Welcome to Thirsk and Sowerby Harriers

 

Thank you for your membership registration and payment to the Thirsk and Sowerby Harriers. You can find out more about all the benefits of your membership here.  

Your Club membership lasts from 1st January through 31st December. Members are required to complete the membership form and pay the membership fee each year.

For First Claim new members, your England Athletics membership registration is now in progress and your unique athlete number will be sent to you in a separate email soon.

Running is not only a sport that helps improve your aerobic fitness and consequently your cardiovascular system. It also builds strength and increases your stamina over time. If you are into competitive sports, this is also an opportunity to compete against yourself and strive out to be your best. On the other hand, many runners  prefer a more non-competitive approach to their running practice.

The Club encourages all reasons someone may choose to run, including the social aspect, mental health benefits, progressive physical benefits and joy of life.

Bookmark this webpage for all the information you need to know about your new Club.

Esk Valley Fell: Fryup Frazzler

Date: Sunday 17th September 2023

Time: 11:00

Location: The Cycle Hub, Fryup Gill

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NYSD Cross Country: Fixture 1

Date: Sunday 1st October 2023

Time: TBC

Location: Acklam Grange

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Club Championship: Guy Fawkes 10

Date: Sunday 5th November 2023

Time: 10:30

Location: Ripley Village Hall HG3 3AY

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Access to our Members only page

As a club member, you get access to the Members only area of our website, so that you can stay informed about our activities.

The Members page on this website should be your first point of contact to find out details of training nights, time trials, up and coming virtual and in-person races, race results, copies of our weekly digests, our shop to buy kit, contact information, and any other happenings within the club.

The access is password protected and it is updated once a year. Our Membership Secretary will provide you with the current password.

Click here to access the Members page !

Club calendar of activities

We keep a calendar of all our club activities, including training sessions, content and venue, championship and league races, and

social events organised by the club.

We have listed events up to 12 months in advance, so that you can plan your participation.

The link to the calendar is here!

 

 

 

Stay Informed

 

When and where does training take place?

The Club hosts training nights every Monday and Wednesday evening led by our own coaches and captains. During the winter, there are indoor and outdoor sessions. The indoor sessions are usually held at the Thirsk School and Sixth Form College, Topcliffe Rd, Sowerby, Thirsk YO7 1RZ. The outdoor sessions are usually held at the Sowerby Sports Village (a.k.a. The Gateway) on Gravel Hole Lane, YO7 1PB.

Kindly check the calendar for exact times and location!

Social events

Throughout the year we organise several social events. You will find them advertised via our weekly newsletter and in the calendar.

You are welcome to participate!

Weekly Newsletter

As part of the registration process, you will have been added to the distribution list for our weekly newsletter. It is published by email every weekend with the latest news on the club.

You can unsubscribe to the newsletter by browsing to the bottom of the Newsletter email and selecting the appropriate option, if you wish to do so.

You can also browse our newsletters on the Members page clicking here!

 

A Runners Life

As a Club member you have a number of opportunities to test and improve your running skills.

Feeling a bit competitive or are you in just for the fun of running? You can take advantage of several opportunities with us.

Kit and running gear

In order to earn points on Club Championships' races, you must wear a Club vest or T shirt. You can buy Club kit by visiting our online shop. You will also find there a list of our partners, where you can get discounted kit as Club member.

Club Championships

Our Championships are a series of local affiliated races throughout the year.

Your membership often allows you a discounted price to sign up to the in-person affiliated races. Virtual races are free. The races are chosen through a membership vote each year.

Please visit our Championships page for more details!

Monthly Time Trials

Our 2 mile handicap runs take place 12 times a year and give you the opportunity to measure your progress over time.

Other leagues

We participate actively in the Harrogate District Summer League, and the North Yorkshire South Durham Harrier League and as a member, you can participate in the races of those leagues. League races are advertised in our Club calendar regularly.

 

 

 

Social running opportunities

There are quite a few informal running opportunities where you can make friends, improve your running skills and enjoy the banter.

Kindly note that these groups are informal in nature. They are not supported by the Club nor do  they form part of the Club activities.

Tuesday Social Running

Runs take place in and around Thirsk, on Tuesday evenings. Kindly contact Trish Radford, trishr16@gmail.com for more information.

Friday Hill Reps

The name says it all. Towards South Kilvington. Kindly contact Duncan Fothergill, Tel 07981 783064 for more information.

