Juniors

The Coaches

Neal Hockley organises the junior training sessions. He is a qualified Level 2 fell/trail Coach in Run Fitness (FRA/UKA), REC emergency outdoor first aider, Summer and Winter Mountain Leader (and father of two Eryri junior runners). Several other parents also help with the training sessions, to ensure we have appropriate ratios.

 

What does it cost?

Training sessions are free to all club members. If you’re not yet a member, you are welcome to try it out for 3 sessions – if you want to keep coming after that, we ask that you join the club (junior membership is only £12/year including a free vest).

 

Who’s it for?

We welcome all juniors (school year 3+) who are keen to give fellrunning a go. Eryri Juniors have produced some champion fell runners over the years (like Bronwen Jenkinson, Welsh international and Snowdon Race Winner), but you don’t need to be the next Bronwen to enjoy Eryri Junior sessions. We have groups of all ages, all abilities and a good mix of boys and girls. The great thing about fell running is that every run, every session, is different, and everybody finds something they’re good at – some are fast uphill, but slow on the downs. Some are fast sprinters, some have the stamina, some are nimble over obstacles. But you don’t have to be fast at all, all we ask is that you try hard, listen to the coaches, respect each other and the environment (no dropping litter!)

 

What to bring/wear

Wear the grippiest running shoes you have. Unless the weather’s amazing it can be useful to bring an extra top (something lightweight you can tie round your waist). Don’t bring lots of other stuff – we don’t just stay in one place during training sessions, so don’t bring anything you can’t run with. Usually that means no water bottles unless it’s hot – have a big drink before and after the session, if you start well hydrated, nobody needs to drink during a 1-hour session in north Wales! If you get more experienced and start coming on our longer Sunday runs, you might need a simple bumbag and some extra kit (gloves etc).

 

Safety & adventure

The coach will adapt sessions to the conditions and group, but we will pretty much always get out whatever the weather. Fellrunners aren’t afraid of a bit of rain/wind/hail/snow! Fellrunning is all about running off-road, often completely off the path and on steep terrain. We jump over rocks, hurtle down slopes, leap over ditches. We can’t eliminate all risk, but we take safety seriously, and expect our junior runners to do the same. We aim to develop their skills and judgment (route choice, navigation, when to go fast, when to slow down) to ensure they develop into competent, independent fellrunners as they get older. Our philosophy is that juniors need to face challenges and difficulties, and benefit from learning how to overcome them, and we don’t wrap anyone in cotton wool. Fellrunning is a great way to explore new areas, learn about the environment and history, and we believe in minimising our environmental impact.

 

Junior Races and Championships

There are a large number of local junior races throughout the year, including:

WFRA Junior Fell Running Series: 6 races in north Wales, plus a weekend down at Pen y Fan.

North Wales Junior Cross-Country League

Junior races at the Tuesday evening Series which runs from April to June at various locations around Conwy and Gwynedd – see the WFRA calendar.

Many races are listed in the WFRA calendar, you can join the WFRA for £10 and support grass roots fellracing in Wales.

 

Club Vests for Juniors

The club committee has agreed that all new junior members will receive a club vest free of charge.