Guidance For Run Leaders

Thank you for volunteering to be a Run Leader. Our Run Leaders are the heart of our club and enable us to organise interesting and varied group runs at differing paces. The following guidelines are to help you organise a run, to explain what we want you to do and what you don’t have to do.

Some of our run leaders have coaching or run leader qualifications and, while helpful, these are not a requirement to be a run leader. If you are interested in these qualifications please speak to a member of the Committee.

Planning to lead a run

Whilst the Run Leaders are responsible for the safe operation of the group, individual runners are still responsible for their own safety and the safety of fellow runners. You are not legally responsible for any runner in the group, but you are covered by the club insurance while leading on behalf of the club. You should be aware of the Club Risk Assessment which is available on the website.

Ideally lead a group that runs at a pace you are comfortable running at, perhaps consider dropping back a pace group from the one you would normally run with. However you can always plan a session that involves intervals, hills or other activities which can challenge the faster runners in your group while keeping the group together, or you can set an interim point from which the faster runners loop back.

Plan a route and/or the content of a session ahead of time. It should be fun, safe, maybe challenging at times but also sociable and inclusive. Run through the route in your head and think about possible hazards and alternatives should the need arise.

If you can, find out what other leaders are planning so we can spread out and offer a variety of sessions.

Be adaptable, sometimes you will get a slower or faster runner than you expect and you may have to flex the schedule to get back on time.

Always

Treat your fellow members with respect and courtesy. Enjoy your running and share the joy.

Safeguarding

Please familiarise yourself with the safeguarding policy on our website and particularly Best Practice which applies to all members. While the club is only open to members over 16, by definition this can include children and vulnerable adults. By adopting Best Practice you protect yourselves, the individuals you interact with and your club.

Before you run

You should plan to carry a mobile phone with you, make sure it is charged

Before you set off, take your group to one side;

  • Count the number of runners you have in your group

  • Introduce yourself and ask if anyone is nursing any injuries or has any concerns they should share with you ahead of the run, and give a broad outline of you plan for the run.

  • Ask the names of any people in the group you don’t know – if anyone says that they are not a member please let a committee member know post run – we allow non-members to take part in a session prior to committing to the club but do expect them to join fairly soon after.

  • Ask that if anyone decides mid-run that they are going to drop out, that they let you know

Try to encourage a brief warm up before setting off. This could be as simple as jogging on the spot whilst you count everyone and make introductions, or taking a gentler pace for the first few minutes of the run

During your run

Ideally, try to keep everyone running as a group

Check everyone is comfortable at the pace, adjust if necessary

If you find the group is starting to split, ask the front runners to loop back. This would mean they run back towards the rest of the group, past the back runners for a little way and then turn to start running back to re-join at the back of the group. You can do this as many times as necessary over the course of the run

We run a lot on pavements and footpaths with shared usage. We don’t have right of way and need to be respectful of others. Be prepared to call out any hazards you encounter on your route, this could include Bikes! Bins! Bollards! as well as other pedestrians overhanging trees and kerbs.

After your run

Count your group back in to make sure you have returned with everyone

Encourage the group to stretch at the end of the run

In case of emergency or injury on your run

If assistance is needed from any of the emergency services, call 999 as soon as you can safely do so

If a runner is hurt or has been taken ill, check to see if they are carrying an ICE tag with medical information and next of kin contact details

Utilise the rest of the group to either assist with the situation or find help if needed. It may be that one member of the group can accompany the injured runner back to the pannier market. In more serious cases if there are more people than is ideal around the incident, ask if someone is happy to lead the rest of the group back to the Pannier Market

When the situation is in hand, try to make contact with someone from the committee so they are informed.

Running When it is Dark

Ensure that you have a torch or running light and some hi-visibility clothing when running in the dark

If anyone planning to run with your group appears to not have suitable hi-viz or a torch, they either need to obtain some (perhaps another runner has spares) or should be discouraged from joining the run that night

Take care where possible to plan routes that are suitably lit if running on paths where the lighting is not ideal, make use of your torches to help spot and call out hazards to the group