A friendly running club based in Leeds.

Welcome to Valley Striders!

We are a friendly running club based in Alwoodley, Leeds.

We compete in road, fell, cross country and trail running, and we enter teams into county, regional and national events.

All ages and abilities meet for training on Tuesday evenings at the Old Leodiensian club (“Leo’s”), with additional social runs setting off from various locations on Thursday evenings.

We have over 250 adult members, ranging from complete beginners to 2:30 marathon runners.  We also have a thriving junior section with over 100 members aged 8 and up, as well as a cycling club and a triathlon club adding a further 200+ adult members to our ranks.

Upcoming Events

Latest News

Leos training map when main field unfit layout 2
23 Mar: Junior Names for 26 March 2024

updated Saturday 2pm . There will be a message here before 4pm Tuesday to let you know whether or not…

Leos VS juniors training autumn 2022 map
22 Mar: Juniors Training at Leos 2024

Published 22 March 2024 From April to mid September, sessions will approximately alternate between Leos and GSAL. From mid September…

Junior Names for 26 March 2024

Leos training map when main field unfit layout 2

updated Saturday 2pm .

If the sessions at Leos have to be cancelled then we’ll run one group of 18 at each timeslot at Alwoodley Green (meet at Leos). Criteria for selection will be: 4:45 year 2 and above, 5:30 based on Peco races but will try to fit in those who missed out 2 weeks ago , 6:15 year 2 and above

https://www.valleystriders.org.uk/booking-junior-training-sessions/

Note for future weeks

In future weeks, if the ground conditions at Leos are poor, then we’ll reduce to 1 groups of 18 at each timeslot. These will be by invitation only. Information about this can be found at https://www.valleystriders.org.uk/junior-session-at-alwoodley-green/

Membership Fees

Footwear

  • Studded fell shoes – allowed, especially recommended
  • Studded trail shoes – allowed, recommended
  • Studded football or rugby boots – allowed, recommended
  • Normal running shoes – allowed, take care
  • Bladed football boots – to be discussed on Facebook post
  • Running spikes – definitely not allowed
  • “C” group footwear – see Whatsapp post
  • NB children deliberately sliding or skidding will be warned and may be stopped from doing certain activities e.g. relays and paarlauf

Safety notices

We realise that not all parents will want to help or watch from the sidelines when the weather gets colder and/or wetter and we know that the car park at Leos is not well lit and is busy.

At Leos, parents who aren’t helping with the session or watching from the sidelines ***MUST*** fill in a form with their mobile phone number and car registration and car location so that we can contact them and/or find them if there is an incident involving their child or their child wants to leave the rugby pitch before the end of the session. The form will be under the covered area in front of the clubhouse.

The meeting points will continue to be in front of the clubhouse.

Warning – NO WAGGLING – there was an incident at Leos a few months ago when one child was waggling a post and the top of the post hit another child in the face. Let’s be safe this week – before you arrive, please tell your child/ren that they mustn’t touch any of the posts at any time.

This week – 105 attending – 3 (but most likely 2) groups at 4:45, 3 groups at 5:30 , 2 groups at Bodington at 5:55, 2 groups at 6:15

NB please ensure you are aware of the rules for Confirmation and Cancellation in the following link https://www.valleystriders.org.uk/juniors-training-at-leos-2023/

If you have any queries, please comment on the Facebook post or email [email protected]

On Tuesday, if you need to cancel, please text 07775 898 558 (don’t use any other method, not email, not gmail, not Facebook, not Messenger, not Whatsapp) (but do use WhatsApp for the 6pm group).

4:45pm – 3 (or most likely 2) groups at Leos

Warm up 4:45, 1st Activity 4:51, 2nd Activity 5:00, 3rd Activity 5:09, 4th Activity 5:18, Cool down 5:27

Activity 1 will be 200m, Activity 2 – Pentathlon, Activity 3 – Relays, Activity 4 – Paarlauf
ALTHOUGH WE MAY MOVE ACTIVITIES AROUND DEPENDING ON GROUND CONDITIONS
Group 1 will do activities 4,1,2,3
Group 2 will do activities 1,2,3,4
Group 3 will do activities 2,3,4,1
Group 4 will do activities 3,4,1,2

200m Timekeeper: EMMA PICK

GROUP 1
Leader: ALEX MONAGHAN
Assistant: GARY WATT
Chloe Deak
Leo Freer
Austin Lyons
Tilly O’Brien
Søren Pailor
Harry Pick
Seth Steere
Solomon Steere
Isabelle Watt
Levi Woodger

GROUP 3 (I expect to move these into group 1 and/or group 4, depending on cancellations)
Leader: TBA
Assistant: TBA
Esmé Clark
Francesca Furniss
Elliot Rushgrove
Edward Sharp

GROUP 4
Leader: RUTH LYONS
Assistant: LORA FORSTER
Beatrice Clark
Emmy Forster
Sebby Forster
Poppy Freer
Federico Furniss
Charlotte Lyons
Flo Madley
Sophie Sharp
Reggie Smith
Connie Steere
Jonah Steere
Barney Woodger

5:30pm – 3 groups at Leos

Warm up 5:30, 1st Activity 5:36, 2nd Activity 5:45, 3rd Activity 5:54, 4th Activity 6:03, Cool down 6:12

Activity 1 will be 200m, Activity 2 – Pentathlon, Activity 3 – Relays, Activity 4 – Paarlauf
ALTHOUGH WE MAY MOVE ACTIVITIES AROUND DEPENDING ON GROUND CONDITIONS
Group 1 will do activities 4,1,2,3
Group 2 will do activities 1,2,3,4
Group 3 will do activities 2,3,4,1
Group 4 will do activities 3,4,1,2

200m Timekeeper: GERWYN SHEEN

GROUP 1
Leader: JANE ROLLINGS
Assistant: MATT GROSVENOR
Alfie Ball
Thomas Deverill
Thomas Grosvenor
George Henderson
Zaki Meer
Harry Richards
Henry Rollings
Josh Salmon
Thomas Sheen
Gus Thomas
Arthur Venning
James Walker

GROUP 2
Leader: NICOLA WALMSLEY
Assistant: CAROL REID
Helena Bolhasani
Nichola Bolhasani
Izzy Grosvenor
Lotte Hostert
Nia McLarkey
Samuel McLarkey
Kyle Reid
Leo Robinson
Alfie Thomas
Lola Thomas
Rex Walmsley
Ruby Wilson

GROUP 4
Leader: LOUISE WALKER
Assistant: TBA
Abigail Bottomley
Emmy Deverill
Ava McLarkey
Isla Robinson
Lucy Walker
Dora Walmsley


5:55pm – 2 groups at Bodington

for 6pm start


GROUP 1
Leader: RICHARD IRVINE
Assistant: ALEX GOSTLING
Bertie Bell
Dan Breedon
Imogen Burton
Rafael Burton
Conor Butterworth
Isla Butterworth
Joel Caleb
William Caleb
Gus Cawcutt
Harry Durbin
James Gostling
Kate Irvine
Felix Linley
Oliver Lubiecki
Eaden Lyons
Flo Morris
Sam Redmond
Ewan Reid
Zak Reisman
Keira Sykes
Joseph Urquhart
Joseph Whitehouse
Sammy Whitehouse
Harry Whittaker

GROUP 2
Leader: NICOLA HARTLEY
Assistant: TBA
Grace Ball
Alice Bonner
Milly Booth
Kirsten Brown
Caitlyn Hartley
Emelia Holroyd
Kirsten Reid
Jess Rollings
Lucy Sheen
Mary Venning
Maddie White



6:15pm – 2 groups at Leos

Warm up 6:15, 1st Activity 6:21, 2nd Activity 6:30, 3rd Activity 6:39, 4th Activity 6:48, Cool down 6:57

Activity 1 will be 200m, Activity 2 – Pentathlon, Activity 3 – Relays, Activity 4 – Paarlauf
ALTHOUGH WE MAY MOVE ACTIVITIES AROUND DEPENDING ON GROUND CONDITIONS
Group 1 will do activities 4,1,2,3
Group 2 will do activities 1,2,3,4
Group 3 will do activities 2,3,4,1
Group 4 will do activities 3,4,1,2

GROUP 2
Leader: TBA
Assistant: CLARE REDMOND
Jacob Coleman
Hugo Earl
Benjamin Gostling
Stan Mulley
Freddie Portman
George Redmond
Harriet Roberts
Ben Taylor

GROUP 4
Leader: TBA
Assistant: SUZANNE ROBERTS
Oliver Breedon
Alex Burbidge
Matilda Dark
Betsy Earl
Essie Molyneux
Ernest Mulley
Georgie Roberts

Booking Junior Training Sessions

Booking for 2/9/16/23/30 April now available

Sessions will now alternate between Leos and GSAL (with a few exceptions to this rule) till early September

Please book by Thursday 28 March 10pm

Popular times

We are normally able to have 5 groups at each of the 3 timeslots at Leos and 4 groups at each of the 2 timeslots at GSAL plus an extra group at the earlier timeslot at GSAL. The most popular times are expected to be Leos at 5:30pm, Leos at 6:15pm if the “C” group are also training there, the earlier group at GSAL for all weeks and the later group at GSAL in term time.

