Our Vision

(What are we trying to deliver)

To create:

·     A friendly ‘community’ running club where both newcomers and current members are always made to feel welcome

·     A structured training programme with lively interactive and diverse coaching

·     Open to all levels of interest and ability

·     A broad range of competitions

·     A well organised and professional club 

·     Use of attractive and safe facilities

·     A good programme of social events

Our Ethos

(What are we about)

We are a ‘running’ rather than an athletics club; this means that as a club we focus on endurance running events such as road races, cross country and multi terrain. We are not a track and field club (though this does not stop our members from participating in track events!), and want to attract runners of all ability levels.

Although joining any running club will be beneficial, our club has its own particular ethos. There is no right or wrong to this, nor does it make us better than other clubs – it’s just what Burgess Hill Runners is all about.

a) We have a wide range of running abilities, from those running simply to keep fit to others competing in major events. The club wants to continue to attract and cater for this “broad church”, so to cater for such a wide range we have Beginners, Improvers, Intermediates, Development & Performance groups.

b) Whether your preference is to just “go for a run” in a social environment or you prefer a structured programme, we aim to provide the right session for all. The sessions are designed to push you and to help your overall training, particularly for those activities which are much more difficult to do on your own.

c) Variety is extremely important – especially over the long winter period. This we achieve by means of:-

■       Going to different places around Burgess Hill and elsewhere if possible

■       Coaching on a rota so that runners will experience different styles and ideas every week.

■       Rotating the training programme itself

d) Your safety and wellbeing is important particularly:

■       Road safety

■       Having qualified first aiders

■       Injury prevention

■       Nutritional advice

e) Above all else running should be fun; we want to encourage members to stay with running for life. For this to happen, the training has to be both enjoyable and demanding – with each runner putting as much into the running as they can manage. However, the social side of the club is important too – both informal (encouraging each other) and formal (social events).

f) In return we ask that members encourage each other, whatever their ability and fitness level and we like to encourage an “esprit de corps” within any training group as well as within the club as a whole.

g) We are often asked how fit do you need to be to join the club. With the Beginners Group we can cater for those able to run for around 15 minutes continuously. It really isn’t necessary to be able to do more than this – we will help you improve and achieve your goals.