Harriers Information

Welcome to the Bedford Harriers Information page. We've provided here a few details of the Club, who we are and what we do. If you require further information, please contact us.

Our background & Membership

Bedford Harriers was formed in 1985 by around a dozen people who got together to organise a road race (The Bedford Marathon). Since then, the club has steadily grown and we now have over 450 members. We also continue to organise road and cross-country races.

Main Training Nights

The Club's main training nights are Mondays and Wednesdays. We meet at Bedford International Athletic Stadium, (Barkers Lane, Bedford) at 6.30pm and following a Club warm-up session, we split into around a dozen different running groups of various standards. The groups usually start their training sessions at 6.45pm and most are back in the stadium by around 7.45pm to 8.0pm. Details of the individual group training schedules are updated on a monthly basis and displayed on the club's notice board in the stadium and also on our website.

In addition to the main Monday and Wednesday training sessions, we also organise Friday night track sessions or indoor circuits.  These start at around 6.30pm and are usually finished by 7.30pm. The track sessions and circuits are open to members of all running abilities.

Coaching

Each of our running groups are lead by qualified coaches. All are qualified to at least UK Athletics (UKA) Level 2 standard and a number are qualified to or seeking higher level certification.

We operate a coaching hierarchy. This is based on the desired or range of 10k race time run by members of the group. Details are in the table below.

Membership

People interested in joining us can come along to the Club on any Monday or Wednesday. For those who are new to running we also offer an 'Absolute Beginners Night' in April each year. On this night we provide information about the club, about running in general and the programme of training that beginners will undertake over the following three months. For further details about the latest such  programme click here.

Membership costs £15 a year. People knew to the club are allowed one month's free trial and coaching. At the end of this period, they are required to complete our membership form and pay the appropriate membership fee.  Harriers Membership Form

Harriers Organised Races

Bedford Harriers currently organise three road races each year. These are the Doug Anderson Memorial 5k, The Bedford Harriers Half Marathon and The Oakley  20. Together these races attract around 3,000 entrants from all over the UK.

Club members are welcome to run in these races. If not running however, they are encouraged to marshal at the events. Income from these races helps to subsidise the cost of membership and also support club funds. These funds are in turn used to purchase equipment for the club, subsidise the cost of coaching courses for members and provide transport to races etc.

Road Racing

Many members regularly run road races.  Particularly popular are the London Marathon and the Gt North Run in Newcastle, which normally attract between 40 and 50 Harriers entrants. Local races which attract up to 100 club members, include the Doug Anderson 5k, the Biddenham 10k and the Colworth 5.  The race times achieved in all races are recorded on the Race Results Pages  of the club's website on an ongoing basis.  Each members individual times are also recorded on their own Runners Page c

The club operates its own road race hampionship. This consists of six road races - and is based on age graded scores of runners and  calculated from official race times.  Awards are presented to the overall winners on the road race championship, to the winners of the individual races and to the age category winners. The awards are presented at our Awards Night in December. 

Cross Country

The Club takes part in the 'Three-Counties Cross Country' Series each year. This is a series of five monthly races that begin in October and end in February. A dozen running clubs from Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and Hertfordshire compete in the series. The third of these five races, which is run in November or December,  is ofteny organised by the Harriers and held around Priory Country Park. For those unfamiliar to cross-country, we organise X-C training runs on the Sundays leading up to the start of the series.

In addition to the above series, members of the club also take part in the Bedfordshire X-C and the South of England X-C championships. These events are usually run in January.

Harriers Kit

The club provides a range of running kit items.  These currently include club vests, club shorts, club t-shirts, club sweatshirts and club sports bags. Club members running in road or cross-country races are required to run in the Harriers club kit. The kit can be purchased from Ian Kingston or Steve Gaunt.

The Committee

The Harriers is currently run by a Committee of  members who meet on the first Monday of each month .   Our Annual General Meeting is held on the last Wednesday in March. Elections to the Committee are held at this time and all members of the Club are eligible to stand for committee membership. The Committee year runs from April to March.

The Committee for the membership year 2007/2008 is:

Use of Athletic Stadium

The Harriers are based at Bedford International Athletic Stadium and all club members are required to purchase a Stadium Users ticket. This annual ticket, which can be purchased from the reception at the stadium, costs £55.00 a year from April to March or a reduced fee from September to March.

Local Sports shop

The 'No Limitz' sports shop at 42 Harpur Street, Bedford offers Harriers members 10% discount of their purchases. Club membership cards may be needed when claiming the discount.

Precautions to Take while Running

Bedford Harriers provides runners with safety advice when out running. Details of this can be seen here.

Further Information

If you require further information about the Harriers, please contact us at hello@bedfordharriers.co.uk