We will have an absolute maximum of 12 children in each group but would prefer to have no more than 10 because 10 is significantly less stressful than 12 for the parents leading the groups. If we get more demand than the maximum for any particular timeslot we will offer an alternative to those not “selected”. If you are able to be flexible regarding the timeslots you can come to, please indicate in the survey (you are likely to be in a smaller group if you don’t choose the popular times).

For information about sessions

If you haven’t yet filled in this survey and you want to attend on a particular Tuesday, you must have filled in the survey by 10pm the previous Thursday.

  • confirm your week’s booking by Tuesday 2pm otherwise you are at risk of losing your place
  • if you wish to cancel, do so by Tuesday 2pm otherwise you are at risk of losing your place next week.

Please choose the correct survey according to your child’s surname

I am restricted to a maximum of 10 responses per survey (saving the club £192 annual fees for Surveymonkey).

Juniors Training at Leos 2024

Leos VS juniors training autumn 2022 map

Published 22 March 2024

From April to mid September, sessions will approximately alternate between Leos and GSAL. From mid September to end March, sessions will be at Leos every week.

For dates/locations see https://www.valleystriders.org.uk/general-information-for-juniors-2024/

Safety notices

We realise that not all parents will want to help or watch from the sidelines when the weather is cold and/or wet and we know that the car park at Leos is not well lit and is busy.

Parents who aren’t helping with the session or watching from the sidelines must fill in a form with their mobile phone number and car registration and car location so that we can contact them and/or find them if there is an incident involving their child or their child wants to leave the rugby pitch before the end of the session. The form will be under the covered area in front of the clubhouse.

Parents who want to leave the site may nominate another parent to be responsible for their child(ren), they must notify the relevant leader to tell them this.

This takes place with immediate effect (from 17 October 2023)

No waggling – we have had two incident when one child was waggling a post and the top of the post hit another child in the face. We have also had several near misses. Children must not touch any of the posts at any time.

Spiked shoes – spiked running shoes must not be worn for our training sessions at Leos.

Booking forms

The booking form for the month ahead will be found at this link

https://www.valleystriders.org.uk/booking-junior-training-sessions/

For each session

PUBLICATION / CONFIRMATION / CANCELLATION (amended 27/10/2021)

  • I will publish groups and names (based on survey responses) by Friday 11:59pm (but hopefully by Friday noon)
  • If you want a place you must confirm (via Facebook) by Monday 8pm (but preferably by Sunday 10pm, PLEASE)
  • If you haven’t confirmed by 8pm Monday and the session is overbooked you will lose your place to a reserve
  • If you’ve confirmed your place but then need to cancel you can do so up to Monday 8pm with no penalty
  • I will publish the “final” list of groups and names late Monday evening
  • If you’ve confirmed your place but cancel after Monday 8pm you will have a lower priority for booking for the following week i.e. if your session is overbooked you won’t get a place, but if a place then becomes free you will get it (although it may not be your preferred group)
  • If you’ve confirmed your place but cancel less than 30 minutes before the start of your session (or you just don’t turn up), you won’t get a place for the following week.
  • Cancellations after Tuesday 1pm should be by text to my mobile or on the Facebook post. Please do not use any other method to cancel after Tuesday 1pm.
  • If for any reason we have to cancel or rearrange the session, we will publish on the website and in the Facebook Group before Tuesday 4pm.

Information about the training sessions

Although we are now free of CoVid regulations, we still have a duty of care, this is why we are continuing with small(ish) groups and asking for everyone to take care.

We also feel that we are providing better quality training sessions by having smaller groups and planning groups so that no time is wasted at the start of the session. Having 3 timeslots gives greater flexibility for parents to choose a timeslot that suits them and also means we have more space per athlete. The downside is that we never have the whole juniors club together.

From 2022, in summary:

  • attendance at sessions continues to be strictly by invitation only
  • we will be continuing with 3 timeslots – 4:45, 5:30, 6:15
  • we will have a maximum of 5 groups at each timeslot
  • we are aiming to have 10 juniors per group, with a maximum of 12 in any group
  • there will be a leader and assistant for each group
  • we will have 5 activities and rotate the 5 groups round the 5 activities.
  • the “surveys” to book for blocks of 4/5weeks (a calendar month) will continue
  • the process for publishing the list of attendees and confirmation of attendance will continue
  • the rules for cancellation will continue (we need notification of non-attendance so we can rebalance the groups if necessary)

MEETING POINTS AND ACTIVITY AREAS

NB Meeting points during summer are also in front of the pavilion, not as indicated in the diagram.

Leaders and assistant leader (selected from a list of parents who have volunteered for these roles (thank you)) will be allocated to each group. Other parents should watch from the sidelines at least 5 metres from all activities.

Leaders and assistant leaders should arrive early at the meeting point for their group.

Parents should take their children to their meeting point.

Parents can go anywhere on the rugby fields but should stay 5 metres away from any activities.

When the leader has all their junior runners, they should take their group to the first activity area and do warm-ups in this area (not using other areas of the rugby pitch or cricket pitch). NB for later sessions the leader must check that their activity area is clear of the earlier session runners before taking the group across.

Bob, Paul and Richard will co-ordinate the session, allowing 11 minutes for the first activity (to include warm-up), 7 minutes for the middle three and 9 minutes for the last one (to include cool down). (this is based on 5 activities)

All parents must remain on or by the rugby pitch while the sessions are going on. Our group leaders are not DBS checked. So if contact is needed, be it to attend to an injury or to tie shoelaces, the parent must do this.

N.B. Only the gents toilets will be open.

ACTIVITIES

The normal activities (and the activity area used) are listed below. They are all slightly modified versions of activities that we’ve done in the past in normal times. 

  1. One of the following relays NB Sadly the square non-contact relays are not suitable for larger groups, but as of 20 July 2021 we can add a new variety
    1. V S Linear relays
      https://www.valleystriders.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/CoVid-VS-linear-relays.png
    2. V S “Adel or Alwoodley” relays
      https://www.valleystriders.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Freedom-VS-relays-Adel-or-Alwoodley.png
    3. Circles. NB the link shows the CoVid version, I will explain the differences https://www.valleystriders.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/CoVid-Circles.png
  2. One of the following depending on light and ground conditions
    1. Timed 200 metre sprints
      https://www.valleystriders.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/CoVid-200-metre.png
    2. Eleanor’s (continuous) hills (between cricket and rugby pitch)
      https://www.valleystriders.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/CoVid-Eleanors-hills.png
    3. “Next!” (details to follow)
  3. One of the following
    1. Paarlauf
      https://www.valleystriders.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Paarlauf.png
    2. Circles. NB the link shows the CoVid version, I will explain the differences https://www.valleystriders.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/CoVid-Circles.png
  4. Emma’s hills (sprint up, jog back down)
    https://www.valleystriders.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/CoVid-Emmas-hills.png
  5. One of the following dependent on light and weather conditions
    1. Bob’s pentathlon
      https://www.valleystriders.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/CoVid-Bobs-pentathlon.png
    2. Lap(s) of top field (north side of bridle path). NB we will have an extra assistant for this
    3. V S Linear Relays
      https://www.valleystriders.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/CoVid-VS-linear-relays.png

For each session, Group 1 will start with Activity 1 and then do each activity in turn, Group 2 start with Activity 2 etc.

Every group will have done every activity, 7 minutes on each, by the end of the session.

INFORMATION FOR LEADERS

The group leaders will be responsible for the assembly, warm-up, all four activities and cool down for the children that are allocated to them 

Group leaders should have read the activity diagrams prior to coming to familiarise themselves with the arrangements for each activity.

Rather than handing you out a pack with a sheet for each activity (and it gradually getting wetter as the session progresses), instead I’ll put an information sheet for each activity at the start of each one.

If you have children in your group who are new, please explain the activity and, for activities that are done sequentially by the runners, let the newcomers run last.

INFORMATION FOR ASSISTANTS

The assistant will support the leader as needed (an extra pair of eyes), also

  • On Eleanor’s Hills (the hills from the Cricket Pitch), stand near the third Up (this is just before the last floodlight post), watch that the children go round all posts (this ensures they go straight up and down the hills), watch that they go round all posts at the end so that the return route is well away from outbound, ask any interlopers (e.g. dog-walkers) to walk down the line of cones that marks the boundaries (not down the middle of the activity as one did at a previous session)
  • On 200 Metre Sprints, one parent at the far end to warn about slipping; the other parent to do timekeeping for the sprints
  • On the Pentathlon, stand by the backwards running section to ensure the children head in the right direction and run safely; also observe the dips and sideways running
  • Also generally give encouragement!

