WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
Running Age Groups
The club is basically broken down into different age groups:
| Masters Men | 35 years and over, although there are grades for over 50 and 60 in some races. The masters grade has a wide range of runners, from the furiously competitive to the social runner. The club has a strong contingent of masters men and you will not have any difficulty finding a group within this age grade that will suite your ability as a master. |
| Masters Women | 35 years and over. However we do find that a lot of women do not like to consider themselves as masters until they are over forty. Many masters women also run in the senior grade and we are very keen to see new members in either grade. |
| Senior Men | Senior men are under 35 but over 20 years. This group again caters from a range of abilities and the club can boast world-class runners to social joggers. |
| Senior Women | Senior women are in the over 20 years age group. We have a good range of women runners in this group but we are very keen to foster more senior women. |
| Men/Women Under 20 Under 18 |
There are both under 20 year and under 18 year grades for men/women. We have good groups in both the men and women's grades. |
| Boy/Girl Under 16 Under 14 Under 12 |
The club has always prided itself with a strong contingent of junior runners. We foster this group with weekly training sessions as well as our Saturday club and competitive runs. Coaching sessions are provided for the athletic development of young runners down to 8 and 9 years. |
| Joggers/Walkers | The joggers and walkers group gets stronger every year. |
Whatever your age group or ability the club can cater for you. We are especially keen to foster family participation.
Club Runs
Club runs are held on Saturdays starting at 1.45 PM from the Clubrooms, but you should arrive before 1.30 PM for the pre-run brief. These runs are intermixed with the races as shown on the syllabus. The club runs range in length from 45 minutes to one and half hours depending on the age, group and ability.
Club runs are organised into packs. We generally have fast, medium and slow packs. The packs run at the speed of the slowest runner and are led by a pack leader. Pack leaders detail the type of run that they will take runners on for the day, either on the flat or hills, or a combination of both. It is up to you to decide what you want to do for the day. If you are unsure of your ability talk with other club members.
We also go to other Clubs at various times throughout the season for Saturday runs. These ensure a variety of different runs and the opportunity to mix with other runners.
Competition Runs
For competition events the Hutt Valley Harrier Club runs under the Valleys United colours. Valleys United is made up of Trentham, Rimutaka, Wainuiomata and Hutt Valley Clubs. To enter into competition runs you must have paid your subscriptions and be registered.
The syllabus details a range of local and national competition runs. These can be both team and individual events. The club strongly encourages runners to enter into the team events and we grade your ability during club trials to put you in the best team.
Due to the grading process all participants in the team events can gain pride and achievement by supporting their team. Because of the range of abilities of the teams there are races within races, where A, B and C grade teams are competing against each other. You will really enjoy being part of a team, whatever grade you end up in.
Harrier Season
The club season starts with cross country runs, both locally and away. Cross-country competitive runs are off the road and range from 2 kms as part of a relay team to 12 kms for senior men. Juniors, women and veteran runs range from 2-8 kms. The cross-country season goes through until early August and encompasses some key events such as the North Island Cross Country Champs at Taupo and the NZ Cross Country Champs. The Taupo event is a great weekend away, which I would encourage everyone to attend.
The road season starts in mid August and goes through until the end of the season in mid October. The highlight of the road season is the National Road Relay Champs, where club teams complete with teams from all over the country. This is a great end of season event for competitive and social teams.
Training and Coaching
The Club provides weekly training and coaching sessions for the juniors. Times and days for this training will be advised at the opening day.
Training runs for other grades will be also held during the week. These will start from the Clubrooms at the Petone Cricket Club, at days to be advised.
After Run Socialising
After Club runs, either at home or away, we generally socialise over a hot or cold drink and some food. Our club is also famous for firing up the barbeque for a sausage or two after club runs.
Hopefully this information has given you an understanding of how the club operates and layout for the season. If you have any queries about this information or the syllabus, please do not hesitate to talk to the Club Captain or Committee that are detailed on the syllabus.