruse. As well as getting teams out at competitions the members
organise social events. Members of the section are great at supporting and
encouraging one another at events. There is a section on the website including
photographs and information on activities. Kath and Julie
are always on the lookout for new recruits on club nights.
·
Wrinklys – Consisting of mainly retired club members. ‘Team
Wrinkly’ is somewhat of a misnomer because few are actually wrinkly
- most look quite young for their age! Their main aim is to enjoy life, whether
it be through running, going as a group on holiday or just enjoying each others
company. Although they consist of mainly older members of Wesham
Road Runners, everyone is welcome to join on the Thursday
Runs/Walks and Holidays etc. In fact,
runners and non-runners, young and old, and members of other local clubs join
them on a regular basis. If you would like more information on Wrinkly
activities check the club website or newsletters or get in touch with John
Whiteman, ‘Boss Wrinkly’.
5. Club highlights
There
is a lot to do at our club - something for everyone. Here are some of the
highlights of our year:
·
Monthly Handicap - Club nights are spiced up on the first
Monday of the month with a Handicap
race. In winter it is a 4 miler from the school and in summer a
5 miler on country roads from the windmill on Dowbridge. The
races are friendly but competitive and a chance to really push yourself to
improve each month.
·
Club 10k – Our annual race is the main event in our running
calendar. It’s on an undulating course from BNFL’s
Salwick plant on the last Saturday in November. Even
with a limit of 450 entrants, it is always full and is a ‘must’ for all club
members – though offering to marshal is accepted as a good excuse for not
running. In the evening is the club annual Dinner
Dance and Prize Presentation with a chance to let your hair
down or boast/moan about your performance in the race.
·
Birthday race – The club celebrates its birthday in September with
a short friendly race from Carr Hill High School
followed by supper in a local restaurant.
·
Club Predictor –see Section 2 above
for details of this fun event.
·
Inter Club Grand Prix Race Series – This is the
serious part of the race season when we compete against five other local clubs:
Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde; Red Rose in Chorley; Leyland;
Lytham St Annes; and
·
Club Age Related Championships – This provides the best test of
performance over a full year from November to October. The
club selects ten races, most of them fairly local, covering distances from
5miles to half marathon. To enter you must run in five of the events and a
formula is used to adjust times to show them as if you were between 19 and
35/6, which are statistically a runner’s peak. It is really a bit of fun but
the formula ensures everyone is on a level.
·
Road Race Championship – This championship was set up to
promote competitiveness within the club and to generate support for local
races. It has been very successful in both of its aims. A series of around
18/19 races are chosen, including the Inter-Club races and each runner’s score
is based on their best six performances over a variety of distances. There are
awards for ladies and men in all age categories and prizes are presented at the
Club’s Annual Presentation Dinner. For more information on rules and races
involved, see the web-site or contact Dave Young (Vice Chair).
·
Illuminations Run – A lighter note, and definitely a fun run that
can’t be copied anywhere else in the world. Meeting at Starr
Gate on a Friday night in September,
runners run or jog, (take your pick), up to North
Pier and back through the lights. Also a lot of WAGS walk
from North Pier to Starr
Gate. Then runners and non-runners pile into a local Chippy at Starr
Gate for a fish supper.
6.
Improving and measuring your performance
·
Running log – Keep a daily log or diary of your running and
training. This gives you discipline to ensure you train and allows you to plot
your performance and the quality of your running. You can also use your log to
plan for forthcoming races with your own programme to prepare you for a race
you have targeted. Your running log or diary is your best friend – tell it no
lies and it will help you improve.
·
Running magazines – Most new runners are looking for tips and several
magazines are available from big newsagents like W.H.
Smith. The most popular is ‘Runners
World’ which includes races over coming months, training
schedules and features on the latest kit.
·
Club Standards – Most of us will never win a race or even our age
category but we do want to improve and measure ourselves to see how good we
are. The NEAA has set Club
Standards as national benchmarks for each age category to strive for
over 5miles, 10k, ten miles and half marathon. If you achieve a standard set
for your age group in all of the above races then you will be awarded a Bronze/Silver/Gold/Diamond
award. We make these presentations on club nights and it is a chance to
recognise the consistent performance and improvement of any member. Graham
Vickers, (men), and Pauline Weller,
(ladies), look after the Awards Scheme and can be
contacted on club nights.
·
Most Improved Runner – this is another way the club
recognises and applauds improvement. Club members’ times from 10k
and Interclub Grand Prix races are collated over a year and the most
improved male and female runners are announced at our Prize
Presentation Evening. These awards are often won by new members to the
club who can make dramatic improvements in their first year in the club due to
the competitive, but supportive, environment. So go for it and you may be the
winner.
7. Running
kit
·
Club vest – We are proud of our club vest and like to see
members wearing it - in fact it is compulsory at all proper races and events. Our
club vest is now supplied through Sweatshop at Ribby
Hall, (see
below). The vest has had a bit of an update and is now available
in the very latest technical materials for comfort and fit.
·
Sweatshop at Ribby Hall – This local sports shop supports
the club by sponsoring our events and magazine and offers a discount of 10% to
club members. For other suppliers who give discounts see the website or club Magazine. At
most major races you will also find suppliers in attendance selling kit.
·
Light and reflective clothing – Most of us run in the evenings
so that means running in the dark through the winter. Be sure to wear a
reflective bib or something else reflective or wear white clothing as an
essential safety precaution
Running the club
·
The Committee – As a democratic organisation we elect a Committee
every year at the AGM in February. Our
current chair is Dave Waywell and our
secretary is Brian Wilkinson. Full details of
the committee are on the website. If you have any ideas, suggestions or
concerns please raise them with any committee member.
·
Club meetings – The committee meets monthly on club nights and
minutes are quickly posted on the website for all to see. We have a full
members meeting every three months and an annual AGM all
held on club nights after the run. Listen out for announcements of dates or
check on the website.
8.
Club finances
·
Annual subscriptions – The Subs are
our main source of income and the level of subs is always decided by members at
the AGM. Peter
Earnshaw is Membership Secretary and welcomes
your prompt payment…..otherwise he will send you a gentle reminder.
·
Magazine sponsorship – The Magazine is a
big production and eagerly read by members but it is expensive to produce. We
try to cover the cost of this by advertising in each edition. If you know
someone who wants to advertise their business then please contact Steve
Myerscough or Sue Jones on club night as
they co-ordinates sponsorship and advertising.
·
Auditor – The club looks after its members’ money carefully and
wisely. Annual accounts are produced for all members by the Treasurer
and audited by Howard Henshaw, the club’s
resident international financial expert.
9.
To know more
Hopefully
this Welcome Pack allows you to
contact the right person in the club to follow up anything and get the best out
of your club. Fuller contact details of
all members are on the website.
If you
do want to know more or just chat about anything in this Welcome
Pack please do contact me on club nights, on 01253
874287 or at david.young1947@btopenworld.com We want to help you to run better, enjoy the
sport and join in the sporting and social life of the club – that’s why Wesham is
known as the ‘Friendly Club’.
Dave
Young, Vice Chair
With
grateful thanks to Reg Chapman, original author of this pack.