Who We Are

If you are looking for a running Club that will provide the training you need no matter where you are on your running journey in a safe, secure and sociable environment, look no further. 

Founded in 1982, Crowborough Runners is England Athletics (EA) affiliated and provides a broad range of training, as well as social activities, appropriate to anyone with an interest in running, regardless of their age and ability. We invest considerable time in the training of our team of EA qualified coaches, who are dedicated to providing all members, both adults and juniors, with training of the highest quality in a friendly and enjoyable atmosphere. We are pleased to be able to offer a weekly training session for junior members and two sessions for adult members. 

Our junior training session is on Saturday mornings starting at 9:45 am and is for members from 8 to 18 years of age. On a Monday and a Tuesday evening we hold a 1-hour structured track session for adult members starting at 6:30 pm.  These sessions are designed to provide training appropriate to runners of all abilities, from advanced athletes to those starting out on their running journey. This means that separate provision is made for total beginners and those returning from injury when it is necessary.    

As we are fortunate to have the use of a surfaced, three-lane, all-weather track in Crowborough located in Goldsmith Recreation Ground, our track sessions are held  in a safe, secure  and comfortable environment.  We communicate regularly with our members via Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and email, as well as via this website.  Becoming a member also provides access a Member Login page.  This provides access to helpful hints and tips on how you can improve your running, the Club's recommendations for local races to enter, all of the latest Club news and lots more.

We have a Club Committee that meets on a regular basis.  There is also an Annual General Meeting (AGM), which is followed by a social event,  with all members being encouraged to attend.  All members are also actively encouraged to get involved in supporting the running of the club, such as marshalling for the Club's annual 5k and 10k races.

What We Do

  • Monday evening
    Track session at Goldsmith Recreation Ground from 6:30 - 7:30 pm. Meet at the track at 6:30 for a structured training session suitable for runners of all abilities. Separate provision is made for those starting out on their running journey or returning from injury.
  • Tuesday evening
    Track sessions at Goldsmiths Leisure Centre - meet on the track at 6.30 pm for a structured training session suitable for runners of all abilities.
  • Wednesday evening
    A road run in winter, and most often off-road during summer months. Meet at Goldsmith’s Leisure Centre main carpark at 7:00 p.m. Transition Group (Monday new and improver runners and those returning from injury) 3-4 miles. Medium Pace Group - circa 5 miles - Average pace 10:30 to 11 mins per mile Medium - Fast Group - circa 6 miles - Average pace 8.45 to 10 min mile Fast Group - circa 6 miles Average pace sub 8.45 and not faster then 7.45 min mile.
  • Saturday morning
    Juniors, age 8 and above – meet for fun sessions at 9.45 am at the track.
  • We also organise a range of special training events with UKA Level 4 coaches and sports fitness experts.

  • Crowborough 10K
    The club hosts its own 10k road race and 5k fun run each year, usually in late November. This is an important fund raiser for the club and we ask everyone to help with the preparations, marshalling or other duties on the day.
  • Sussex Grand Prix (SGP)
    There are currently 12 races from 5 mile to half marathon. Participants are encouraged to complete in at least 6 out of the 12 races in a season, as your best 6 races count for individual and Club level prizes that are presented at an awards ceremony at the end of the year.
  • Club Championship
    The club championship runs from January to December and awards are given to the top three performing male and lady runners and the fastest runners in each age category .
  • Club Handicap
    An annual summer road event is held where the faster runners are handicapped to enable slower runners to compete on even terms.
  • South Downs Way Relay
    The Club enters a teams of 6 (mixed or single sex) to run the whole South Downs Way (100 miles) in competition with other running clubs in June each year. This is a real team event with each runner running three legs, each leg being between 4 and 7 miles.
  • Marathon Support
    We offer support and training advice for anyone preparing for a marathon, and there are always running buddies to team up with to help make those long runs more enjoyable. There is an annual ballot of members for entry to the London Marathon and a limited number of entries is always available members for the Brighton marathon.
  • Cross Country
    The club participates in a cross-country series in the winter months of normally 6 events organised by the East Sussex Sunday Cross Country League ( ESSCCL). Course distances are about 5 miles. Team and individual prizes are given at the end of the series.

Different events are organised throughout the year, including an annual Christmas social, a quiz night and awards ceremony, a summer event and a series of summer pub-runs.

All adult members are provided on joining with a Club running vest and junior members are provided with a t-shirt. This must be worn If you wish to compete in races for Crowborough Runners. This and other items can be ordered via our club kit representative.

Meet the Coaches

The coaches below lead our weekly training sessions.  All of our coaches are Club members and UK Athletics qualified.  As competitive runners themselves, they understand how hard it can be to start running or achieve a personal best.

