Stragglers Position On Coronavirus (Covid 19)
Posted by Alan Mawdsley on 15 March 2020
CLUB STATEMENT ON COVID-19
From now until at least the end of May 2020, all club activity is suspended, in line with guidance issued by England Athletics. You can read the full statement from EA here.
This covers all club events including the Summer Grand Prix, Junior Running Group, 5k handicap and the Green Belt Relay. The Welsh Castles Relay, scheduled for June 6-7 has also been cancelled.
We plan to reschedule the Winter Grand Prix celebration, and look forward to marking our wet and muddy successes on a warm summer’s evening.
The disappointing decision to cancel the 2020 Green Belt Relay has also been made. We would like to thank Peter and Alex and their support team for all their hard work to this point, especially in recent days as contingency plans were considered.
The EA guidance covers until the end of May and we will give a further update on training sessions as this unprecedented situation evolves. The Stragglers support EA in saying “Where possible, athletes and runners at all levels are encouraged to maintain their own personal fitness and keep active during this time, while following government guidelines about safe distance and safe exercise environments.”
For NHS guidance please see this page.
Now is an important time to remember that many of us get more from a running club than just running. If you or someone you know of are finding this difficult, please reach out to other members for support and look out for each other.
Finally, we know some members will have had the disappointing news that their spring marathon (and other races you’ve been training for) have been postponed, including those successful via our London Marathon draw. Many committee members are experienced marathon runners and appreciate the disappointment, and we hope you will be able to make the start line of any rescheduled date or are able to use the hard training in other races over the summer. You may find this advice from head coach Kev Best useful for maintaining your fitness until the rescheduled races in the autumn.
Stay safe, and we will update you when we have further news.
The Stragglers Running Club Committee