INFORMATION FOR OTHER PARENTS

Other parents must watch from the sidelines. Please observe as we may call on you for help in future weeks! In bad weather, parents may sit in their cars but if so must be in the west car park (between the club house and the rugby field), not in the main car park.

For those who remain in their cars, there will be a form in the covered area in front of the clubhouse to fill in to give contact details including phone number and car registration

When the main rugby pitch is unfit for training


If all the rugby pitches are unsuitable for training, we will have 3 timeslots on the cycle track at Alwoodley Green with a maximum of 18 runners per timeslot

https://www.valleystriders.org.uk/junior-session-at-alwoodley-green/

And finally

GPS track of Training Session on 3 December by Abs Kingston

GPS track of Training Session on 3 December 2020 by Abs Kingston

General Information for Juniors 2024

Training Sessions

Our training sessions are on Tuesdays late afternoons / early evenings.

In winter we train on the rugby fields at Leodiensian Club (Leos) off King Lane. They have floodlights so we are able to use the fields all year round, weather and ground conditions permitting. We have 3 timeslots – 4:45-5:25, 5:30-6:10 and 6:15-6:55. At each time slot we have up to 5 groups each with up to 12 junior members. The 5:30 slot is the most popular and is sometimes full. We have 5 activities and each group spends 7 minutes on each activity. The activities are a mix of speed, endurance and agility. The speed activities have plenty of rest in between each sprint but for the endurance activities we do expect them to run continuously for the 7 minutes perhaps with one or two short breaks. See https://www.valleystriders.org.uk/juniors-training-at-leos-2024/

In summer we train alternate weeks at Leos and Grammar School at Leeds (GSAL). The Leos sessions are as above. At GSAL we have 2 timeslots. In term time (6 weeks) our timeslots are 6:00-6:55 and 7:00-7:55. In school holidays (6 weeks) our timeslots are 5:30-6:25 and 6:30-7:25. We have 4 groups each with up to 12 junior members. The early timeslot is more popular and is often full. We have 4 activities and each group spends 10 minutes on each. The activities are usually sprints (80m or 100m), laps (400m), long jump and shot put. At the earlier timeslot we have a 5th group of younger children and they have similar activities (e.g. they use a shot-put action to throw beanbags). For 2024 we have booked 12 weeks between April and September. See https://www.valleystriders.org.uk/juniors-training-at-gsal-2024/

These sessions include a “competitive” group – secondary school children competing in cross country and road running – at the late timeslots. This group trains at Beckett Park on the second Tuesday in the month, at the Bodington cycle circuit (running not cycling!) on the fourth Tuesday in the month, and occasionally does road or trail running away from Leos on other Tuesdays. Children who are in the final year of primary school are invited into this group from April so they can get ready for the following cross country season.

We encourage attendance by presenting medals when our junior members reach 25, 50 and 100 training sessions.

Weather

If we have to reduce numbers at any session due to reduced space in bad weather or due to over-booking in really good weather(!), then we will offer an alternative timeslot to, or, in the worst case, de-select some of those who

  • are on trial sessions while on the waiting list
  • or have recently joined
  • or frequently cancel without giving notice
  • or neither run races as a Valley Strider nor run parkruns

Training calendar 2024

  • Leos sessions 4:45, 5:30, 6:15 unless otherwise indicated
  • GSAL sessions normally 6:00 and 7:00 but in holidays 5:30 and 6:30
  • January 2/9/16/23/30 all Leos
  • February 6/13/20/27 all Leos
  • March 5/12/19/26 all Leos
  • April 2 GSAL(hol), 9 Leos, 16 GSAL(hol), 23 Leos, 30 GSAL
  • May 7 Leos, 14 GSAL, 21 Leos, 28 GSAL (hol) (subject to change)
  • June 4 Leos, 11 GSAL, 18 Leos, 25 GSAL (subject to change)
  • July 2 Leos, 9 Leos, 16 GSAL(hol), 23 Leos, 30 GSAL (hol), NB Golden Acre Relays are in July, also possible session at Brownlee Centre
  • August 6 Leos, 13 GSAL(hol), 20 Leos, 27 GSAL (hol), also possible session at Brownlee Centre
  • September 3 Leos, 10 GSAL, 17/24 both Leos
  • October 1/8/15/22/29 all Leos
  • November 5/12/19/26 all Leos
  • December 3/10/17 all Leos, 27 in Roundhay Park 10a.m. to be confirmed, 31 ??

Competition

We encourage our junior members to participate in competition suitable for their ability. Competitions suitable for all are junior parkruns, local junior fun runs such as those associated with adult races at Pudsey, Eccup, Wetherby, Kirkstall and the Leeds Abbey Dash, and the “Peco” cross country league for local clubs. Our more experienced members are encouraged to take part in local track & field leagues, the West Yorkshire cross country league and higher level cross country. 15 of our junior members took part in the English National XC when it was at Harewood in 2019.

In spring/summer 2023, 86 juniors ran at least one parkrun, 77 ran in the Golden Acre Relays, 22 in the Eccup Junior races, 20 competed in at least one track & field meeting. In autumn/winter 2023/24, TBA ran at least one parkrun, 70 ran in at least one Peco XC race, 27 in at least one West Yorkshire XC race, 8 in Yorkshire XC championships, 9 in the National XC relays and 3 in indoor track & field

On the website is a list of events that we are recommending to our juniors for the current spring/summer season https://www.valleystriders.org.uk/events-for-juniors-spring-summer-2024 . The page for next autumn/winter isn’t available yet but you can see what we did last autumn/winter here https://www.valleystriders.org.uk/events-for-juniors-autumn-winter-2023-24

Junior Parkruns

Junior parkruns are 2km runs for ages 4 to 14, every Sunday morning at over 200 locations in the UK including 6 locations in Leeds – Bramley, Bodington (Brownlee Centre), Cross Flatts, Horsforth Hall, Roundhay and Templenewsam. They are suitable for all abilities and free to enter. We see these as a great opportunity for prospective members to gain experience of running and hope that all of our members run these frequently (at least once a month).

Here’s the link to Roundhay Junior Parkrun https://www.parkrun.org.uk/roundhay-juniors/ and there is a link on the page to register. Registering at one event gives registration across all events (anywhere in the world!)

Adult parkruns are 5km for ages 11 and above, on Saturday mornings, similar arrangements.

Junior members should set their parkrun account so that the results will show their club name as “Valley Striders AC”. This is how do to it

• Click on https://www.parkrun.com/signin/
• Input the parkrun ID (usually 7 digits)
• If you don’t know your password, you can click to request a password recovery email
• Click on “Groups”
• Input “Valley Striders AC” (it will auto-fill, but don’t select any of the other Valley Striders clubs, especially “Meanwood Valley Striders”, it’s not us)
• Scroll down to look at Group Memberships
• If you can see more than one group listed, then, against Valley Striders AC, click “Make Primary”

England Athletics

We register all our junior members with England Athletics.

Most of them are registered as Social Athletes. There is no charge for this. This entitles them to be on the E.A. mailing list from which they will get promotional information about National Athletics events (including discounts on tickets) and from E.A. sponsors (with discounts on products). You can opt out of emails.

Around 15% of our junior members are registered as Competitive Athletes for which there is an affiliation fee – currently £21p.a. for the E.A. year which runs from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025. Competitive Athlete status is needed for West Yorkshire Cross Country League and West Yorkshire Track & Field League (both for school year 6 and above), and for all Yorkshire County, Northern Athletics and English National competitions. It is also required for all open races – these have a minimum age of 11 on race day.

Competitive Athlete status is not needed for school years 3/4/5 entering West Yorkshire events and Open Track & Field meetings but these may ask for an England Athletics number.

Competitive Athlete status is not needed for junior “fun” runs (e.g. Eccup Junior races and Golden Acre Relay), Peco XC League, junior parkrun and “adult” parkrun. These will not normally ask for an England Athletics number.

Parents

It is a requirement that all parents remain on site during the training session or they nominate another parent at the session to be responsible for their child.

We are entirely dependent on parents to lead or assist leading the groups of 12, but understand that many are not keen to do this. But all parents can get involved without the responsibility of leading, e.g. by joining in the session if required (e.g. to make up a team for a relay) and/or standing on the sidelines to observe the activities.

Age Range

We normally have a minimum age of 8, but younger children will be invited to try our sessions if they are running regularly at junior parkrun and/or are younger siblings of members.

For juniors aged 15 to 17, we support their move to the one of the two adults training groups both of which also meet on a Tuesday evening.

Cost

Currently £40 per year. This covers one training session per week, all year round including school holidays, weather and ground conditions permitting.

