Bracknell Forest Runners

Welcome to Bracknell Forest Runners, an active club with 265 members which was founded in 1989 and is UK Athletics affiliated.

The club aims to run on an informal, friendly basis and seeks to cater for a broad range of running abilities and ages. Qualified coaches who actively participate in training sessions and events are available to give advice on training needs.

Sessions

We meet four times a week:

Wednesdays
The main club night at the Bracknell Leisure Centre running track from 6:45 pm. The evening starts with a warm up and the main session starts at 7 pm and lasts about 1 hour. Training takes the form of track sessions with runners organised into groups of approximately equal ability. During the Summer we also provide sessions at The Lookout for those who prefer a run in the woods - same start times as for the track. The start and end of the Summer lookout sessions will be annouced in our News section.

A charge of £1 per track session is made. New potential members get 3 free evenings prior to committing to join the club.

Fridays
In the months of April to September meet at The Lookout at 6:00PM for an hour’s run in the woods. From October to March meet by the all weather pitches at Bracknell Sports Centre also at 6:00PM for an hour’s run around local paths and cycle tracks. There are two groups one at a pace of 7.5 minutes per mile and the second at 8.5 minutes per mile.

Sundays
Meet at the The Lookout at 9:20 am for a run of about 1 hour through the forest. Different groups are formed according to running ability.

Mondays
Meet by the all weather pitches at Bracknell Sports Centre at 6:45PM for an hour’s run around local paths and cycle tracks. This is a social run at a pace of around 9.5 to 10 minute mile pace. If you feel the need for a bit more speed during this session then you may run on ahead and then double back to the rear of the group. In the summer we may include a bit of running in the woods.

Winter Distance Training
In November each year we publish our distance training schedules. The aim of theses schedules is to assist those training for spring marathons particularly Paris, Brighton and of course London. However you don’t have to be taking part in a marathon to join these groups; if you’re looking to up your endurance for any reason you’re very welcome to join in. Please refer to the Winter Distance Training section for more details.

Other Sessions
Individiual club members frequently form training runs at other times, or form ad hoc groups for such events as the London Marathon. Club teams or individual members frequently attend running and multi-sport events across the country and even further afield.

Popular Events

We actively participate in the Thames Valley Crosscountry League held over the winter months.

Other main events that attract members are the Grizzly, the Yateley 10k Series, the Beachy Head Marathon, local Relay Races and the London Marathon. We also hold our own race the "Forest Five", a 5 mile race held at the Look Out which typically attracts 400+ runners.

Social Activities

On the second Friday of every month we have a social activity. These activities include skittles, quiz evenings, dances and “Pub of the Month”. Other ad-hoc social activities include our mince pies evening on a Wednesday just before Christmas, rounders on a Sunday afternoon in August and at least one barbeque each year. Trips to far-off events in the UK and abroad have always possessed a strong social element as well as running. Club news, articles and future events are regularly posted on this website and “Blogs” from the chairperson will be e-mailed on a regular basis.

Membership

Our membership year is April 1 to March 31. Fees for existing members are £12. Fees can be paid in cash or by cheque payable to Bracknell Forest Runners and handed to the Membership Secretary. Alternatively payment can be made by bank transfer to our account with Lloyds Bank sort code 30-91-31 account number 02576009 account name Bracknell Forest Runners. If you pay by transfer please ensure that you include your name in the narrative so we can allocate correctly.

The fee for new members is £12 which gives membership through to March 31 following the date of joining, plus a £10 joining fee, however if new members join late in the membership year there are some special concessions which the Membership Secretary will explain.

New members will be issued with a club top on joining the club to encourage them to compete in club colours. Download a membership form or pick one up at the track.

Concessions exist for OAP's, people in full time education and the unemployed. For this, in addition to the above benefits one usually receives a reduced entry fee for events and a 10% discount at Apex Sports.

For further information or advice please contact one of the committe members or come down to see us at one of the above sessions.