James Welbury


James ran to county standard as a junior and made the reserve list to the National Championships for sprints. After breaking his leg at 18, he took up distance running completing a Sport Aid run for charity back in 1984. He completed his first half marathon in 1987 and has competed in over 60 marathons around the world since then. James has a wealth of experience in training and competing, which he is keen to share with runners of all abilities.

James is a qualified England Athletics Event Endurance Coach.

Sharon Wheeler


Sharon started running approximately 18 years ago having never run before. From this start, Sharon has gone on to compete in numerous races at all distances from 5K to marathons. Sharon has experience in training and mentoring beginners, both young and old, and her enthusiasm and encouragement has helped many runners achieve their goals. She is particularly interested in helping people of all ages to start running and fully appreciates the effort that it takes to get off the couch and get fit. In addition to her other coaching responsibilities, Sharon, together with Kevin Battell, is a lead coach of the Saturday morning juniors training sessions

Sharon is a qualified England Athletics Event Endurance Coach.

Kevin Battell


Kevin played football for a number of years reaching a semi-professional level in the sport before turning his attention to endurance running, achieving a personal best of 35 minutes at 10K and 3 hours 11 minutes for a marathon. He is keen to help runners of all ages and abilities reach their personal goals, whatever they may be and he is particularly experienced in helping runners come back from injury. Kevin, together with Sharon Wheeler, is a lead coach of the Saturday morning juniors sessions

Kevin is a qualified England Athletics Coach and Race Adjudicator.

Bob Archer


Having had no interest in sports as junior, Bob first took up running in 1983. He successfully competed in races of various distances, achieving a half-marathon personal best of 1 hour 28 minutes, before “life got in the way”. It was to improve his health and fitness that he took up running again in 2014 and is keen to help others of all ages to do the same. He is firm believer that running delivers with it numerous additional health benefits, both physical and mental. His mission as a coach is to make running fun for everyone who participates.

Bob is a qualified England Athletics Coach in Running Fitness.

Mary Nightingale


Mary joined the Club 2001. From never having jogged more than 3 miles she quickly progressed to competing regularly in local races, picking up a few 1st in age category awards, as well as running 2 sub-4 hour marathons and the Beachy Head marathon several times. She set up and ran the the Junior section for many years before moving to coaching adults. She is a firm believer that anyone can run given the right training and encouragement. Her particular interests are injury prevention through preparation and cross-training and more importantly making running fun.

Mary is a qualified England Athletics Level 2 Speed Coach.

Maggi Bradgate


Maggi started running at the age of 52 just because she wanted to run the London Marathon. With the support of Crowborough Runners she managed to achieve my goal in a little over 4 months. She then carried on running, enjoying social runs and races as well as making so many good friends. She sees being a member of the coaching team as a way of paying back the support that she was shown and enjoys very much seeing beginners, as she once was, blossom and get the running ‘bug’.

Maggi is a qualified England Athletics Leader in Running Fitness.

Sarah Hilliard


Sarah joined the Club in 2006. This was after a couple of years of taking part in fun runs, 5ks but wanting to achieve a more ambitious goal, running a marathon. 8 months after joining the Club she ran the London Marathon. She has since completed numerous road races, cross country runs and 6 more marathons. Coaching initially for the junior section, she transferred to join the rota to coach adult track sessions and to lead Wednesday runs. She particularly enjoys helping runners progress to take part in Parkruns, road and cross country races, and Club runs.

Sarah is a qualified England Athletics Leader in Running Fitness.

Janie Perry


Janie is the newest member of the team and her mission is to inspire and motivate Crowborough Runners on a Monday night on the track. She brings with her the experience of competing in 20 marathons worldwide. These include what is recognised as the world's top 6 marathons, making her an Abbott World Marathon Majors Six Star Finisher. She gained personal best in the Tokyo 2024 marathon finishing in 3:32:16 at the age of 54. She a is huge believer that it’s never too late to start running and no one is too old to take on challenges, whether that be a 5k, 10k, half or full marathon or beyond.

Janie is a qualified England Athletics Leader in Running Fitness.

Join Us

Membership Fees

Crowborough Runners financial year runs from April 1st to March 31st. The fees are as follows:

[a] Adult Membership - £38 (including affiliation to England Athletics).

[b] Junior Membership - £38.

[c] Family Membership - 10% discount for parent and junior or siblings.

[d] Student Membership - Fees available on request.

[e] Second Claim Membership - £19 (Club fee only) 

On payment of your first year's membership you will receive a Crowborough Runners running vest if you are an adult, or a t-shirt if you become a junior member.

We ask all members to assist with the Club's 10k race, and wear the club vest at races.

Membership Application

To join Crowborough Runners please download, complete and return the appropriate application form:

Adult Membership

Junior Membership

 

Contact Us

Enquiry form

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    Crowborough Runners
    Goldsmith’s Leisure Centre
    Eridge Road
    Crowborough
    East Sussex
    TN6 2TN

    Email: info@crowboroughrunners.org.uk