Far Runners comprise of runners of all ages and abilities. This page gives you a bit more information on how we work, as a club.

Age

Far Runners is a social club aimed at those aged 16+

For safety and insurance purposes, we do not allow runners aged under 12 years. This is because the sessions are not designed to cater for younger children who require developmentally appropriate training. If your child is under 12 and is keen to run, we highly recommend you approach White Horse Harriers AC who cater for 8 years+. 

Our Run Leaders are all qualified, licensed and insured to support runners aged 12+, but it is our club policy to stipulate that anyone under 16 is accompanied by a running adult. This means that the adult needs to run with their child at all times during a run, and is responsible for their safety.

We ask parents to sign our Informed Consent form for any under 16, that also covers the taking and posting of photos from our runs.

Ability

We are an inclusive and supportive club who love welcoming new members. We have developed significantly over the past few years to be able to offer more sessions to cater for different abilities and paces.

Beginners

We run a total beginner's course every January each year which enables a complete novice to build their fitness to run continuously for 30 minutes (otherwise known as Couch to 5k).  

You can find out more about our Couch to 5k programme here

If you've missed this year's Couch to 5k, you can always download the app here. Many of our current members completed Couch to 5k on their own, with the support of the app, so give it a go: you may surprise yourself!

Far Runners regular runs

We ask that runners are able to cover 5km in 45 minutes (whether than be through continuous running, or  a combination of running with bursts of walking AKA 'Jeffing'.

This equates to approximately 14:29 mins/mile, or 9 mins/km.

'Our Runs' page provides you with more information about the different length runs we offer on a weekly basis.

If you have any questions or concerns about which run might be most suitable for you, please do not hesitate to contact us via email: farrunnersfaringdon@gmail.com

Loop-backs

Loop-backs are an important feature of nearly all of our groups runs. Looping-back mean that the faster runners (those at the front of the pack) are expected to 'loop-back' (or turnaround and run to the back of the pack) at regular intervals. This means that the distance between the front and the back runner is kept under control (as much for safety as anything), and no-one is ever left behind.

Run clubs will also have people of widely varying paces, and we are keen to support all runners regardless of their pace. Loop-backs are one way that we try to keep everyone together, as a social group. It also allows the faster runners to cover more ground and therefore more distance during their runs.

Headphones and earpods

It is our policy to not allow anykind of headphone or earpods, including bone conductor headphones, during out group runs. This keeps all our runners safe, and ensures we promote the social aspect of our runs. 

Post-run socials

We pride ourselves on being a friendly run club, and one of the ways in which we do this is to encourage weekly social post-runs.

Most Tuesdays and Thursday, we will meet at The Swan, Faringdon (on Park Road) at approximately 19:35 for a social drink together. All runners are very welcome to join us and it's a great way to meet others, talk about running, or plot your next race!

Far Runners comms

Most of our club information (e.g. runs, routes, events) is shared via our Far Runners WhatsApp group: if you would like to join, and are a running member with us, please email us at farrunnersfaringdon@gmail.com and we will send you the link to join. We do it this way to ensure only legit run members have access to the group.

We also share any information about runs / events on our Facebook Page. Please follow/like our page to receive updates to your newsfeed.

As you'd expect, the Far Runners are on Strava: Far Runners Strava club. Here you can find, follow and give kudos to your fellow Far Runners.

We also regularly monitor our email: farrunnersfaringdon@gmail.com

Far Runners kit

We usually order in our club t-shirts and vests twice a year (usually, to coincide with the new intake of Couch to 5k'ers). If you'd like to order a t-shirt, vest or hoodie, please speak to one of the leaders, or email us: farrunnersfaringdon@gmail.com