Benefits

Entry fees are paid by the club for Peco Relays and Golden Acre Relays. Members who run Peco cross country races get the value of these entry fees as a discount on their membership if they renew the following year. Other races are also included in this scheme, and for Eccup Junior Races members get a full discount and for Wetherby and Abbey Dash junior races members get a partial discount.

Club Kit

T-shirts and vests are available to try and buy on a Tuesday evening. Note that payment for these items are to a different account to that for membership.

Club hoodies can be ordered from PB Teamwear https://pbteamwear.co.uk/collections/valley-striders There is an option to have a name or initials embroidered on the front.

Waiting List

We do have a waiting list for the junior group. Please note it isn’t first in first out; we take into account a number of factors including recent activity in athletics and, in particular, running. There is an application form / questionnaire to fill in for those who are interested. http://www.valleystriders.org.uk/contact-us

Parents of juniors on the waiting list may join our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/369749209844475/ This is a closed group, only visible by parents of members, parents of prospective members and some of our club committee.

During 2023 we found that the demand for the middle timeslot at Leos and the early timeslot at GSAL was much higher than the other timeslots; we may have to limit attendance at some timeslots e.g. by not allowing access to those who are on the waiting list or who have recently joined. However we are able to offer spaces on a week-by-week basis when general demand is low e.g. school holidays.

Contact Us

To contact us, click on this link https://www.valleystriders.org.uk/contact-us/ and select “Juniors” from the drop-down.

Email to parents 2 March 2024

Contents
– Booking for March
– Peco Relays
– Peco Awards
– Training for Spring/Summer including at GSAL
– Events for Spring/Summer including Track & Field
– Membership Payments

If you have any comments or questions, please post in the Juniors Facebook Group or email [email protected] . Please don’t reply to the gmail email address as this isn’t monitored.

Booking for March

At time of writing I’d received only 30 booking forms and am expecting 80.

I’d have hoped that more of you, in the last couple of days, would have thought “oh, next week’s training is in a new month, I’d better book the Valley Striders sessions”

If you’re one of the 50 that hasn’t yet booked, please use this link https://www.valleystriders.org.uk/booking-junior-training-sessions/

Peco Junior Relays Sunday 10 March at 10a.m. at Bramley Falls Park

This is our final cross-country event of the season. And it’s free to everyone who has already entered the Peco series race (that’s 74 of you).

It’s easiest if I refer you to the page on the Peco XC website https://pecoxc.co.uk/pages/relay.html

Also I’ve created a post in the Juniors Facebook group for you to use for discussion
https://www.facebook.com/groups/369749209844475/posts/2702119229940783/

Ideally (for you and for me) you need to arrange teams of 3 amongst yourselves, ideally (but not necessarily) the same gender and ideally (but not necessarily) of similar ages. Teams of mixed genders and mixed ages are allowed and it’s all for fun anyway, isn’t it?!

When you’ve organised your own team, decide on a team name (all teams should be prefixed “VS” but other than that you can call it what you want), decide on a running order, and make the entry https://racebest.com/races/ygt83  (NB you will need to know the bib numbers of all members of your team)

If you are 2 looking for 1 more or 1 looking for 2 more then reply to the Facebook post and see if someone will join you.

The closing date is Friday 8 March at 10am, but if you are looking for team-mates, please request arrange by Wednesday 10pm. After that time I will create teams amongst all the unmatched runners.

All the on-the-day arrangements will be published later.

NB if you’ve lost your Peco race number, you’ll be able to get a replacement on the day.

Peco Awards

These will be presented after the junior relays, probably just after the adult relays start at 11a.m.

There will be awards for the first 4 in each age category.  We have 4 of our members to collect awards.  Congratulations to Alice Hirst-Sewell (4th G3-4), Levi Woodger (3rd B3-4), Imogen Burton (3rd G5-6)  and Isla Butterworth (3rd G7-8).

Also congratulations to 14 junior Striders – Ella Shanks, Ruby Wilson, Levi Woodger, Samuel Mclarkey, Nye Mason, Jonah Steere, Imogen Burton, Emilia Deverill, Abigail Bottomley, Niamh Archbold, Harry Ndawula, Caitlyn Hartley, Mary Venning, Soren Pailor – who ran all 5 races and therefore have been awarded mementos. I don’t think they will be presented next Sunday but I will bring them (whatever they are, rumoured to be a hat) to the next training session at Leos.

Training in spring/summer including at GSAL

From the beginning of April until the middle of September, we will generally be alternating training sessions between Leos and GSAL. There will be one Tuesday in July at Golden Acre Park for a relay competition and possibly 2 or 3 sessions at  the Bodington/Brownlee Cycle Track (running, not cycling!)

Please see https://www.valleystriders.org.uk/juniors-training-at-gsal-2024/  for arrangements and proposed dates for the sessions at GSAL. Please note the new safety arrangements around the building works that are taking place – if we contravene these, the first session may be our last.

Competition in spring/summer including Track & Field meetings

Last summer, 20 junior Striders competed in at least one track and field meeting. All of these did at least one track event – a sprint (80m/100m/200m) and/or middle distance (600m/800m). And more than half did at least one field event – long jump and/or shot put.

There have been a few indoor meetings during the winter but the outdoor season starts in April and I’ve recommended two meetings that you might like to try – at York on 14 April and at Cleckheaton on 21 April. The Cleckheaton meeting is one of a series of seven. There are several meetings at York but they are separate, not part of a series. The minimum age is school year 4.

This spring/summer I have planned 12 sessions on the athletics track at GSAL where we also have 2 long jump pits and 2 shot circles available to us. The first date is 2 April which lets us practice before entering the two recommended meetings. The second date is 16 April but I may switch to 9th so we have two sessions of practice before York.

Other big events during summer are the Eccup Junior Races (22 junior Striders last year) and the Golden Acre Relay Race (77 junior Striders last year)

Here’s the link to the calendar for spring and summer events
https://www.valleystriders.org.uk/events-for-juniors-spring-summer-2024/ .

Membership payments and renewals

124 juniors have paid membership for 2024 and this includes everyone who has taken part in any training session this year … other than 3 trialists who had their first session 2 weeks ago. Many thanks to all of you for your prompt payments.

Bob

Juniors Training at GSAL 2024

GSAL athletics track map

updated 1 March 2024

We plan to resume training at GSAL on Tuesday 2 April 2024 and we have booked 12 dates at approximately 2-weekly intervals. On the other weeks we will be at Leos, except one on ?? July when we will be at the Golden Acre Relays and we will possibly book 2 sessions at the Brownlee Centre.

SAFETY 2024

  • All parents must park in the back car park (staff car park). In no circumstances may parents drive their cars along the road to the athletics track, even for drop off.
  • All children, whatever their age, and even if late arrivals, must walk from the car park to the athletics track and be accompanied by their parent/guardian for the night. Anyone not doing this puts themselves at risk and also is breaking the terms of my agreement and risk assessment so puts at risk the rest of our sessions for the summer.

DATES FOR 2024

Please click https://www.valleystriders.org.uk/general-information-for-juniors-2024/

BOOKING

Survey to book for the next month’s sessions

please click https://www.valleystriders.org.uk/booking-junior-training-sessions/

CONFIRMATION

and hopefully not cancellation

  • I will publish groups and names (based on survey responses) by Friday noon
  • If you want a place you must confirm (via Facebook) by Monday 6pm (but preferably by Sunday 10pm, PLEASE)
  • I will publish the “final” list of groups and names late Monday evening
  • If you haven’t confirmed by Tuesday 2pm and the session is overbooked we’ll allocate your place to someone else and let you know by text.
  • If you’ve confirmed your place but then need to cancel you can do so up to Tuesday 2pm with no penalty – this will allow me to contact reserves to see if they want to take up the place
  • If you’ve confirmed your place but cancel after Tuesday 2pm you will have a lower priority for booking for the “following” week i.e. if your session is overbooked you won’t get a place, but if a place then becomes free you will get it (although it may not be your preferred group)
  • If you’ve confirmed your place but cancel less than 10 minutes before the start of your session (or you just don’t turn up), you won’t get a place for the “following” week.
  • Cancellations should be by Facebook post or by text to my mobile if you’re not on Facebook. Do not use email or Messenger to cancel.
  • Definition of “Following” – if this session is a GSAL session, it will apply to the next GSAL session

IF there are circumstances that cause us to have to cancel the session, a message will be posted here by Tuesday 4pm to confirm or otherwise. If we can’t use GSAL, we may go to Leos, with the same groups the “early” GSAL group at Leos at 5:30 and the “late” GSAL group at Leos at 6:15.

INTRODUCTION

Although we are now free of CoVid regulations, we still have a duty of care, this is why we are continuing with small(ish) groups and asking for everyone to take care.

