Report and photos by Jon Holl
Yesterday evening (September 25) four Thanet Roadrunners made the 150-mile round trip to the exclusive Denbies wine estate in Dorking, Surrey to attend England Athletics Regional Awards night.
The awards were hosted by Chris Jones the CEO of England Athletics and members of the National Board. The South East is the largest of England’s regions. Many of the clubs present were multi-disciplinary athletics clubs, some with thousands of members, their own clubhouses and athletics tracks.
Thanet Roadrunners were up against Mid Hampshire AC and Fareham Running Club, both of whom regularly put athletes on the national and international stage.
The shortlist of three was put together by a national panel of officials, based on the evidence submitted, compliance with standards in club management, welfare and coaching and evidence of community involvement. The winner from the three finalists was decided by a public vote, which was held in July.
The community took time to vote for the small running club in this ‘David and Goliath’ style battle and with the votes from Thanet people the club was able to put Thanet sport and Thanet Roadrunners on the national running map.
Club chairperson Julie Neaves said: “Thank you to everyone who voted for us and to all Thanet Roadrunners past, present and future.
“Thanet Roadrunners has a 40-year history as a local running club, so we have a real heritage. As a club, we are looking forward and want to encourage people of all abilities into running. This is illustrated by the fact we have our first lady chairperson in 40 years.
“Over the last five years we have introduced over 400 people to running through our Couch to 5k programme.
“The last two years, with Coastal Striders, we have brought together local running groups to celebrate Global Running Day in June.
“We put on three races each year, which helps us support local good charities and last year we gave away over £2000. Our 2024 charity is Pilgrims Hospices.
“Many of our members give back to the community by supporting our two local parkruns. Four of our run leaders are also parkrun run directors, with others volunteering as marshals and encouraging others week after week.
“We have a thriving junior running section, with 17 registered young runners. The committee recognises times are tight for families and recently removed all junior membership fees until at least April 2025.
“We have entered 52 runners for the Kent Fitness League Cross Country. That’s the highest ever number and almost a quarter of the club!
“If I could sum up the club in 6 words, they would be inclusive, friendly, encouraging, motivating, social and with this award ecstatic.
“We’re not the only running club in Thanet and we know runners from other clubs voted for us when they heard we had been shortlisted. Of course this is a moment for Thanet Roadrunners to celebrate, but it’s also a moment to look at what we can achieve if we come together as a running community. Thank you!”
Forthcoming dates:
Sunday 1st December: Thanet Coastal 5- and 10-mile road race (a perfect step up from parkrun)
Monday 6th January: Couch to 5K. Completely free coach led 9-week C25K programme will get running a 5k (3 miles) non-stop in 9 weeks. The primary objective is to get you there uninjured and inspired, rather than at Olympic speed.
This year the club is giving special support to shift workers as exercise can be so important for health. More details can be found on the social media pages.
