About Ely Runners

Ely Runners meet for training outside the Paradise Centre, Ely every Tuesday evening (6pm or 7pm) and Thursday evening (7pm only).

Tuesday and Thursday evening training runs are varied and enjoyable, with three all-ability training groups.

There are also sessions on Fridays at 9:30am and most Sundays at 9am where the emphasis is on easy, social and chatty running.

Tuesday training consists of hill training (even in the Fens!), speed work, repetitions and intervals.

A third group is for those who want to run at a steady pace which is slower than may be found on the Thursday runs.

Two of the Thursday training groups offer a longer steady or tempo run around the City or into the surrounding countryside, depending on daylight.

A third group offers a choice of intervals or a steady run.

If you find yourself at a loose end on a Friday morning then why not ease into the weekend with a friendly and gentle tour of the local paths and villages around Ely.

Starting from outside the Paradise at a civilised time of 9:30am and more often than not finishing in a local cafe!

Many members use Saturday mornings to attend and/or volunteer at Parkruns near and far.

The nearby runs at Littleport, Ben's Yard and Soham are well attended with some members opting for a parkrun sandwich - commuting to and from the parkrun on foot to up their weekly mileage!

For members not racing on Sundays, there is a regular friendly chatty run open to all starting at 9am from the Paradise Centre.

Runners of any ability or standard are always welcome to join the club and attend any of the training groups.

For membership enquiries email:- membership@elyrunners.co.uk or just turn up at the Paradise Centre at 7 pm on a training evening.

Joining information can be found on the How to join page.

The arrow marks the location of the Paradise Sports Centre in Ely

Ely is located about 15 miles north of Cambridge on the A10

Ely Runners was formed in 1985 and now has over 300 members. Since then, rail and road links have improved and the population of the small city of Ely, with its close proximity to Cambridge, has grown from about 12,000 to a younger population of about 18,000. The club has Community Amateur Sports Club status.

Ely Runners train from the Paradise Sports Centre in Ely on Tuesday (intervals and hills) and Thursday (steady run) evenings. There are also easy, social and chatty runs on Friday and Sunday mornings. The evening sessions have varied daylight and dark programmes with options according to ability.  They are enthusiastically attended with each of the 3 groups regularly attracting between 10-30 members.

The club has a wide range of membership from Juniors to over 70 years of age. About a third are ladies. The club current activities are cross-country, trail running, road running, fell running, track racing, and race walking. Whilst the club caters for runners of all abilities, it has achieved many successes in national, regional, open, championship, relay and league events. There are plans for an athletics stadium in Ely and the club hopes to expand its success into track and field activities.

True to their Fen Tigers tradition of not being overwhelmed by outside influences, including excessive bureaucracy, Ely Runners were the first club to be affiliated to ARC. Also, the 2007 Grunty Fen Half Marathon was the first ARC permit event and included the 1^st ARC championships. Former club secretary John Turner is on the steering committee and also a director of ARC.

The club is also affiliated to ARC ABAC, UKA, EA, FRA, TRA, CAA, ECCA, EAA, GCAN & several members belong to Eastern Veterans AC.

Ely Runners organise the popular open event:

• New Year’s Eve 10k Road Race (31^st December) www.newyearseve10k.co.uk

Additionally, the club holds four private events for members:

• Club Cross-Country Championships (usually in January, sometimes February)
• Turing Trail Relay (3^rd Sunday in March)
• Club One Mile Handicap (a Thursday in June)
• Club 10k Handicap (a Thursday in July)

The club also belongs to two local leagues:

• Frostbite Friendly League (Six multi-terrain races of about 5 miles one a month from October to March on Sunday mornings).
• Summer 5k League (Six or Seven 5k races held on Thursday evenings from April to August. Courses are varied - fast road to hilly trail).