When we are at GSAL …

  • There are two timeslots – 6:00pm-6:55pm and 7:00pm-7:55pm in GSAL term time (6 dates in 2024) and 5:30pm-6:25pm and 6:30pm-7:25pm in GSAL school holidays (6 dates in 2024)
  • There are four groups each ideally with 10 and maximum 12 junior athletes
  • There will be a 5th group on the early session only for school years 2 and younger (maybe some year 3’s) see note below
  • Therefore a maximum capacity of 60 at the early timeslot, 48 at the second, 108 in total
  • There are 4 activities – sprinting, long jumping, laps and shot putting
  • The timetable allows for 10 minutes to meet and warm up, then 10 minutes on each activity
  • There will be 8 parents who will be group leaders – they will collect their group together and be responsible for them being in the right place for the rest of the evening
  • There will be 8 parents / volunteers who will be activity leaders – they will manage the activities
  • Most of the rest of the parents INCLUDING THOSE WHO SAY THEY AREN’T ABLE TO HELP will be asked to assist with the activities, e.g.
    • sprinting – allocating runners to races, starting, judging 1-2-3, timekeeping, recording
    • long-jumping (2 teams) – runway control, checking for no-jump, marking landing point, raking the sand
    • laps – running (including back-marker), timing, keeping finishers in order, recording
    • shot (2 teams) – keeping athletes safe, calling up to putt, assistance with style, retrieving shots
  • Please note that dogs are not allowed on the GSAL site, not even to be left in cars in the car park

All those assisting will be briefed with what to do. None of it is technical (the most technical job is to recording 6 times on a phone) and no athletics ability is required except for some of those helping on laps

It is possible that someone from the GSAL staff will come and observe the session. It is therefore vital that you tell your children to always follow the instructions of their group leader and always stay within their group.

EXTRA GROUP AT EARLY TIMESLOT

  • for school year 2 and younger
  • would do activities in the centre of the field “Extra Activity Area” e.g.
  • V S relays
  • standing long jump
  • might be able to long jump into the spare pit (if in good condition)
  • short sprints on the outside lane of the back straight
  • shot put using tennis balls from the javelin runway

IF OVERSUBSCRIBED

We envisage the earlier timeslot (6:00 term time / 5:30 school hols) being oversubscribed and the later timeslot (7:00/6:30) possibly being undersubscribed.

If so, priority will be given to

  • those who are members vs. those on waiting list
  • those who compete at track and field vs. those who don’t
  • those who joined prior to 31 June 2023 vs those who joined afterwards
  • those who compete in general (including parkrun) vs. those who don’t
  • those parents who help vs. those who don’t
  • those who reply to surveys early vs. those who reply late
  • those on full membership vs. those on “limited training”

But the overriding rule for priority is that those who in the previous week have booked a session and then fail to turn up without notifying will be the lowest priority for the current week and those who booked a session and cancelled after 2pm on the day will be the next lowest

ACTIVITIES

There will be 4 activities

  • Sprinting
  • Long jumping.
  • Endurance running (laps of the track)
  • Shot putting. Youngest children (up to year 2) will “put” tennis balls, year 3 will “put” boules (each weighs about 800gm which is less than half the weight an 8 year old would use in competition) to practice technique, years 4 and 5 will use boules or 2kg shots, years 6 and above will use 2kg or 3kg shots.
  • We may do shuttle relays as an alternative to one of the above four

You can see videos of how to do long jumping and shot putting

Each group will spend 10 minutes on each activity.

We will have a group leader to look after each group (as we do at Leos), and they will receive the children at the designated meeting point when they arrive, move them between activities and be responsible for social distancing and safety.

We’ll also have an activity leader to look after each activity for the whole timeslot and some activity assistants to help the leader

  • for the sprints, we’ll have a starter (who will also be the leader), a false start judge, a timekeeper and finish line recorder.
  • for the long jump, we’ll have a runway checker, a take-off judge (who will also be the leader), someone to record where the jumper landed and 2 rakers. From 2023 we need 2 teams
  • for the laps, a starter (who will also be the leader) and a timekeeper, also hopefully a couple of parents to run including one to be back-marker.
  • for the shot, a technique judge (who will also be the leader) and an assistant to look out for safety. From 2023 we need 2 teams

ARRIVAL

In GSAL school holidays (e.g. 30 May) you should arrive 10 minutes before your session timeslot is due to start. You must park in the Staff Car Park.

In GSAL term time (e.g. 9 May) you must not arrive on site before 5:50pm. In previous years you’ve been allowed to park in the visitors car park but under GSAL CoVid rules, those attending external activities are prohibited from site until 5:50pm.

For all sessions, you must park in the Staff Car Park.

From the roundabout on the A61, go down the main drive and turn left at the barrier. Press the GREEN button. The barrier will go up automatically when you press the button. It won’t go up before 5:50pm in term time (go away and come back later), but will go up at all times in the school holidays. If the barrier doesn’t go up, press the buzzer.

NB don’t try to tail-gate after another car through the barrier. It comes down quickly. I saw someone try it a couple of years ago and it resulted in a damaged car (and a damaged barrier),

Having parked, make your way to the track and find your meeting point.

Children must not warm up / play on the track, nor in the long jump area. They may warm up on the grass round the outside of the track but must obey social distancing while doing this (parent’s responsibility)

SAFETY

For parents

  • Only park in the designated staff car park
  • Take care when walking from the car park to the athletics track, there is traffic e.g. buses turning round at the roundabout and maintenance vehicles near the track
  • You MUST accompany your child to the meeting point
  • On arrival at the meeting point, please leave your child with the group leader
  • Group leaders will remain with their group for the duration of the session. If they feel they need to wear masks they should do so
  • Activity leaders and assistants will remain with their activity for the duration of the session. If they feel they need to wear masks they should do so
  • Parents not allocated to a group or activity must stay by the side of the track while activities are taking place in case your child needs attention
  • Parents not allocated to a group or activity must stay at least 5 metres away from all activities unless requested to attend to their child and must practice social distancing and grouping according to current government rules
  • NB Dogs are not allowed anywhere on the GSAL site

For children

  • Obey social distancing at all times
  • Do not touch any equipment
  • Follow your group leader’s instructions to move between activities
  • Follow your activity leaders’ instructions when taking part in activities
  • Do not cross the track except when instructed to do so
  • Do not scuff the track or track markings (we want to keep it in best condition). A warning will be issued if this is done deliberately

Note regarding Standing Triple Jump If for any reason the long jump pit is out of action, we’ll be doing Standing Triple Jump as an alternative https://youtu.be/idm5DuQqf7I / https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoJEXxm1pjY&t=1s / https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u73K45, 5:30, 6:15

Events for Juniors Spring/Summer 2024

Cleckheaton track

This post will be left in place on the website and updated as the season progresses.

updated 11/03/2024 with Peco relay results and details of track & field at York on 14 April and 6 May (I’ll be at both of these)

If you’re looking for events for September 2024 onwards, there isn’t a page yet but there may be some dates listed on this page

NB If you’re looking for results from Autumn/Winter 2023/24
https://www.valleystriders.org.uk/events-for-juniors-autumn-winter-2023-24/

NB If you’re looking for results from Spring/Summer 2023
https://www.valleystriders.org.uk/events-for-juniors-spring-summer-2023/

Track & Field Season

The track & field outdoor season runs from the end of March to the end of September.

Age groups are defined to be the age at 31 August at the end of the season, so

  • Under 11 are school years 4 & 5 for March to August, school years 5 & 6 for September.
  • Under 13 are school years 6 & 7 for March to August, school years 7 & 8 for September.
  • etc

We expect to have athletes competing in

  • Yorkshire Championships (Under 13 is the youngest age)
  • West Yorkshire T&F league (Under 11 is the youngest age) (a series of 7 meetings)
  • One-off meetings (called “open” meetings) at York, Wakefield, Cleckheaton, Cudworth, Doncaster etc (a few have an Under 9 category or allow year 3 to compete as under-11)

Other Events

Include

  • two off-road relay races (one at Bramley Falls Woods, the other at Golden Acre Park)
  • several junior “fun runs” held in association with local adult road and off-road races (including recommended races at Adel and other races at Ilkley and Hawksworth)
  • a monthly 5k race at the Brownlee Cycle Circuit (age 11 and above)
  • 800m and 1500m on the athletics track at Beckett Park (British Milers Club)
  • a mile race on the athletics track at Beckett Park
  • choice of 6 junior parkruns in Leeds every Sunday
  • choice of 11 parkruns in Leeds every Saturday
  • triathlons, duathlons and aquathlons (they are in purple to make them easier to find (or easier to skip))

England Athletics Affiliation

For athletes in school years 6 and above competing in track and field meetings, England Athletics Affiliation is needed. This costs £21. The E A year runs to 31 March 2025 so the payment will cover the cross country season too. And can be used to claim discount on road races e.g. the Leeds 5k series at Bodington.

