Members’ Zone

Training

By clicking the link below you can see our Training Schedule which is made up of different coloured sessions. Each session is designed with a goal in mind. We have sessions for beginners, experienced runners and those looking to improve their PBs.

In addition, you can also click here to see what the idea behind each session is and understand approximate mileage for effort sessions.

Running Terms Explained!

• Intervals – a type of training that involves a series of low to high intensity bursts, with rests/recoveries in between.
• Effort session – a sustained period of time or distance at a pace that is more intense than your steady run pace.
• Steady run – a run over a set distance and sometimes pace, run at a constant (depending on conditions/route) pace with minimal re-groups/stops.
• Hill session – exactly what you would expect! Running up and down hills of various gradients and at varying speeds.
• Fartlek – a Swedish term that means “speed play,” is a form of interval or speed training that can be effective in improving your running speed and endurance. Fartlek running involves varying your pace throughout your run, alternating between fast segments and slower jogs.
• Long runs – slightly different to a steady run as the distance is set but the pace is personal choice.

Coaches

Meet the Littledown Harriers coaching team! All coaches have as a minimum the Leader in Running Fitness (LiRF) qualification from England Athletics.

• Head Coach – Paul Turle
• Deputy Head Coach – Laurence Stevenson
• Coaches: Simon Davies, Tracy Ashley, Mike Collins, Paolo De Luca, Kevin Dowsett, Luke Dowsett, Scott Dutton, Janet Hooper, Mike Kibble, Tracey Lander, Gerry Lucas, Mike Neal, Mark White, Gary Worsley, Caroline Searle, Caroline Horder, Danielle Dixon, James Davies, Dily Ruffer, Mark Everett, Heidi Snook, Chris Lane, Rachel Smith-Harrison, Suzanne Janes.

Steve Williams

Heather Khoshnevis

Luke Dowsett

Caroline Horder

Club Captains

The club races in the Dorset Road Race League and also has its own Club Championships events, therefore to have teams, we need captains. We have a Male and Female Captain and Vice Captain. The role of these Captains is to mostly motivate the members to sign up to the races and represent the club whenever we can. Also the captains produce a monthly report of all the races that have taken place over the last month. You can see these below or on the homepage.

• The Men’s Captain is Steve Williams assisted by Vice Captain Luke Dowsett
• The Female Captain is Heather Khoshnevis assisted by Caroline Horder

Committee Members

Our running club is organised and run (pun entirely intended) by voluntary committee members – we have a Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Secretary, Male and Female team Captains, Male and Female Welfare officers, Head Coach and many other standing Committee members. We meet every two months to discuss matters arising within the club and endeavor to make the club as great as it possibly can be. Below you can see who these people are and what they do. You can also see below the minutes from the previous meeting/s.

• Chairperson : Greg Hawkins
• Secretary: Suzanne Janes
• Treasurer: Daniel Tout
• Membership Secretary: Gary Barnes
• Membership Secretary: Ken Ballam
• Male Team Captain: Steve Williams
• Female Team Captain: Heather Khoshnevis
• Male Welfare Officer: Gary Worsley
• Female Welfare Officer: Dily Ruffer
• Head Coach: Paul Turle
• Communications Team: Luke Dowsett
• Communications Team: Tracy Ashley
• Committee Members: Barry Telling, Janet Hooper, Kevin Dowsett, Mark Goodwin, Steve Amey, Lin Edwards

Awards

Littledown Harriers have three award categories:

• Runner of the Quarter (RotQ) / Harrier of the Quarter – Awarded for performance, input into the club, encouragement and/or overcoming adversity. Presented every 3 months following member’s nominations, input from coaches and a committee vote. Year starts after the AGM.
• Members’ Runner of the Year (RotY) – Voted for entirely by members in recognition of another member’s input, improvement and/or club spirit etc over last 12 months and awarded at the AGM.
• Bush/Forman Trophy – Decided by the Committee and coaches for work done by a member over the last 12 months for the benefit of the club and/or local community.

To view a list of all our awards winners, please click on the link below!

Welfare

Should any member wish to discuss a welfare concern, please contact either Gary Worsley welfareofficer@littledownharriers.co.uk or Dily Ruffer welfareofficer2@littledownharriers.co.uk in confidence.

