About The Club
Quakers Running Club is a running and athletics club based in Darlington, County Durham.
Over the years, Quakers has developed a reputation as being one of the friendliest clubs in the North-East of England and is more than happy to welcome all abilities into the sport, After all, we all had to start somewhere and you don't need to be an Olympic athlete to get enjoyment out of running and athletics.
Whether you just want to start running for the sake of fitness, or you're just about to do your 25th Great North Run, we can help you get through it.
Our runners participate in a variety of events which include road running, cross-country, fell running and track and field. In addition we are also experienced in orienteering, trail running and ultra distance running.
Perhaps the most important benefit of being a club member however, is the advantage of being able to train and compete with people who enjoy the same activity as you.
Training sessions are held at and around the clubs base at Carmel RC College just off The Headlands on the west side of Darlington. The sessions are held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:30pm until 8:00pm and are open to all, non members are actively encouraged to come along see what the club has to offer. No charge is made for attending these sessions, our hope is that you will enjoy running and training with us, will keep coming back and will eventually join the club.
The training sessions themselves are deliberately set in a way that runners of all ages and abilities can use them. They basically comprise of an initial warm up (this is taken at the pace of whoever feels like running the slowest that particular night!) followed by the next part of the session which revolves around ‘quality work’ this will normally consist of some form of interval or repetition session.
All of the clubs members train together as a group irrespective of ability, the fitter members tending to do more reps or running them at a faster pace than those members who are not quite so experienced, we have found that this type of approach allows club members to help and encourage each other during the session and assists in developing a friendly and relaxed club atmosphere.
In addition to these structured sessions, 'steady runs' through the local countryside or the town often take place on club nights, these steady runs are usually arranged just before setting off, details of the route therefore will not be found on our website.
The club also has a thriving women's section, the female members of the club competing in all of the same disciplines as the male members, track and field, cross-country, road and fell.
No pressure is ever placed on any member to compete and has many members, both male and female, who just run with the club purely for fitness and enjoyment of the sport.
In addition to its athletic activities, the club has a very active social side. Members organise a full range of social events ranging from quiz nights and presentation evenings. In addition, the club offers members each year a trip to into Europe to compete, Belgium, Holland and France being recent examples (see image gallery for pictures) where ever possible the trip is organised around a venue that offers at least a 10k and both half and full marathons on the same day thereby allowing members to choose their preferred event.
Since 2002 Quakers has been responsible for the marshalling of Cancer Research UK’s ‘Race for Life’ held in Darlington’s South Park. To date the clubs members have with their support and encouragement helped over 22,000 women raise in excess of £1,000,000 to fund much needed research into cures for cancer. In recognition of this, in 2005 the club was ‘Highly Commended’ for its outstanding support for ‘Race for Life’ at an awards ceremony held in London.
The club is also recognised by the Flora London Marathon for it’s commitment to helping beginners into the sport and is the only club in County Durham to receive the accolade of being appointed a ‘Flora London Marathon Running Partner’ with the clubs details appearing on the London Marathon website
History
Quakers Running Club was formed in May 1995 with a membership of just six. The club was formed to promote participation in all disciplines of athletics.
The club currently of has a pool of thirteen qualified coaches, with this level undergoing constant expansion and improvement as members are actively encouraged to undertake coaching courses. An annual budget is set aside for coaching recruitment and development.
The club is registered with England Athletics, and the
North of England Athletic
Association (NoEAA) for the following disciplines:
Road Running
Cross-country
Fell and Hill Running
Track and Field
In
addition the club is affiliated to:
Durham Fell Runners (DFR)
Cleveland Orienteering Klub (CLOK)
Trail Runners Association
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