Note that those who were affiliated for the 2023/24 year will continue to be affiliated till 30/06/2024. Please email [email protected] if you are in this situation.

School years 5 and below do not need to PAY England Athletics Affiliation but, for some events, do need to be registered with E A and have a registration number.

Please see https://www.valleystriders.org.uk/members-area/club-information/membership-list/ to find your E A number and status.

SportSoft / Race-Results Entries System

Note that several of these events, including Wakefield Open and West Yorkshire T&F League, use the SportSoft/Race-results entry system https://www.race-results.co.uk/

To use this system you will need to create an account and you will need a user name. I suggest you use your 7-digit England Athletics number.

Calendar

Note regarding races marked “TBA”, we don’t know whether or not they will take place in 2024.

Sun 10 March – Peco Junior Relays at Bramley Falls Park ** Recommended for all junior members school years 2 and above *** This is free entry provided you had entered the Series (November 2023 to February 2024
12 teams each of 3 Valley Striders juniors took part – well done to all 36 of you. Figure in brackets is poistion of team in category – congratulations to Samuel, Leo and Levi, I hope you enjoyed your Easter eggs!
9 Bertie Bell (M6) 8:19, Harry Whittaker (M7) 8:46, Ewan Reid (M7) 7:45 = 24:50, Yr 7-8 Boys/Open (3)
19 Isla Butterworth (F8) 8:18, Florence Morris (F7) 9:07, Jessica Rollings (F7) 8:50 = 26:15, Yr 7-8 Girls (3)
29 Samuel McLarkey (M3) 9:20, Leo Freer (M4) 9:21, Levi Woodger (M4) 8:42 = 27:23, Yr 2-4 Boys/Open (1)
30 Lucy Sheen (F6) 9:32, Abigail Bottomley (F5) 9:16, Imogen Burton (F6) 8:45 = 27:33, Yr 5-6 Girls (2)
33 Arthur Venning (M5) 9:21, Leo Guppy (M5) 10:10, Alfie Thomas (M4) 9:23 = 28:54, Yr 5-6 Boys/Open (8)
38 Kyle Reid (M3) 9:08, Leo Robinson (M2) 10:28, Nye Mason (M2) 10:36 = 30:12, Yr 2-4 Boys/Open (4)
41 Kirsten Reid (F10) 10:31, Mary Venning (F8) 9:40, Caitlyn Hartley (F8) 10:13 = 30:24, Yr 9-11 Girls (6)
49 Francesca Furniss (F4) 10:42, Esme Clark (F4) 10:33, Ella Shanks (F3) 10:11 = 31:26, Yr 2-4 Girls (2)
54 Ava McLarkey (F5) 9:54, Soren Pailor (M7) 9:48, Arpita Kaulgud (F7) 12:45 = 32:27, Yr 7-8 Boys/Open (9)
56 Laurie Phillips (F5) 10:14, Isabelle Watt (F6) 12:02, Niamh Archbold (F5) 10:34 = 32:50, Yr 5-6 Girls (7)
58 Harriet Roberts (F6) 10:30, Eve Barton (F5) 12:29, Matilda Dark (F4) 10:31 = 33:30, Yr 5-6 Girls (8)
60 Helena Bolhasani (F4) 10:35, Nichola Bolhasani (F4) 12:35, Arabella Nancolas (F5) 10:57 = 34:07, Yr 5-6 Girls (9)

Sat 23 March – Wakefield Indoor Meeting at Thornes Park (meeting 2 of 3, £15 for series)
High Jump, Long Jump, 50m Sprints
Details: https://www.race-results.co.uk/onlineentries/uploads/info5252.pdf
To enter: https://www.race-results.co.uk/onlineentries/user/login.php?raceid=5252
Closes 20 March
Entries so far – Harry Richards, Josh Salmon

Wed 27 March – Leeds 5k at Brownlee Cycle Circuit. Minimum age 11. Need EA affiliation. http://www.racebest.com

Tue 2 April – first Track & field training at GSAL. We have booked 13 sessions at GSAL between 2 April and 12 September.

Fri ? April – Track & field training taster session at Beckett Park 6:30pm – to be arranged
for school years 4 and above – book via Facebook

Sun 7 April – Spenborough AC Track & Field Open at Cleckheaton
U11G&B 75m, 150m, 600m, LJ, Shot
U13G 75m, 150m, 600m, LJ, HJ, Shot
U13B 100m, 200m, 800m, LJ, HJ, Shot
U15G&B 100m, 200m, 800m, LJ, HJ, Javelin, Shot, PV
and older age groups and seniors
£6 for 1 event, £5 for each extra event
Details: https://www.race-results.co.uk/onlineentries/uploads/info5251.pdf
To enter: https://www.race-results.co.uk/onlineentries/user/login.php?raceid=5251
Closes 22 March

Sat 13 April – Roundhay parkrun is Valley Striders club championship event (age 11 and older)

Sat 13 April – Wakefield Indoor Meeting at Thornes Park (meeting 3 of 3, £15 for series)
Shot, High Jump, 50m Sprints
Details: https://www.race-results.co.uk/onlineentries/uploads/info5252.pdf
To enter: https://www.race-results.co.uk/onlineentries/user/login.php?raceid=5252

Sat ?? April – Wakefield AC open T&F meeting 1 at Thornes Park. *** Recommended meeting ***
– Under-11 (sch yrs 4&5) 75m, 600m, Long Jump, Shot
– Under-13 (sch yrs 6&7) hurdles, 100m, 200m, 1mile, Long Jump, Shot
– Under-15 (sch yrs 8&9) hurdles, 100m, 200m, 1mile, Long Jump, Shot
– Under-17 (sch yrs 10&11) hurdles, 100m, 200m, 400m, 1mile, Long Jump, Shot

£5 for one event, £10 for two, £12 for three (juniors may not compete in more than 3 events)
From 11:30am to 3:45pm. The one mile races are at 3:25pm
I will be there from 10:20am and will be available to show newcomers round the track and field events and explain what will happen at each one. I’ll do that at 10:40.
Entry information
Timetable
Link to enter
In 2023, three Striders juniors took part.

Thu ?? April – British Milers Club at Beckett Park includes 800m for U15 and U17 runners . Please discuss with Alex Gostling

Sun 14 April – Skipton Junior Triathlon
https://www.britishtriathlon.org/yorkshire/take-part/junior-series
9 Valley Striders took part in 2023 (some in LBT kit)

Sun 14 April – York AC open T&F meeting 1 at Heslington 11am to about 4pm.
*** Recommended meeting***
Mainly for juniors to try competitive track & field.
Maximum 3 events, select from
Under 11 – 75m, 150m, 600m. Please do not enter U13 long jump. If space for U11 long jump we will add.
Under 13 – hurdles, 75m, 150m, 1200m, high jump, long jump, javelin, shot
Under 15 – hurdles, 100m, 300m, 1500m, high jump, long jump, javelin, shot
Under 17 / Senior – 80 hurdles, 100 hurdles, 300/400 hurdles, 100, 200, 300/400,1500m
high jump, long jump, shot, javelin, triple jump, 1500 steeplechase (women)
U13 and older need E A affiliation
Details, entry and payment (£7 for one event, £12 for two, £15 for three)
https://cityofyorkathleticsclubmeets.com/
Entry closes 9pm Wed 10 April or earlier if maximum of 200 athletes reached
In 2023, 8 junior Striders took part

Sun 21 April – West Yorkshire T&F meeting 1 at Cleckheaton *** Recommended series if you can do 2 or 3 Sundays and/or are able to travel to Cleckheaton or Wakefield on Wednesday evenings *** Minimum “age” is school year 4.
From 10:30am to 4pm.
I will be there from 9:30am will be available to show newcomers round the track and field events and explain what will happen at each one. I’ll do that at 10:00.
Details: http://www.westyorkshireathletics.org.uk/wyl24index.htm
Entry: https://www.race-results.co.uk/onlineentries/user/login.php?raceid=5233
Note that their system uses the sportsoft/race-results entry system.
The total cost is £35 which covers all 7 meetings. Closing date TBA April
Here is a summary that I have produced showing which events are available for each age group at each meeting.
https://www.valleystriders.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/WYTF-Schedule-2024-summary.xlsx
Closing date 14 April. Note that there is an entry limit of 500.
Entered so far – Harry Richards
In 2023, only 4 Striders took part because the series was closed in May. Tilly O’Brien finished 2nd overall in the U11 girls category

Wed 24 April – Leeds 5k at Brownlee Cycle Circuit. Minimum age 11. Need EA affiliation. http://www.racebest.com
in 2023, 4 junior Striders ran in the equivalent race.

