Cool Runnings at the Great Birmingham 10K

Running

University of Birmingham Cool Runnings is a group created for social running without the pressure of training with the University’s Athletics Club. Cool Runnings’ focus is on participation running in a pressure-free environment.

Training sessions cater to all abilities, and can be as competitive or casual as you like. Whether you’ve never run before, or you’re aiming for a half-marathon; BUAC Cool Runnings is the perfect club for you. Participation, improvement and enjoyment are at the heart of everything we do.

The club has a friendly atmosphere and offers the opportunity to get to know each other at our regular social events. These range from fortnightly sports nights at the Guild, ice-skating, Christmas dinner and much more! We regularly attend local running events, such as Cannon Hill Parkrun and Sutton Park Winter Warmer, whilst other notable events on our calendar include Bud’s Run (which takes place around our campus), and the Great Birmingham 10k.

How to get involved

Membership price is £36 which gets reduced to £26 in Term 2.

Please note that on top of the club fee there is a £16 fee that covers personal accident insurance when training or competing for the University, access to free cross-training sessions such as circuits and yoga, as well as a contribution to the costs of affiliation to various national governing bodies. This fee is only payable once so if you did decide to join a second club then you would not need to pay a second fee.

Training times & venues

Wednesday: Circuits (Slater Hall, Sport & Fitness), 6:30-7:30pm

Saturday: Circuits (Studio 1, Sport & Fitness), 4-5pm

Tuesday & Thursday: Couch to 5k (meet outside Sport & Fitness), 6.15pm

Last Sunday of each month: Trail Run – see Facebook group for exact timings and location

Week A (weeks 1, 3, 5…):
Monday: Group Runs (meet outside Sport & Fitness), groups do various distances, 6.15pm
Friday: Track, meet outside Sport & Fitness at 6pm, session is 6.15 – 7.15pm

Week B (weeks 2, 4, 6…):
Monday: Intervals (meet outside Sport & Fitness), 6.15-7.15pm
Thursday: Group Runs (meet outside Sport & Fitness), groups do various distances and paces, 6.15pm

Successes and Achievements

Winner of Club of the Year award at the University of Birmingham 2018-2019 Sports Awards
One of our members, Josh Mars, won the Outstanding Contribution awards at 2018-2019 Sports Awards for his work in establishing the Couch to 5k Programme
Cool Runnings became the biggest participation club at the University of Birmingham, with over 350 members
New and improved Runner of the Month Award to recognise the success and achievements of our members
100% of surveyed members agree the club gives value for money.

Interesting facts

Cool Runnings is the participation wing of the Birmingham University Athletics and Cross Country club – our combined membership easily makes us the largest club on campus with over 500 members at the end of the last academic year. We run a highly-successful Couch to 5k programme, with over 70 participants in the first year it was introduced. Our ‘Parkrun Graduation’ for participants on the course featured on Parkrun’s Instagram account!

Key contacts

Head Coach: Ben Agnew

Club Captain: Daniel Scothern