KFC, which stands for Kilburn Fell Club and not what you think

For hardcore runners and moors enthusiasts. This fell running group will take you from Roseberry Topping to Kilburn. Entertainment is guaranteed, but mostly stunning views of the area. Good running condition is required. Kindly contact Fran Jeffery, Tel 07840 695 216 for more information.

parkrun Tourist Group

For all parkrun fans, here is the opportunity to share travel to parkruns with other Club members in different locations and work towards becoming an alpabeteer. Other parkrun challenges also to be considered. Kindly contact Rosie Gatenby, Tel 07949 512 545 for more information.

 

 

Contact us !

Our coaches, captains and Committee members are always available to exchange ideas, for advise or on any subject of your interest.

Our contact details can be found here.

 

Suggestions

We like to keep a direct connection with you.

If you have any enquiries, comments, suggestions, criticism or praise, please feel free to contact us directly here.

 

Keep In Touch

 

Social Media

We do run closed groups on a few social media platforms to connect with you.

The facebook members only group

Kindly follow this link and request access.

The T&S Chitchat group on WhatsApp

Kindly click here and request access to the group.

The strava club for members.

Kindly look for our Club in the strava app: Thirsk and Sowerby Harriers and request access. As a Club member your running activities will show up in the Club’s dashboard as well as your position for the week.

There is also a strava feed available on our Members page.

 

 

Members Resources

England Athletics

Part of your membership fee is paid directly to England Athletics, which is the governing body for athletics in England. You will be automatically registered as a new athlete.

After you complete your membership form and pay your fee, the Membership Secretary will register your details with England Athletics and create a unique registration number (URN) that will be emailed to you.

England Athletics send their Registration Packs via email, and the pack includes your digital membership card. Your URN stays the same each year you renew your Thirsk and Sowerby Harriers membership. England Athletics states the pack is sent out within 48 hours, but sometimes it takes longer.

Your next step is to set up an account on the England Athletics website. The first time you sign in, click on the My Athletic Portal button, fill in your URN number, and then click on “Forgot Password”. The EA website will send a password to your registered email and you can finish the set-up of your account. You can manage your details within your Athletic Portal.

You will find there a wealth of valuable information on running and athletics.

Our Partners

Our Sponsors

Let's Run is your preferred shop out of Stokesley for all things running

Our Coaches

Rob Burn, Head Coach

Our head coach, and Yorkshire legend, Rob, has been with the Harriers for over 40 years and has been running even longer. test
He has participated in running events on all seven continents. He won the National Four Peaks team race. He was also awarded a Bronze medal at the World Masters Mountain Running Championships in Ireland. And another Bronze medal in Australia in the cross-country discipline.
It is also about helping the less fortunate, so he raised funds several times for the third Cancer Unit at the Manchester Hospital. He is very proud of this very worthy cause.
Rob oversees our training activities and trial events when he is not carrying out training sessions himself. You may also find him out on the moors hitting the trails.

Andy Butcher

Coach

Yorkshire lad, and former Endurance Leader in the British Army, Andy trained to become a Coach in Running Fitness in 2015.

With a  fantastic sense of humour and running knowledge,  Andy loves to inspire beginners and novices looking for improvement on their running skills.

When he's not coaching you're likely to see Andy up on Sutton Bank with his energetic young Spaniel, Henry, trotting ahead.

Bronwyn Mayo

Coach and Leader in Running Fitness

South African born Bronwyn moved up North and joined the Harriers in early 2021 after spending 17 years in London and Surrey. With her warm smile, friendly approach and calm manner, Bronwyn is an extremely popular coach.

Running has played a huge part in her life since growing up in South Africa.  At school, she took part in athletics and cross country, often bare-footed, and found that she was rather good at it.  And so she carried on going and going.

Her childhood dream was to one day take part in the Comrades Marathon, a 56 mile ultra-marathon which takes place between Durban and Pietermaritzburg.  Many Comrades' days were spent either ‘braaing’ on the side of the road and cheering runners on, or sat on the couch watching the TV footage all day long. One way or another, this race gets under your skin.

Fast forward to now, and Bronwyn has successfully completed the Comrades Marathon, within the 12 hour cut off three times. She has taken part in many other marathons and ultra-marathons both locally and abroad.  A big fan of parkrun, Bronwyn is already well over her 250th.

Duncan Fothergill

Duncan has been a Harriers member for 8 years now. He fell soon in love with the club (and it’s members) and was made men’s captain at the very beginning.

His contagious enthusiasm and eagerness to make things happen resulted also in him being elected as Club Chair.

Duncan is an accomplished Leader in Running Fitness.