Sat 27 April – Doncaster Spring Open Track & Field
U11 Boys and Girls: 75m/600m/LJ.
U13 Boys and Girls: 100m/200m/800m/LJ/HJ
U15 Boys and Girls: 100m/200m/300m/400m/800m or 1500m/DT/HT/HJ/LJ/SH/JAV
U17 Men and Women: 100m/200m/400m/800m/1500m/DT/HT/HJ/LJ/SH/JAV
U20 Men and Women: 100m/200m/400m/800m/Mile/DT/HT/HJ/LJ/SH/JAV
SM&SW: 100m/200m/400m/800m/Mile/DM/HJ/LJ/JAV/HT/DT/SP
£10 for one event, £15 for two, £20 for three
Details: https://www.race-results.co.uk/onlineentries/uploads/info4927.pdf
Entry: https://www.race-results.co.uk/onlineentries/user/login.php?raceid=4927

Sun 28 April – Harrogate Junior Aquathlon (swim/run)
https://www.britishtriathlon.org/yorkshire/take-part/junior-series

TBA – Yorkshire County Junior Road Races at TBA (held in conjunction with Yorkshire Road Relays for club senior runners).

Sun 5 May – Brooksbank Junior Duathlon (run/bike/run)
https://www.britishtriathlon.org/yorkshire/take-part/junior-series

Mon 6 May – York Juniors Track meeting 2 at Heslington, York.
Under 9 – 50m (free entry)
Under 11 – 75m, 150m, 600m
Under 13 – hurdles, 75m, 150m, 800m
Under 15 – hurdles, 100m, 200m, 300m, 800m
Under 17 & Senior – hurdles, 100, 200, 300/400, 800m, 3000m
Disability – 100m, Long Jump, Shot
£7 for one event, £12 for two, £15 for three
There are also “proper” pentathlon events with high jump, long jump, javelin, shot but I suggest you don’t enter these.
School year 6 and above need E A affiliation
https://cityofyorkathleticsclubmeets.com/
£7 for one event, £12 for two, £15 for three
in 2023, 13 junior Striders took part

Mon 6 May – Yorkshire Junior Fell Running Championships at Mytholmroyd
http://www.woodentops.org.uk/assets/misc/2024%20Yorkshire%20%20Junior%20Champs.pdf

Wed 8 May – West Yorkshire T&F meeting 2 at Wakefield (see section below)

Sat/Sun 11/12 May – Yorks T&F Champs at Cudworth near Barnsley (school year 6 and above)
Information TBA
Entry TBA
Closing date 28 April

Sat 18 May 09:30 – Up The Odda Junior Races (500m to 2 miles) (Hawksworth near Leeds)
Mini dash 4 – 6 year olds
1 mile race for 7 and 8 year olds
1 mile race for 9 – 11 year olds
Hawksworth Dash 2 mile race – 12 to 15 year olds
All £6 https://racebest.com/races/g5ytk

Sun 19 May – Cookridge Community Fun Run (open to all) https://racebest.com/races/aq6e7
In 2023, 2 Junior Striders ran – Ruth Friend was 1st overall and Niamh Archbold 2nd girl

Sun 19 May – Wakefield Junior Duathlon (run/bike/run)
https://www.britishtriathlon.org/yorkshire/take-part/junior-series

Sun ?? May 14:00 – Meanwood P.S. PTA 2km and 5km fun runs at the Brownlee Centre
Details and entries https://meanwood-pta.eventcube.io/
in 2023, 4 junior Striders ran

Wed 22 May – Leeds 5k at Brownlee Cycle Circuit. Minimum age 11. Need EA affiliation. http://www.racebest.com
Results: 18 Conor Butterworth 0:18:15, 40 Oliver Lubiecki 0:20:07, 47 Sammy Whitehouse 0:20:47, 51 Eaden Lyons 0:21:18

Mon 27 May (bank hol) – Ilkley Trail Race junior races.
https://www.fellrunner.org.uk/races/f0c3ffc0-0673-42f2-9092-07f9c8533ade

Wed 29 May – West Yorkshire T&F 3 at Cleckheaton (see section below)

TBA June Meanwood Trail Junior Races at Leos organised by Valley Striders (see section below)

Sun 2 June – Pontefract AC open T&F meeting at Dorothy Hyman Stadium Cudworth
U11 Boys & Girls 75m, 150m, 600m, Long Jump, Shot
U13 Boys & Girls 100m, 200m, 800m, High Jump, Long Jump, Shot
U15 Boys & Girls 100m, 200m, 800m, High Jump, Long Jump, Shot, Javelin
U17/U20/Senior Men & Ladies 100m, 200m, 400m, 1500m, High Jump, Long Jump, Shot, Javelin
£7 for one event, £12 for two, £16 for three. Closing date 25 May.
School year 6 and above need E A affiliation
Details: https://www.race-results.co.uk/onlineentries/uploads/info5307.pdf
Entries: https://www.race-results.co.uk/onlineentries/user/login.php?raceid=5307
In 2023, 4 junior Striders competed, Athena Cooper won the U11 75m and 150m, Indi Banerjee won the U13 100m

Sun 2 June – Leeds Bradford Junior Aquathlon (swim/run)
https://www.britishtriathlon.org/yorkshire/take-part/junior-series
19 junior Striders took part in 2023

Mon 3 June – British Milers Club at Beckett Park includes 800m for U15 and U17 runners and 3000m. Please discuss with Alex Gostling
https://www.britishmilersclub.com/bmc-fixtures-2024/

Sun 16 June – Richmond Junior Aquathlon (swim/run)
https://www.britishtriathlon.org/yorkshire/take-part/junior-series

Wed 19 June – West Yorkshire T&F 4 at Wakefield (see section below)

Wed 19 June – Leeds 5k at Brownlee Cycle Circuit. Minimum age 11. Need EA affiliation. http://www.racebest.com
In 2023, 6 junior Striders ran

Sat 22 June – Huddersfield Junior Triathlon
https://www.britishtriathlon.org/yorkshire/take-part/junior-series

Tue TBA July – Danefield Relays (minimum age 15,no specific relays for juniors)
https://www.fellrunner.org.uk/races/b6f88517-b4a0-42c7-be73-f567489cabec

Sat TBA July – Wakefield AC open T&F meeting 2 at Thornes Park. Jumps and throws.
Last year’s events
U11 long jump, high jump and shot
U13 long jump, high jump, shot and discus
U15 long jump, high jump, shot, discus, javelin and hammer
U17 long jump, high jump, shot, discus, javelin, hammer and triple jump
Entry form https://www.race-results.co.uk/ and look for “John Matthews and Mike Swain Jumps and Throws Open Meeting”
School year 6 and above need E A affiliation

in 2023 one junior Strider competed, Tilly O’Brien won the U11 long jump and shot

Sun 7 July – Wakefield Junior Triathlon
https://www.britishtriathlon.org/yorkshire/take-part/junior-series

Sun 7 July – Eccup junior races at Bedquilts Recreation Ground, Adel (open to all)
A one mile race for school years 3 to 6 and a 2 mile race for school years 7 to 12.
Cost is TBA to enter in advance. See www.racebest.com website
Also a family fun run for school years 2 and younger – enter on the day. Cost is £3.
“Free Entry” – Valley Striders will refund your entry fee for these races – see the section on “Free Entry” below
in 2023, 17 junior Striders ran the 1 mile race and 5 junior Striders ran the 2 mile race
Pictures from 2023:

Sun 7 July – West Yorkshire T&F 5 at Wakefield (see section below)

Fri 12 July – York 5k – includes separate race for 11-15 year olds
https://racebest.com/
E A affiliation required

Sun 14 July – Ripon Junior Triathlon
https://www.britishtriathlon.org/yorkshire/take-part/junior-series
10 junior Striders took part in 2023

Tue TBA July – Golden Acre junior relays (also available to waiting list to run in VS teams)
All teams are of 3 runners, for the junior relay each run 1 mile, for the adult relay they each run 2.5 miles.
Age groups for junior relay, for a “younger” team all members must be school years 2 to 4, for an “older” team all members must be school years 2 to 7.
Age groups for adult relay, for a “young adult” team all members must be school years 8 to 12.
V S will manage the teams and pay for all the entries for 2023.
In 2023, VS Juniors had 23 teams (69 runners) in the junior relay and nearly 3 teams in the young adult category in the adult relay.
Click for 2023 results https://www.valleystriders.org.uk/golden-acre-relay-2023-vs-results/

Sat & Sun ?? July – Castle Howard Triathlon (NB not listed (yet) in 2024)
https://www.britishtriathlon.org/yorkshire/take-part/junior-series

Wed 24 July – Leeds 5k at Brownlee Cycle Circuit. Minimum age 11. Need EA affiliation.
5 junior Striders ran in 2023

TBA July – Washburn Valley Junior Relays and adult relays (NB didn’t take place in 2023)

