Meet Hannah, 3rd year English student and President of UoN’s Athletics Club!
How did you first get into running?
I’ve been involved in running for years- my mum became the cross country coach at my primary school when I was in year three and I’ve been hooked ever since!
What is it like being President of your club, is it hard work or do you enjoy the buzz of it?
It’s busy! There’s always someone that I need to speak to or an email which needs sending but it’s a lot of fun too. I’ve learnt so much through doing it and I’ve also had an amazing committee to help me which has made the job a lot easier!
What has been your favourite part of being President of the club?
I love many aspects but getting to work closely with so many people who love the sport and being in a position to help develop areas of the club to benefit members in the future have been two particular favourites.
How many members do you have?
134!
How is your club divided up?
The club has two sides, Track and Field and Distance/ Cross Country so our members take part in a huge range of events from jumping and sprinting through to 10km cross country races and half marathons.
Do you have any big events coming up?
Yes! We have our annual Ed Prickett Memorial Road Relays coming up this Saturday (5th March) which anyone can take part in. It’s always a great event, even if I am a little biased! It is run in teams of three, (for women) and four (men and mixed teams) and follows a two mile course around our beautiful campus. There are loads of prizes to be won and the event raises money for the Ron Pickering Memorial Fund too which supports up and coming athletes.
Can you tell me a bit more about Ed Prickett’s story?
Ed Prickett was one of the best runners our club has ever seen. He was tragically killed whilst competing for us up in Gateshead in 2004 and as a mark of respect the club renamed their annual event in his memory. It has continued to attract runners (both serious and social) from across the university and country ever since.
How can new members get involved with your club?
It’s so easy! We actually have two free runs a week which anyone is welcome to come along to without membership. They’re both three miles, meeting outside Jubilee Sports Centre at 17.45 on a Monday and Friday. For anyone that wants to join, just go to the SU website, click the ‘Clubs’ tab, scroll down to Athletics and then add our membership to your basket. We welcome runners of all abilities- I promise we’re not all really serious!
What kind of socials do you have?
We have a range of socials, often ending up in Crisis and in an array of different fancy dress costumes too! A personal favourite is our scavenger hunt which involves being split into teams and sent around the city with a list of funny challenges to do which is always a lot of fun. We also have numerous post-race meals and bigger meals at Christmas and at the end of the year.
How many times do members tend to train a week?
We have five sessions throughout the week but only a few of the really keen runners do all five- most tend to do one or two. Our Tuesday sessions are particularly popular and a good place for newbies to start.
What is your biggest achievement as a club so far this academic year?
On the Cross Country side, getting 50 runners to the start line of BUCS Cross Country a few weeks ago. BUCS is the biggest event on our Cross Country calendar and this year it rained the whole day making racing and spectating conditions terrible. To get that many runners involved was incredible. Similarly, on the Track and Field side, we had five individuals make the finals at BUCS Indoors two weeks ago which was very impressive and a large number of our team ran personal bests too- we can’t ask for more than that!
What is your biggest achievement personally?
It’s a tough one but I think finishing 45th at the English National Cross Country Championships last year.
Are you looking forward to the completion of the new Sports Village? Will this be an opportunity for your club to expand and make use of the new facilities?
I can’t wait to see what it’s going to look like! And I think it’ll be an amazing facility for the university in general but as a club we tend to train out on the roads or over at Harvey Hadden’s athletics track. That said, some of our sprinters/ jumpers might use the new 60 m track which they’re putting in for short sessions or circuits.
Got any tips for aspiring runners?
Just give it a go, what have you got to lose?
Thanks for chatting to us Hannah!
Join Athletics Society:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/182616548438168/?fref=ts
For more information on the upcoming Ed Prickett Relays:
https://www.facebook.com/events/166176843761304/
Photo sources:
Photos are author’s own
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