Helen Ashworth

Leader in Running Fitness

Helen has been running for over 16 years now. It all started with the 5k Race for Life 5k with some friends.

She is a keen fell runner who has represented GB in the World Masters Championships in Italy and Ireland.

She has started coaching club sessions and has been focusing on strength and conditioning workouts.

Jody Sygrove

Jody has over 8 years experience as a Coach in Running Fitness.

He focuses currently on core and circuits workouts and enjoys road running.

Lindsey Collins

Leader in Running Fitness and Qualified Canicross Coach.

Lindsey started trail running with her dogs (Canicross – canine cross-country) in 2017 and since then has steadily increased her running distances and has now completed over 40 trail marathons / ultra-marathons.

Lindsey has developed recently an appreciation of shorter, faster training and events. She loves supporting others during their running journey to meet their goals and have fun along the way.

Whenever she has a free moment, Lindsey can usually be found running up on the Yorkshire moors with her four energetic spaniels!

Lorraine Hiles

Lorraine has been a member of the Thirsk and Sowerby Harriers since the 00’s. After being challenged by her brother to run her first 10k in Lincoln she’d caught the running bug so joined TASH. The Harriers have certainly helped her to keep running!

She qualified as a Leader in Running Fitness in 2022 and is looking forward to starting her Coach in Running Fitness course in February 2023. She is keen to help and encourage other runners through coaching whatever their goals are.

Lorraine likes running off road and you might see her running behind her running buddy Border Collie or fellow Harriers around Thirsk or up on the hills.

Matt Jones

Matt completed recently his Leadership in Running Fitness with England Athletics. He enjoys running and racing any distance up to marathon, both on and off road. Matt brings positive energy and enthusiasm to the club and supports runners to reach their goals.

Nigel Morgan

Nigel joined Thirsk and Sowerby Harriers to keep fit in the early 1990s, after having played football, cricket and squash.

With the help of coaches and other members he was encouraged to enter monthly time trials, handicaps and many local races, eventually running all distances up to marathon.

In 2014 Nigel undertook a Running in Leadership course and now you’ll see him supporting the coaches by blowing a whistle, taking warm ups and encouraging other runners.

Olivia Mulligan

Liv has been running for over 10 years. In 2018 she won the North Yorkshire senior ladies cross-country league. She is passionate about sharing her love of running with others through coaching - bringing a fun energy to her sessions.
"I try not to complicate running but rather, take it back to basics. I like to focus on building good fitness, good form, good recovery and keeping it fun. A hard session will feel tough, but it's important we enjoy it too.”
She is also an accomplished writer and poet, who balances her love for running and words.

Paul Goacher

Sonja van der Westhuizen

Chartered physiotherapist, Level 2 UK coach and lifelong member of Thirsk and Sowerby Harriers

"My running career started at a very young age as a hurdler and I later became involved with longer distance running and developed my coaching skills whilst representing my University and county alongside my full-time physiotherapy career.

Physiotherapy and Pilates gave me the sound foundation to make sure that each coaching session focused on good form and quality of movement.

My aim with coaching is to educate and equip each athlete with this knowledge and the understanding of how to maintain and follow a balanced training program and to incorporate this into their love of running."

Tom Levi

Leader in Running Fitness

Having represented his county at rugby and triple jump in youth, Tom came to running in his 20s after a drunken bet with a friend. He lost the bet (by about 20 minutes over a half marathon...) but still won a love for running.
Since then, he's run races from 5k to over 100 miles, on road, trail and fell.
Tom enjoys being a run leader and especially helping people newer to running to develop a love for it. And he's always happy to chat about any aspect of the club, training, racing or anything else. You'll usually find him at the Wednesday night outdoor training sessions.

Walter Bussutil

Level 2 Triathlon Coach since 2012. Qualified Personal Trainer and Sports Therapist
"I was born in Zimbabwe but moved permanently to the UK way back in 1978. I have lived in London, Surrey & Edinburgh until finally in 2000 I moved to Thirsk.
In 1992 I achieved 2:30:52 in the London Marathon (finishing in 162nd place out of over 24000 finishers) on my second attempt at the distance. In 1996 I qualified to represent GB in my Age Group in the World Triathlon Championships in the USA.I finished 22nd (4th for GB team of 15) out of over 70 competitors. Since then I have represented GB in both World and European Duathlon Championships 4 times.
My dream is to qualify in the World Triathlon Champs in my present Age Group (60-64) to prove that 30 years on I can still compete at this level."