Who are we?
We are simply a group of friendly people who love to run. Some of us are quick…. and some of us are not! It doesn’t matter. Whether you’re a serious runner, a social runner or just starting out, we’d love to welcome you to our club. Whatever you want out of your running; be it competition, fitness, weight loss or that first 10K, half or even full Marathon, our more experienced runners are happy to offer advice and above all, encouragement.
If we had anything as grand as a ‘club philosophy’ it would be that running should be fun and that it is about achieving personal goals, not necessarily winning and breaking records.
Where do we meet?
During the winter months (mid-September to March) we meet every Wednesday at Manor Road (meeting in the car park of the Roger Bettles Sports Centre). We meet at 6.55pm for a 7.00pm start.
During the summer months and lighter evenings (April to early September) we often visit the Leicestershire countryside basing our run in one of the County villages. You can find out where we are running and download a map of the route on our homepage.
We also have a structured session (7pm, Victoria Park War Memorial) on most Tuesdays where our coaches will supervise drills, intervals and hills. We also run occasional Strength & Conditioning classes (ask for details). On Monday nights there is the option of joining up with our sister group, Scraptoft Joggers, who run from the White House pub.
What happens at a training night?
We usually have 3 route options planned: 4 miles, 5-6 miles and 6-7 miles and maps of each route are posted on the homepage in advance. We don’t operate regimented pace groups but encourage those running each route to organise themselves according to the speed they want to run. Who you run with depends on how much you want to push yourself (or where the most interesting conversation is going on)!
For some runners Wednesday training is an opportunity to have a good workout, whereas for others it is mostly a social thing.
Whilst we like to keep things informal, we will always make sure that new runners and the less confident have someone to run with.
I’m worried I won’t be good enough.
Don’t worry! If you like to run then the chances are, you’ll be fine. We are not all elite athletes (far from it in some cases!). To get the most out of our training runs it would be best if you can manage to run about 4 miles without stopping (whatever the speed).
We also operate an ‘improvers’ group for those that have completed a parkrun (or 5K) and want to build up their distance. Remember, everyone has to start somewhere – none of us were born runners – and we’re very happy to help you. We have several qualified run leaders to help you on your way.
Most people find that running with others is the quickest and easiest way to improve. If you make a regular commitment to your running, whether it is with a club or on your own, you’ll be surprised to find how quickly you move forward.
Do I have to come every week?
No! You are welcome to come as much or as little as you want; it’s entirely up to you. We have some members who come most weeks and others we only see occasionally or even only at races. As long as members are happy with what they’re getting from the club, we’re happy too. The only firm commitment you make is to honour our codes of conduct.
Complete Beginner?
We no longer offer couch to 5K courses but there are other groups that do. You can find information and listings of local beginner groups/courses at https://runtogether.co.uk/ or https://www.active-together.org/running
Alternatively, you could run with our sister group Scraptoft Joggers; (lead by Clint, one of our honorary members) who meet on a Monday.
Does everybody do races?
No. We all run for different reasons, and we welcome the social, the competitive, and the in between (which probably applies to many of us). We offer a cheaper Social Membership option, for people who are not interested in racing, which doesn’t include individual registration with England Athletics.
Many of our members take part in the Leicestershire Road Running League, the Derby Runner Cross Country League and lots of other local races. Some runners join us as experienced racers, some know they want to give it a try but others, who now find they enjoy it, hadn’t even considered it when they first signed up. We’re delighted when members want to represent the club by entering races, but we recognise it’s not for everyone and will never push.
If you’ve never tried one, races can be a lot of fun; they’re a great way improve your fitness and they can provide a focus for your training. Don’t worry if you’re not very quick, most races cater for everyone. The chances of finishing last are small, and no one will judge you if you do; the final runners often get the biggest cheers of the day. Runners are friendly and supportive people, so you’ll get plenty of encouragement along the way.
I’m interested, what do I do next?
If you are interested in running with us, or you’d like more information, please get in touch by email (roadhoggsleicester@gmail.com) or phone 07711 588986 (Dave Lodwick).
You are welcome to come and run with us anytime you like, without obligation, while you’re making up your mind about joining.
our history
I suppose it all started with the huge success of the first ever London Marathon in 1981. Suddenly you started to see people running through the streets in an effort to keep fit. Suddenly road-running races started to spring up around the county. Suddenly new clubs started to form around Leicestershire alongside Leicester Coritanians.
At Hoggs Insurance Brokers a group of us started to run together at lunchtimes. Some of these had already joined running clubs to run in the newly formed Leicestershire Road-Running League. On these lunch-time runs the idea of forming our own club started to take up more and more chatter, and eventually in the summer of 1984 a meeting was set-up in which the idea and plans were put forward to the interested members.
From this meeting plans were put in place to elect a Committee and a new constitution and to register with the Midland Counties AAA as a newly formed club under the name of Hogg Robinson Roadhoggs. This was sanctioned and in August 1984 the new club under the Chairmanship of Kim Richardson took to the roads.
The original colours were blue following the generous sponsorship of the Insurance Brokers and in the early days membership was limited to company employees only. These restrictions were relaxed over the years as friends and relations began to join up with the other runners.
In 1991 the club changed its name to Roadhoggs Leicester AC and in 1997 the club colours became burgundy after the Aon Group had taken over from Bain Hogg.
Dave Swan, President