CHRISTCHURCH RUNNERS
Grange Road, Christchurch,
BH23 4JD Dorset, UK
We are a small (approx. 60 runners) friendly running club who meet at the East Christchurch Sports and Social Club, BH23 4JD (mostly on Wednesdays - both lunchtime and evening) and also at local parkruns often wearing our clubwear
Everyone is welcome, no matter what your standard and our handicapping system enables everyone to be competitive at our club events. We also do a Couch to 5k course on Tues and Thurs evenings usually in April, but postponed this year.
We organise two local races, the Hoburne 5 (late Sept/early Oct) and the Christmas 10k. Results of these and other external events in the Christchurch area are on Power of Ten. Upcoming local road races are on runbritain.
Please note that the current pandemic has prevented us holding the Hoburne 5 or Christmas 10k in 2020.
Club Events for the Quarter
We meet at ECSSC, BH23 4JD for all events.
Mondays is a social 5k run at 5:30pm (excluding Bank Holidays)
Wednesday (below) at 12:30pm (L) and 6pm (E)
Friday (below) from 12:30pm (staggered start)
Please note the above events have been temporarily suspended during the current pandemic.
COVID-SAFE SMALL LOCAL RUNNING GROUPS
A plan has been put together to restart social runs as the first step to resuming running club activities. This will have to be done in a very different way to those previously, due to the Covid situation. It is likely that club points events will not restart for the present.
Many of us have been running 5k routes alone or with our family, and it would be nice to share these routes with others at a set day and time. Government guidance allows us to run in a group of up to 6, socially distanced, and this is endorsed by England Athletics.
We have put together a risk assessment for this activity which can be viewed on the Members Area of this website.
As a first step, we would like to offer a choice of social runs in different areas, coordinated by a 'leader', in groups of up to 6. These runs will have to be pre-booked by runners to ensure the group does not exceed the maximum 6 allowed. Each of these runs will start either outside a runner's home or from a public area with parking.
The runs will be approximately 5k and will be run at the pace of the slowest runner, preferably in quiet areas that will allow distancing between ourselves and other members of the public, and avoiding surfaces such as gates that need to be touched.
Key points to note:
- Any runner with potential Covid symptoms should not participate on a run, and should notify Christchurch Runner's Covid 19 Coordinator - Tracy L
- There will be a maximum of 6 runners on a social run - this will be enforced.
- Pre booking directly with the run leader is necessary to ensure the size of the groups
- Social distancing will need to be observed during the run and pre- and post-run
- Please bring your own drinks
- There will be no changing facilities available
- Car sharing should not take place
- There will be limited access to first aid during the run because of contact issues; run leaders should ensure there is at least one mobile phone in the group in case of needing to summon help
Further info of leaders contact details and meeting points can be found in the club email messages.
(Run leaders - please send a club email to all when your run is full).
Note: all participants must have familiarised themselves with the
club COVID-19 risk assessment
Steve Shuck
Anyone who experienced Steve’s enthusiasm at the finish line of Bournemouth parkrun will be saddened to hear the shocking news about his passing.
He seemed to remember the names of the vast majority of runners, people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds, and his infectious positivity was shared instantly with everyone. You couldn’t hope to meet a more genuine, friendly and positive chap at that finish line - or elsewhere.
Steve is one of those who taught me that distance running is a sport where you can and really should help your fellow competitors do their best (and that it often seems to help you to do better).
I got to know Steve in the early noughties when we were both training for the London Marathon. I learned so much from Steve that year, whether it was tips for running or just how the sum of his small acts of kindness made such a big difference to the people he met.
His words were always uplifting; I can’t imagine him moaning about anything, even as his health deteriorated few would have known the battle he was going through.
He and I met via Dorset Road Race League races, but my first time to talk with him beyond ‘well done, keep going’ came at Bournemouth Travel Exchange on the day we collected our London Marathon numbers. No surprise to anyone who knew Steve that we chatted non-stop on the coach, and for the whole of that day!
Despite me being quite a few years younger, I only passed Steve a few miles before the finish that year. His encouraging words, even in the late stages of the race, helping to push me on to my PB. Knowing he wasn’t far behind, I loitered at the finish to cheer him over the line in return (like you aren’t meant to). A few minutes later the exertion had caught up with me. It was Steve who guided me, delirious through dehydration, to the medical tent and he made sure I was OK. It was my turn to guide a fellow runner through similar circumstances a few years later. I’m sure I’m not the only person who has followed Steve’s example by doing things like that, which is a legacy that I'm sure will endure in so many.
I know he was also one of the ‘founding fathers’ of Littledown Harriers as well as being a former chairman. Christchurch Runners is just a few miles away and both clubs (by chance) organise 5 mile races in September. Far from either being a source of conflict, our clubs have always sought to support each other. I’m sure a lot of the friendly nature of our local rivalry is down to the foundations he helped establish which I’d like to pay tribute to again here.
But more than anything Steve stands out as truly living by the honest and positive principles he wore on his sleeve. He will be missed for so much more than I can put into words here.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and his many friends at this difficult time.
Steve- rest in peace, mate.
Peter Wallis
Chairman of Christchurch Runners
