A women’s running group has been launched in tandem with the St Albans Half Marathon which is now open for entries.
The Athena Ladies Running Group was set up following feedback from last year’s Half Marathon where it emerged that plenty of women wanted to get into running but were not sure how to do it.
A pilot scheme was launched last October which culminated in nine women completing their first 5k race as part of the weekly St Albans parkrun.
The group would meet up outside of sessions to complete their “homework” runs and bond with other runners.
A full winter programme began at the beginning of this year and now has 45 members running in beginners, improvers and intermediate groups, The new The Spring programme will commence in April with the aim of encouraging current runners up to the next level and allowing new members to join.
It will take the runners up to the Half Marathon on Sunday, June 12, where it is hoped a big Athena team can enter the 5K or Half Marathon depending on their level of ability. Many have already signed up.
Commenting on the new Athena Running Group, Katie Foweraker, race director for the Half Marathon, said: “The amazing response we received from our survey was something we could not ignore. We are proud to have launched Athena in connection with St Albans Half Marathon.
“We are helping ladies fall in love with running as well as providing them with a goal of a St Albans Half Marathon event to aim for and keep them motivated. We hope to continue to grow the Athena group and promote the benefits of running in our local community all year round.”
Last year’s Half Marathon saw just over 6,500 runners take to the streets of St Albans and raise over £25,000 for local charities and organisations.
In 2016, the main charity to benefit will be The Hospice of St Francis, a charity which provides palliative care for people with life-limiting illnesses in the West Herts area.
To enter the 2016 Half Marathon click here and to join the Athena Ladies Running Club visit the same website and click on the Athena tab for more information.
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