An invitation to try out Wellington Scottish in 2008

By Ken Howell, President of Wellington Scottish Athletics

If you are new to Wellington Scottish and run or walk, we invite you throughout April 2008 to come and try us out  at our clubhouse, Prince of Wales Park, Salisbury Terrace, Mt Cook. We try to cater for all ages and levels of runners (and walkers), whether you are a beginner or an elite runner or, like most of us, in between.  

The harrier (or winter) season begins on 29 March and runs until the second week of October. 

For the Saturday club pack runs, there is a pack that runs at the pace you can cope with. During the season we offer a variety of runs/walks, both in type and places. For the first few weeks our runs are from our clubhouse. Later on, we run throughout the Wellington region in packs or handicap races that we provide, or in interclub events. Transport can be provided if this a problem. Some runs are cross country, some are on the roads and some are relays.  

In the summer, some run on the track, others do triathlons, while others keep up the road running and pack runs. So if you run or walk, there is something for you, but we hope you can join us for all the different events. 

Sometimes people ask, "Why do I need to join a club? Why not keep training and run in the occasional road race?"  Well, having people to train with keeps the fun in running and walking through the sometimes chilly months of winter. You may not at first want to compete with others, but after a while you'll find plenty of people in our club around your level to do battle with. That just adds to the motivation and enjoyment of running and walking. Your fellow club members will be your biggest supporters from the sidelines, too. 

Lastly, we pride ourselves on being a friendly club and one which has a social side. If you want further information, and you can't find an answer on the website, or you wish to speak to a real person, phone Ken Howell (589-9353), Belinda Buck (478-2424) or Jim Kerr (970-6048).  [For information on how to join, the subs and application form, link here.  The opening of the season is at 2pm on Saturday, 29 March 2008 at the clubhouse.]

Greetings from Scottish

Thanks for visiting our site. We hope you enjoy your stay and find what you're looking for. We're always interested in your feedback, and so please make the effort to email us. We promise to reply.

If you’re an established runner (or walker), or someone looking for motivation to improve your fitness through running or walking, feel free to check out what Scottish has to offer through these web pages.

If you were to ask our members why we run and walk (and also jump and throw in the summer), you’d probably get as many answers as there are members. What we have in common is a desire to improve our athletic performances, to set and achieve goals. 

Some of the reasons for joining Scottish might also include the fun and friendships, keeping fit, a great way to get to know the Wellington region (and other parts of the country on our away trips), being part of a club tradition that stretches back to 1915, and supporting, or joining, teams and individuals who are winning national titles. (For a quick overview, look at the October 2007 prize-giving.) 

We have people who run and walk just for fun and fitness and who don't want to compete with other clubs, and others who in their veteran years (aged 35 and over: we call them masters) still like the thrill of competition, through to those who are national and international champions. For both men and women in the larger local events, we'll have people finishing in the top 10 and we'll have people in the bottom 10. We are a friendly club that has a place for people at all these levels. 

In 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2004, our first senior men’s team won national road relay titles, among other titles (and came second in 2000, 2003, 2005 and 2006). In 2002, our masters women's team finally won gold in the national relay and repeated that win in 2006 and 2007. For 2004 and 2005, our women's relay team took top honours. Our junior men's squad has won many regional and national titles, too. We also field a large team of women athletes at most interclub events in the winter. Last summer, our track and field presence was bolstered by some strong performances by our track runners and walkers. Several of our members qualified for the Commonwealth Games, World Cross Country, and the World Junior Games in the past few years.

Most of our activities are funded by members. To help our top athletes compete in the national events, we have a Supporters’ Club which raises funds to subsidise travel costs to these events.

Wellington Scottish has an associated squash division. The clubhouse has two courts attached. The squash club membership fee is small and the courts are not under huge booking pressure. If you'd like to know more about the squash side of the operation, slip Peter Robinson an email. Also look at our new squash page via the link above.

If you have questions not answered somewhere on this site, don’t hesitate to email or phone one or more of the people listed on the Contacts page (at the top of the page).

Seasons

The Athletics New Zealand year goes from April to March and so we may as well start with the end of March/beginning of April. That's the kick-off of the harrier season: road training quickly leads into the cross country season - relays, handicap and scratch races (all starting together), all on grass and trails. This ends around the end of July. Then it's back to the roads: again with relays, handicap and scratch races. 

The club encourages everyone to participate in the club away trips: the North Island Cross Country Champs in early July and the National Road Relays in early October. Other away trips include the Rotorua Marathon, and the National Cross Country and Roads Championships (not as widely attended as the first two). 

By early October, we blow the whistle on the harrier season and migrate to the track for sprints, longer distance and field events. That all ends in the last week of March. All through this (but outside the official harrier / track programmes) are road races, off-road races, multisport, triathlons and the occasional mountain race. 

Overview of our site

Home page contains the most recent news and a selection of upcoming events. It is updated most often. Look there first.

Results lists the successes of (or challenges faced by) our club members, in the summer (track and field) and winter (harriers - cross country and roads). Some of us prefer running/walking on the roads, others just do track, others love the muddy off-road in winter. 

Some specialise in half marathons or mountain/trail running. Some get stuck in all year round. Results covers all these and links into the full results when we can get them. (You can also check directly Miscellaneous Results and AW Results.) Make a point of emailing your results to the webmaster.  He can't check all the sites around the country for your results!

After the larger events (harriers and broader), check Rowan Greig's website for photos. You may find yourself (or your mates) captured in the middle of the race. 

Resources links you to major sources of information about upcoming events (such as the Athletics New Zealand and the Cool Running sites). It has links to other running clubs. It also touches on our club's goals and vision.

Coaching introduces you to our internal coaching resources and some links to coaching programmes (still current, I hope) on the Internet.

Our various calendars (Track and Field, Summer Season, Winter Season) list the main local events for the season we're in.

J-Team is a page designed for our under 14s: activities, photos, race reports, coaching tips.

Women has some of the activities available particularly for Scottish women. 

Walking introduces you to the walking side of the club. Also lists key races.

Squash is a new page for Scottish Squash division members (yes, we have two squash courts in our clubhouse).

Contacts gives you ways of reaching key club members.

Services lists what the club has to offer members, and has a list of the winter harrier runs (under Club Programme).