Junior section
Coached running for ages 8 to 19, twice a week on grass at Gaterfield. Qualified coaches, a named welfare officer, and up to three sessions to try before you decide anything.
Junior sessions pause over the summer holidays
They return on Tuesday 1 September. Senior sessions carry on as usual through August.
Is this right for your child?
Our junior group is for young people who enjoy running and want to get better at it. We are an inclusive training group and we welcome athletes from age 8 — they do not need to be quick, and they do not need to have raced before. What helps is that they want to be there.
The aim is a fun, positive place to develop a lifelong love of running, and to find out how good they can be. Some of our juniors race for Hampshire and for their schools; others come because their friends are here and they like running around a field on a Tuesday. Both are the point.
If your child is under 8, or is not yet running regularly, come back to us when they are — Winchester parkrun and its junior parkrun are free, and a good place to start.
Coaching, safety and welfare
Sessions are led by our experienced coaches and supported by qualified assistant coaches and run leaders, including an Assistant Coach dedicated to our youngest athletes. You can read about them on our coaches page.
We train on grass all year round on the Winchester College fields, which are safe and well maintained. Training on grass is good for young legs and young athlete development, and reduces the risk of injury. Additional track sessions are arranged as needed in spring and summer, and we sometimes use other loops and routes around Winchester for hill work or specific race preparation.
Winchester Running Club is affiliated to England Athletics, and safeguarding is central to how we run the junior section. Our club welfare officer, Sam Parkinson, can be reached directly at welfare@winchesterrunningclub.org.uk, and our inclusion, health and safety, and safeguarding policies are published in full on our policies page.
Staying or dropping off. Either is fine. Plenty of parents drop off at 5:45pm and come back at 7:00pm; plenty of others stay, watch from the side and get to know the other families. Some go on to run the senior session afterwards. Do whichever suits you.
If you have any question or concern about your child's participation, please get in touch — we would always rather you asked.
Coming up
Junior sessions run at 5:45pm, before the senior session, so families can train on the same evening.
2 sessions across 2 days
When, where and what it costs
| Day | Session | Time | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | Repetition and speed work | 5:45 – 7:00pm | Gaterfield, Garnier Road |
| Thursday | Threshold pace and endurance | 5:45 – 7:00pm | Gaterfield, Garnier Road |
| Saturday | Hill, track or event-specific training, as required — not every Saturday, so check the app or the club WhatsApp group | Varies | Varies |
What to bring. Trainers, a water bottle and layers for the weather. Spikes or off-road shoes are useful at Gaterfield but not essential to start with, and no club kit is needed until you join. Where to find us and where to park.
What it costs. Junior membership is our full membership: £66 a year for 2026/27. Athletes who race for the club also need England Athletics registration at £23 a year — so £89 in total for a competing junior. Fees are pro-rated if you join part-way through the year. Nothing is payable for the first three sessions, and if the cost is what is standing in your way, please talk to us — we do not believe anyone's financial circumstances should prevent them from being the runner they want to be.
Our year
Our training and competitive focus changes with the season. Racing is encouraged but never compulsory.
Winter — cross country
We race in the local cross-country leagues and at the Hampshire, Southern and National Cross Country Championships. Our athletes also compete for their schools at local, county and National Schools cross-country level.
Summer — track and road
We compete in open meets locally and further afield, including British Milers Club races, the Hampshire Championships on the track, and the Southern and National road relays. Our athletes also compete for their schools on the track over 800m, 1500m and 3000m.
How the age groups work
Useful once you are with us; nothing you need to work out before coming along.
England Athletics changed the young athlete age groups on 1 April 2026. They now follow school years rather than birthdays, which makes them much easier to work out:
| Age group | School years |
|---|---|
| U10 | Years 3 and 4 |
| U12 | Years 5 and 6 |
| U14 | Years 7 and 8 |
| U16 | Years 9 and 10 |
| U18 | Years 11 and 12 |
| U20 | Year 13 and above |
An athlete stays in the same group for the whole competition year, which runs from 1 October to 30 September — and it is now the same group across cross country, road and track, rather than the old split reference dates.
An athlete becomes a senior if they are 20 or over on 31 December in the year of competition; below that they are U20. Seniors train with our adult groups at 7:00pm.
New here
Interested for your child?
Give us your email and we'll send you a link to get started, and tell you what to expect at a first session.
Questions? Get in touch
- Ages 8 to 19, all abilities
- Coached twice a week on grass at Gaterfield
- Up to three sessions before you decide, nothing to pay