Welcome to the 2024 Membership page of Hereford Couriers Running Club. 

We are proud to announce our membership is open for 2024, It's time to join the original Hereford Running Club. Our membership fee this year is £25 and includes full Club Membership & England Athletics Affiliation.

As a club our base is Hereford Leisure Centre on Holmer Road, Our Tuesday & Thursday session are our popular Couriers Clubrun Session - We usually have 4-5 groups over a mixture of distances and paces on offer. On a Monday or Wednesday we have our weekly speed session which is available to all members and involve track, hills and road reps. 

We are far more than a running club, we have many socials throughout the year including the AGM, many of these events involve a few drinks - they are pretty popular amongst our club members & a great way of making new friends. 

As a club we organise a series of races which includes the Christmas 10k, a cross country race (part of the Herefordshire Summer offroad League) The Jon Ward 5k memorial race & we are very proud of our 3 race 5k Series on one of the flattest road courses in the UK, We encourage our runners to take part & make the most of running in these races & for any reason you don't we always have marshalling duties which need filling.

We have a number of ways members can input into the development of the club, we have open club meetings and a very active facebook page as we feel the input of our members is key to the progress of the club. 

See the full benefits of being a member below:

• First claim Club Membership.
• Join in with our ClubRuns and training.
• Compete in Club colours with extra spectator support at local races.
• Become part of a growing and vibrant team with a great social scene.
• Option to take part and support the team in 4 summer & 4 winter races in the Herefordshire cross country league (all free of charge to compete in)
• Have a say & input into how your club is run at club and AGM meetings.
• Discounted entry (minimum £2 for England Athletics registered athletes)
• Eligibility to compete in national representative teams and at England Athletics age group level.
• Exclusive offers and discounts from a range of England Athletics’ commercial partners.
• Have an opportunity to apply for the Club London Marathon place through the club ballot.
• Get listed on the power of 10.
• Junior membership 16+ 
• FREE Membership for Hereford & County Athletics Club Members who are 16+ (Drop us an email for an application form herefordcouriersrunningclub@hotmail.com)
• 2nd Claim members are welcome, £25 please complete this application form but drop us an email to notify us that your membership is 2nd claim.

Hereford Couriers are affiliated to England Athletics. if you are currently a first claim member of another club you will need to notify them of your resignation and complete the online change of club process via England Athletics which can be done on your myathletics portal. If you need any further help with registration and change of club procedures or any other membership queries please contact us at herefordcouriersrunningclub@hotmail.com

DATA PROTECTION POLICY

In accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation that comes into force 25/5/18,
Hereford Couriers Running Club require members' agreement to collect, keep and destroy
certain information about them as described here. The information in question will be name,
date of birth, gender, email address, address, telephone number.

The Club may :
● Share data with club coaches or officials to administer training sessions.
● Share data with club team managers to enter events.
● Share data with leagues, county associations and other competition providers for entry in
events.
● Share data with committee members to provide information about club activities, membership
renewals or invitation to social events.
● Use data in processing of membership forms and payments.
● Use data in publishing of race and competition results.
● Use data in website management.
● Share data with England Athletics if member chooses to register with this body.
If a Club member has not renewed membership for three years since joining, all data on him/her
possessed by the Club will be destroyed.

By signing up to the Couriers Membership you are expected to adhere to the senior athletes code of conduct, please read this below. 

Hereford Couriers Running Club: Code of Conduct for Runners

We believe that all runners at the club should be treated equally and fairly and should know what is expected of them from the club. This means that standards and guidelines are in place to ensure we get the best from our runners while representing the club. If you are serious about doing well and performing to the best of your ability listed below is our code of conduct.

This code of conduct will apply at training sessions, race meetings and social events:

•  Behave sensibly and with consideration for others at all times

• Learn and respect the rules do not disobey or argue with coaches and run leaders

• Do not behave aggressively, either verbally or physically to anyone. No sexual or racial harassment (intimidation or bullying.). Do not swear or use obscene language or gestures.  Comments made on our social media pages – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and/or website should not be abusive, offensive or derogatory and if they are, the Committee reserves the right to delete these types of postings and exclude the author. The Club recognises that many runners make use of social media in a personal capacity. While they are not acting on behalf of Hereford Couriers Running Club, members must be aware that they could risk damaging our reputation if these are not appropriate.  All members are therefore requested to ensure that they continue to recognise and respect this.

On training nights

• Make sure that you have updated the club detailing your emergency contacts and any medical conditions e.g. diabetes or epilepsy

• Make sure you warm up before and cool down after sessions, run leaders will encourage this but it is a personal responsibility of all to ensure they are prepared for sessions

• All members should take equal responsibility for ensuring that no runners are left behind at the back of the group and the faster runners should loop to the back of the group when requested by the run leader

• All members will follow the Highway Code while training and not take unnecessary risks with traffic

• Make sure you are wearing the correct kit for training. T-shirt or vest and shorts, a sweatshirt or tracksuit and a pair of trainers. Waterproof clothing if it rains and warm and dry clothing if required

• When dark, members should wear fluorescent vests or other suitable clothing to ensure they can be clearly seen

• Inform your run leader if you have any injuries prior to starting. If you pick up an injury during a training session and need to head home during a run, make sure that you inform your run leader

• Recognise the importance of team spirit congratulate and support fellow athletes

• Our Hereford Couriers Running Club vest or T-shirts should be worn for competition purposes

• When competing in races for the Club, please make sure that the rules and regulations set down by the race organisers (including transfers and deferrals) are followed

• Pay your training fees and annual subscriptions promptly

• If anything makes you concerned or uncomfortable or if you think a fellow athlete has suffered from misconduct you should inform the Club Welfare Officer (any information given will be treated in confidence by the club)

• Do promote a good image of Hereford Couriers Running Club 

• Do have fun and enjoy yourselves