Renew Membership

Existing members will be sent a reminder email one month before your yearly April membership is due with details of how to renew.

Social

Our most recent social was the 2018 Littledown Club Championship Awards Evening on Saturday 19th January at the Littledown Centre. A great time was had by all!

Our next social will be announced soon and will most likely be held on 15th March, so save the date now and watch this space for more information.

See you all there!!

Racing

Littledown Harriers Club Championship

Each year the club chooses 15 local races of varying distances which make up our Club Championship (CC). 

To qualify for a ranking in the CC you need to complete 8 of these races. Alternative ways of achieving 8 races are to either: complete 6 of the named races plus a marathon and a parkrun OR complete 7 races and a marathon or a parkrun.

Most of these races will fill up quickly so enter early. Awards are given overall and by age category. There is also a trophy for completing all 15 races.

The CC is divided into male and female. The first male and female Harriers home in each race get 100 points each, the second get 99 and so on. At the end of the Championship, the best 8 scores for each participant are added together and the winners are crowned! Awards are given at our awards night held in January each year.

CC Races And Dates

• Feb 10th = Lytchett 10 miles (SOLD OUT!)
• Feb 24th = Bournemouth 10 miles (SOLD OUT!)
• March 9th = Larmer 10 miles OPEN
  (The above three races also make up the Imperial Series) 
• April 14th = Salisbury 10 miles (SOLD OUT!)
• May 12th = Lymington 10k OPEN
• May 19th = May 5 (Poole AC) OPEN
• June 9th = Puddletown Plod Half Marathon OPEN
• June 21st = Purbeck 10k OPEN
• June 23rd = Lulworth 10k OPEN
• July 7th = Tarrant Valley 10k OPEN
• Aug 11th = Round the Rock 10k OPEN
• Sept 1st = The Beast  OPEN
• Sept 22nd = Black Hill 10k OPEN
• Nov 3rd = Minstead Stinger 10 miles Not yet open
• Nov 24th = Boscombe 10k Not yet open

Dorset Road Race League (DRRL)

The Dorset Road Race League (DRRL) is a long established road running league in which competitors can race in up to 12 events of varying distance, spread over Dorset to win individual and team prizes each year. Competitors must be first claim members of clubs affiliated to the Dorset County Athletic Association (DCAA) and registered to England Athletics to be counted. For both individual and team competitions, the best 7 results will score towards the League. For Under 17s the best 3 of 4 and for Under 21s the best 6 of 11 will count. Some league races also incorporate DCAA championships open to those of Dorset eligibility with separate prizes to go to seniors and veterans over 40 years old.

2018 Results:

2018 was a great year of racing for the Harriers, the Ladies team came 2nd in the League, with the Men coming in 4th place. Both teams secure a place in Division 1 for the 2019 season. We also had a few age category winners over the 2018 season, so great running all round!!

The DRRL races for 2019 can be found below.

• You can read more about the DRRL here – http://drrl.co.uk/fixtures-2/
• Race reports: Men – read the latest race report here 
• Race reports: Women – read the latest race report here
• DRRL rules can be found here

DRRL Races & Dates

• Tuesday 01-Jan-2019: Broadstone Quarter Marathon – www.poolerunners.com –
• Sunday 10-Feb-2019: Lytchett 10 Mile – www.lytchettmanorstriders.org/lytchett
• Sunday 24-Feb-2019: Bournemouth 10 miles – www.bournemouthac.co.uk
• Sunday 05-May-2019: North Dorset Village Marathon – www.ndvm.co.uk
• Sunday 19-May-2019: May 5 Mile – www.pooleac.co.uk
• Sunday 09-Jun-2019: Puddletown Plod Half Marathon – www.puddletownplod.co.uk
• Friday 21-Jun-2019: Purbeck 10k: Link not yet available
• Sunday 04-Aug-2019: Sturminster Newton Half Marathon – www.sturhalf.co.uk
• Sunday 11-Aug-2019: Round The Rock 10k – www.rmpac.co.uk
• Sunday 15-Sep-2019: Littledown 5m – www.littledownharriers.co.uk/littledown-5/ 
• Sunday 17-Nov-2019: Wimborne 10 miles – www.wimborneac.co.uk
• Sunday 24-Nov-2019: Boscombe 10k – www.bournemouthjoggers.co.uk