About Us

Whether you've never ran before or running is your life, we welcome everyone to be part of our all inclusive club! 

Members

The great thing about running and athletics is that anyone can do it and we therefore cater for all abilities. Anyone can stick on a pair of trainers and join in! The wide range of sessions we offer allow loads of flexibility: whether you want to compete at high level athletics events, such as BUCS, less serious events such as a local cross country or open meets, or if you just want to keep fit and have fun doing it then the running and athletics club is definitely the best team to join! To join you must be a current student (undergraduate or post-graduate) at the University of Leicester. Once you are a member the club you can access all the club's great training sessions and the clubs pays for travel and entry into competitions. 

The Club

We are ONE club made of four strands which means there is something for everyone:

• Athletics - led by our UK Athletics qualified coach, our athletics squad train for and compete in track competitions. They take part in indoor meets throughout the winter and outdoor meets in the spring, leading up to BUCS Indoors and Outdoors Athletics Championships.

• XC/Road Middle distance - led by our UK Athletics qualified coach, our middle distance squad train and compete for cross country and road races. The squad take part in the local North Midlands Cross Country League, before competing at the BUCS XC. Once the cross country season is finished, we compete at a range of road races throughout the spring and summer.

• Jogger's Club - lead by our jogger's captain, the club welcomes everyone to enjoy the sport of running and get fit doing it. Going on jogs in a sociable and relaxed environment a few times a week to improve both physical and mental health.

• Field events - training in collaboration with Saffron AC, our field squad compete in indoor competitions through the winter before BUCS Indoors. Then, things really kick off with the outdoor season, with BUCS outdoors being the highlight of the year!

We train, compete and socialise together as one club making for a great student experience!

Furthermore, we also organise some of our own great events throughout the year including our Pride Colour Run, Victoria Park Relays, Varsity with DMU runners & Team Leicester Open Meet! 

Coaches

We have 2 excellent coaches that lead Monday training sessions every week and provide great support, training plans and advice year round:

• Martin is our Level 2 UKA middle distance coach and long time UOLRAC legend - still holding the club's mile record 50 years later! Martin is like a dad to all of our members, looking after the whole club and ensuring we get the best out of our running!

• Mary is our Level 2 UKA athletics coach, joining UOLRAC a few years ago to bolster our track squad! Mary provides a new dimension to track training taking our athletes under her wing to develop them into the fastest on the track!

Competitions

We head to a range of competitions over the year, which are always surrounded by our friendly team atmosphere:

Cross Country

Cross country is a great discipline, it’s a type of running that people often shy away from because it is hard work, but you quickly learn to love it as it’s the hard work that makes cross country worth doing!
There are few better feelings than finishing a tough cross country course knowing that you’ve tried your hardest and put in a good personal performance. It’s all about getting stuck in and trying your best; its this which makes cross country a fantastic team sport.
Whether you come first or last, you’ll all have put in a big amount of effort during the race and it's this shared experience that brings you together with your team mates.  When you add together the high sense of personal and team achievement and also, throw in the fact that it’s often a great day out at some lovely locations out of Leicester. Cross country is well worth a go!

if you are interested in giving cross country a go, speak to our Endurance Captain!

Indoor Athletics

These are a great day out in the winter staying out of the cold weather and an opportunity to track (no pun intended) your progress with times on the track and distances in the field! We head to a range of indoor meets throughout the winter leading up to BUCS Indoor Athletics Championships in the early spring. Also, thanks to the fantastic atmosphere, indoor track athletics is also a really good for people who may be more new to the sport and is something to be highly recommended!! 

Outdoor Athletics

Track and field is the mainstay of our summer competing. We’ll be heading to a number of events over the spring and summer terms including local open meetings leading up to the BUCS Outdoors Athletics Championships in May. For seasoned athletes we’ll be able to offer all the opportunities you need to get times before BUCS and set bigger and better PBs; for those not so familiar with track and field athletics it's fun and easy to get into! People find track athletics intimidating and feel it’s only for ‘Pros’, but its really accessible for everyone of any ability. The open meetings we attend are particularly good for this! But above all else, athletics is exciting; exciting to compete in and exciting to watch and cheer on your mates!!

if you’re interested in joining our track and field team, speak to our Track Captain!

Relays

There are four major local relay races in which the club has enjoyed success in the past, including our very own Victoria Park Relays which take place in November. The Warwick Cross Country Relays are the only cross country relays in which we take part. The Birmingham and Nottingham relays are both on the roads around their university grounds.
All these events are suitable for any ability and take place in a relaxed environment. The entry fees are covered by the club and the travel costs are heavily subsidised.

We also compete against our rivals DMU in varsity in relays; as reigning champions it's a crown we don't plan on losing!

Social

Our club's foundations are built on the social interactions of our members. We organise a whole range of socials throughout the year, everything from bar crawls to non drinking socials such as laser quest. We hold an annual Christmas social which is a curry night and organise our annual Alumni Ball! These are great opportunities to get to know your fellow runners and form friendships for life! 

How to join

To join you need to have at least a Team Leicester membership, then simply pop into the campus gym and purchase a club membership at the desk. Membership for the Running & Athletics Club costs £30. You will also need at least a Team Leicester Membership which is £100 (Gold Membership £150). As a member you can then access all of our training sessions, socials, competitions, transport and much more!

For any further information on joining the club or purchasing gym memberships, don’t hesitate to ask one of the committee!