Sun 4 August 10:45 time TBC – York T&F meeting 3 at Heslington (York University Campus)
last year’s events
Under 11 – 75m, 150m, 600m, sorry no long jump
Under 13 – sprint hurdles, 75m, 150m, 1200m, long jump, high jump, shot
Under 15, 17, Senior – sprint hurdles, 100m, 200m, 1500m, long jump, discus, hammer
Also pentathlon for U13 & U15 – of sprint hurdles, long jump, high jump, shot, 800m
£7 for one event, £12 for two, £15 for three (that’s the maximum)
https://cityofyorkathleticsclubmeets.com/

Wed 7 August – West Yorkshire T&F 6 at Wakefield (see section below)

Thu 15 August – British Milers Club at Beckett Park includes 1500m for U15 and U17 runners and 3000m. Please discuss with Alex Gostling
https://www.britishmilersclub.com/bmc-fixtures-2024/

Wed 23 August 6:30pm time TBC – York T&F evening meeting at Heslington (York University Campus)
last year’s events
Under 13 – 100m, 800m, long jump, javelin
Under 15 – 100m, 300m, 800m, javelin
No under-11’s
£5 in total for any number of events up to a maximum of 3
https://cityofyorkathleticsclubmeets.com/

Wed 28 August – Leeds 5k at Brownlee Cycle Circuit. Minimum age 11. Need EA affiliation. http://www.racebest.com

For September only, the new school year starts but same age groups apply to T&F so Under-11 is still OLD school years 4&5 etc

Sat TBA September – Wakefield AC open T&F meeting 3 at Thornes Park.

Sun 8 September – West Yorkshire T&F Championships at Cleckheaton
Ages are as at 01/09/24, e.g. U11 is school years 5 & 6 for year just started. There is no entry qualification other than that you must have taken part in at least one WYT&F League meeting this summer. Cost is free as it is part of your WYT&F season ticket. You can take part in up to 3 events. DETAILS TO FOLLOW

Sun 8 September – York T&F open meeting 4 at Heslington
last year’s events
Under 11 – 75m, 150m, 600m, (no field events and can’t enter into U13 events)
Under 13, 15, 17, Sen – sprint hurdles, 100m, 200m, 800m, long jump, high jump, javelin

Under 15 also 300m or 400m
Under 17 also 3000m but only if they have run sub (5:00men, 5:25women) for 1500m or sub (20mins men, 22mins women) for 5km
Under 17 men – also discus
Senior – 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m
, 3000m (no field events)
Entry link – and payments – on http://www.cityofyorkathleticsclubmeets.com
Entry link closes –
.

Tue TBA September – Valley Striders Sports Day at GSAL 5:55pm start – 80m, 400m, long jump, shot put

Sun 15 September – Wetherby Junior Races at 12:30pm – Fun run £5.00 enter on the day from 11am all ages (pre7’s to run with fee paying parent guardian) starts and finishes at Wetherby Racecourse. The junior race is before the Wetherby 10k and there will be a start and finish gantry, a race clock, and lots of food and drink! https://wetherbyrunnersac.co.uk/wetherby-run-10k/
“Discounted Entry” – Valley Striders will refund £3 of your entry fee for this race – see the section on “Free Entry” below

Sun 15 September – Pudsey 2.75km mile family run (including juniors) and 400 metres fun run for under-8’s http://www.pudseypacers.com/events/pudsey-10k NB doesn’t show junior race details yet

Sat TBA September – Golden Mile at Leeds Beckett track ages 8 to adult. Separate races for 8-11 year olds and for 12-16 year olds. https://racebest.com/races/9rf6t

Sun 22 September – Kirkstall 7 mile race … but unsure whether there will be junior races this year.

Wed 25 September – Leeds 5k at Brownlee Cycle Circuit. (Also 23 October and 27 November) Minimum age 11. Need EA affiliation. http://www.racebest.com

Sat 28 September – Meanwood Trail Race. This is for adults, the reason I am listing it is that it is organised by Valley Striders and I’m wondering whether some juniors and their parents could be marshals on the route

“Free” entry

For some races in our list of recommended events that are suitable for all abilities, Valley Striders will “pay” for your race entries by means of a discount of the value of your entry fee(s) if and when you renew your V S junior membership in 2024.

This applies to those that are currently junior members or junior limited training members (but not junior social members). If you are unsure of your membership type, check here https://www.valleystriders.org.uk/members-area/club-information/membership-list/

The small print – we won’t pay your entry fee if you enter but then don’t run.

This applies to Peco XC races (if you enter the series), Pudsey Junior Races and Eccup Junior Races and Wetherby Junior Races (£3 discount for Wetherby)

NB you also get free entry to Peco Relays and Golden Acre Relays because V S pay Racebest directly for all teams.

More detail

Junior parkrun

2km Take place every Sunday (except if other events in the parks) at 6 locations around Leeds (Bodington (Brownlee Centre), Bramley, Crossflatts, Horsforth Hall, Roundhay, Templenewsam). Ages 4 to 14 inclusive.

parkrun

5km Take place every Saturday (except if other events in the parks) at 11 locations around Leeds (Armley, Bramley, Chevin, Crossflatts, Middleton, Potternewton, Rothwell, Roundhay, Templenewsam, Wetherby and Woodhouse Moor) and 700+ nationwide. Minimum age 11

Meanwood Trail Junior Races at Leos

In 2018 and 2019 we organised races on a Tuesday evening in May, open to everyone.

1km for school years 2 to 4, 2km for school years 5 and 6, 3km for school years 7 to 11.

We may do another in 2024

West Yorkshire Track and Field League

Track at Princess Mary Stadium, Cleckheaton

4 meetings are at Princess Mary Stadium, Cleckheaton, WF15 6LW
3 meetings are at Thornes Park Stadium, Wakefield, WF2 8TY

Only open to club members.  Minimum age 9 on 01/09/2024 i.e. currently school year 4 and above.

NB Juniors aged 11 or above on 01/09/2024 (i.e. currently school year 6 and above) must be affiliated to England Athletics.  Cost for affiliation is £21p.a. but this then also covers entering similar events to 31 March 2025.

Age groups are U11/U13/U15/U17 on 01/09/2024, e.g. U11 is school years 4&5

Cost for entry is £35 which covers League meetings 1 to 6 and the Championship (yes an average of under £5 per meeting if you compete in all), which is a lot cheaper than the typical cost of £10-£12 for an open meeting, i.e. it is worth entering even if you can only attend the three Sunday events. (NB £?? for adults)

The closing date for the meeting 1 (21 April) is TBA.

LAST YEARS DETAILS http://www.wakefield-harriers.co.uk/wytfl/wyl23index.htm

Here is a summary that I produced LAST YEAR showing which events are available for each age group at each meeting. https://www.valleystriders.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/WYTF-Schedule-2023.xlsx

Email [email protected] if you have any questions. Names so far who have paid to be entered – none yet

City of York Track and Field Open Meetings

City of York / York University track at Heslington

Four dates have been announced for 2024 but there may be others.

In summary

Only open to club members.  Minimum age 9 on 01/09/2024 i.e. currently school year 4 and above.  Possibly exceptions for experienced year 3’s

Juniors who will be aged 11 or above on 01/09/2024 (i.e. currently school year 6 and above) must be affiliated to England Athletics.  Cost for EA affiliation is £21p.a.

Age groups are U11/U13/U15/U17 on 01/09/2024

Online entry will be at www.cityofyorkathleticclub.net  (entries not open yet)

All athletes get a sprint, a middle distance event (600m or 800m) at every meeting, U11’s get long jump at every meeting, other age groups get a choice of one or two field events.

Email [email protected] to express an interest – we strongly advise you to contact us before entering

Leeds Junior Run Series 2024/25?

The Leeds Junior Run Series 2019/20 comprised
– all the junior races organised by running clubs in Leeds
– the Peco cross country series
– the five junior parkruns in Leeds

It was due to run between 1 September 2019 and 31 August 2020 but was abandoned in March 2020.

It was free to enter and club membership was not needed.

There might be one in 2023/24

See http://www.leedsathletics.net/Leeds_Race_Series.htm

The Newsletter is back!

The Strider 1 v2

Many of you will remember, and miss, the Valley Striders email updates provided by Bob Jackson (unless, of course, you are a junior member or parent, in which case you will still be receiving all the news on events, training, races and results for the Valley Striders Juniors).  A few may even remember The Striders Newsletter*, published 4-5 times a year between 1984 and 2006.

With great thanks to Faith Bowman, and all those who have contributed to the first addition, the newsletter will now return.  The Strider, features news, race reports, dates for your diary, a Strider Spotlight and The Running Commentary. Enjoy reading the first addition:

The Strider – The Official Newsletter of Valley Striders AC

If you would like to contribute to future editions of the newsletter, please contact Faith Bowman at [email protected]. Submissions can also be made via the website at News Submissions – Valley Striders.

*Past copies of the Striders Newsletter (2006 and before) can be found on the archive website under History & Archives. Past email updates can also be found on this website under For Club Members.