Lakeshore Striders is a trail and road running club in Blessington – we talked to Steven Pettigrew about what it’s all about.
Tell us a little about the ethos of your running club?
Lakeshore Striders is a real community running club. It is completely volunteer driven, which means there’s a personal feel to all of our training sessions and events. We aim to encourage as many people into running as possible and meet their needs while they’re here, from couch 2 5k, idyllic lakeside runs, to trail running and marathon training.
Our lakeside runs really appeal to the nature lover, as often we see deer, heron’s, birds of prey,
rabbits, and all manner of creatures. As a club we bound together to pull off great feats (like organising ‘The Lakes 10k’ event and the Couch 2 5K program) and we love to celebrate our efforts, often with home baked goods or by grabbing a pizza at the lakes.
Where do you run from and how often? / Do you do different runs each week? Do you have different levels or how does it work?
Each Tuesday we train at a 400m gravel running track behind the Blessington Community College. On a Wednesday or a Saturday the trail running members of the club pick one of the many local hills to train on. These groups are small but growing, ranging from 3-10 people, and we’re enthusiastic to grow this element of the club.
On Thursday we run 5-8k (scaled for different levels) on the Blessington Greenway by the lakes, soaking in all the local nature and beauty of the area. This is a great place to start if you are interested in trail running.
Sunday we offer a social run on the Ballymore Eustace Greenway. Running is at a talking pace
and if you’re not all talked out, the group go for coffee afterwards.
What age group do you cater for?
We’re a senior running club, we welcome people of all ages over 18.
What would your advice be for anyone wanting to start trail running?
Be patient, take your time and focus on enjoying it. Everything else will follow naturally. The greenway runs we do are a good opportunity to do this. The local parkrun in Russborough is also a great opportunity to test running cross country with a bit of uphill in a friendly atmosphere.
What kit would anyone need who wants to start?
Running shoes and water.
If you’re a beginner with us and you’re looking to run on the track or trails with us, you won’t need
anything else.
Would you have any words of advice for anyone wanting to start?
Don’t put yourself under any pressure. Enjoy the run and see where it takes you.
Who do they talk to or contact about running with you?
For info on our club you can send us an email at lakeshorestriders@gmail.com
You can also send us a direct message on Instagram or Facebook.
Instagram: @LakeshoreStriders
Facebook: www.LakeshoreStriders