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Club History Building on the success of Cross Flatts parkrun, which started in 2013, two years later a few of the regulars got together, and with the support of Run Leeds and the Hunslet Rugby Foundation, formed the South Leeds Lakers Running Club. The first social run took place on Tuesday 10th February 2015 with 19 in attendance. 12 months later the Club took the decision to affiliate to England athletics and in 2017 won the Yorkshire & Humberside Club of the Year award. The decision to affiliate was not an easy one with concerns it would affect the decision to provide a free running club to the community. The compromise was reached that Lakers would remain free to members and it would not be compulsory for individual members to affiliate to England Athletics, a model that continues to this day. The Lakers are always looking to evolve and in 2019 formed the junior section. Once again providing free activity to the local community. Over the years the Club has gained a reputation for hosting great races such as the Bah Humbug 10k, Vets League and West Yorkshire Winter League events, and are the self proclaimed Raffle Kings. As well as being recognised by England Athletics the Club and Junior section have won a number of community awards, something we are all very proud of. We even won the Hunslet Nelson cricket competition!!! What’s in a name; A number of names were considered for the new group back in 2015. "South Leeds Misters" was in the frame when there was talk of a men only group to complement the highly successful South Leeds Sisters running club. South Leeds Sprinters was another option but was felt would give the wrong impression for a social running group. Eventually South Leeds Lakers was decided on, giving a nod to Middleton and Hunslet lakes. There was a suggestion to incorporate an “I” in the name. “Laikers” being an old north of England word that we wrongly believed referred to “playing” E.g. Are you laiking out. However, further investigation revealed that the word “Laikers” actually meant Unemployable - South Leeds Unemployables was not the image we were looking for!!! more photos

Diary Dates September 2026 South Leeds Lakers is launching a brand new Intermediate Track Session starting next Friday 11th Sept! This structured, fun session bridges the gap between our junior and senior groups. It focuses purely on endurance running skills to keep our teenage athletes moving forward in their running journey. 🟢 The Pathway: How You Progress ➔Juniors (Ages 8–14): Lakers Juniors ➔ Intermediates (Ages 15–17): New Friday Track Session ➔ Adults (Ages 18+): Tuesday Club Night 🟢 Session Details Who: Teenagers aged 15 to 17 years (especially those who have aged out of Juniors!) When: Every Friday from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM Starting on 11th September 2026 Where: John Charles Stadium Focus: Running only (no jumps or throws) focusing on endurance, core skills, and enjoyment. Coach: Led by existing Lakers coach, Martin, for the initial block of sessions. 🟢 How to Book Securing your spot is simple. Use the same booking form as the usual junior session, and just make sure to tick the box for the 'Intermediate Session'. Oh and remember these sessions are free, so we look forward to seeing you step up to the track on Friday 11th Sept ! Tuesday 25th August 2026 Hunslet Handicap 2026, join your usual group, staggered starts to South Leeds Stadium & back, bring some money to donate to Wheatfields Hospice (if you can) Sunday 6th December 2026 Bah Humbug 10K , 10:30, South Leeds Stadium Sunday 14th March 2027 Wakefield Hospice 10K, 9am, brunch after, book now

Volunteer Be a Marshal South Leeds Lakers host three large races each year, which require lots of marshals & other volunteers. If you can help please get in touch. All races are held in Middleton Woods, with race HQ at South Leeds Stadium. Thursday 2nd July 2026 (evening) - Yorkshire Veterans' Grand Prix Race Sunday ? December 2026 - South Leeds Bah Humbug 10k West Yorkshire Winter League Race - TBC Middleton Yorkshire Veterans League Grand Prix Race 2023 Be part of an event team A team of volunteers from South Leeds Lakers had a great time working at the 2023 Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon/Half Marathon. They were based at Headingley Stadium & were responsible for the Half Marathon bag drop. In 2025 we were back offering support to runners in the first mile with a South Leeds Lakers Club Take Over. On Sunday 22nd of October 2023 twelve South Leeds Lakers gave up their Sunday morning to give out medals & water at the finish of the Leeds Abbey Dash. See photos her e . We were back in 2024 to take on bag drop duties. Next opportunity WE NEED YOU! Sunday 10th May 2026 Rob Burrow Marathon & Half Marathon Contact Shelly if you want to help. Be a Run Leader We are always looking for qualified run leaders. If you are interested in becoming a run leader, for the club, please get in touch. We have a code of conduct for Run Leaders here Be a Coach If you are a qualified coach & are interested in coaching for South Leeds Lakers please contact us. Read our coaches code of conduct here.

2024 News Tuesday 2nd January 2024 We were happy to be back out on our Club Night runs after the Christmas break. Sunday 7th January 2024 West Yorkshire Winter League race @ Huddersfield (Stadium Runners). Saturday 13th January 2024 Middleton Woods was the venue for our first Parkrun League fixture of the year. Well played jokers & excellent running saw Colin & John take joint first place. If you want to know more about our Parkrun League please click here . Sunday 21st January 2024 We hosted a very successful home race for the West Yorkshire Winter League . Many volunteer hours and a huge amount of work goes on, behind the scenes, to make these events possible. Thank you to all the volunteers, organisers and clubs for helping to creating such a wonderful day! Tuesday 23rd January 2024 We held week one of our new Couch to 5K programme. We welcomed 20+ new members to the club. Well done on completing your first run. Tuesday 30th January 2024 A lovely run in the woods for our daytime group. Tuesday 6th February 2024 One of our 10k groups headed out to The Royal Armouries to gaze upon the Knife Angel Sculpture. Read more about the sculpture here . Sunday 11th February 2024 Before & after the Queensbury West Yorkshire Winter League race. Watch the videos here & here . Sunday 18th February 2024 Pudsey West Yorkshire Winter League race. Saturday 24th February 2024 - Sunday 10th March 2024 16 Marathons in 16 days! Yes, that's correct. No typos here. Ian completed this amazing challenge whilst raising money for Andy's Man Club, Leeds Dock Running Club & Recovery Runners. Click here to see more. Sunday 25th February 2024 Stainland West Yorkshire Winter League race. Saturday 23rd March 2024 Congratulations to the Couch to 5k group on completing the 9 week programme and finishing off with Cross Flatts Parkrun. You can watch the, Facebook, video here on our members group page. Saturday 30th March 2024 Cross Flatts Parkrun celebrated it's 11th birthday fancy dress style. Read our history to find out why this Parkrun is special to Lakers. Congratulation Thomas on 500 Parkruns! Thursday 18th April 2024 **Happy Birthday to us** South Leeds Lakers Juniors celebrated their 5th Birthday. 16 brave souls turned up on 18th April 2019 at Cockburn High School playing fields to take part junior athletics. Fast forward 5 years & we are at the John Charles stadium & still going strong. Over these last 5 years we have had as many as 260 children try at least one or more of our sessions. We must be doing something right as our weekly average numbers (per year) remain consistently strong. Saturday 11th May 2024 We attended 'Let's Move South Leeds' in Cross Flatts park. Showcasing our Junior Club & delivering taster sessions for the local community. It was very busy, with lots of children taking part. Great fun was had by all & even the Lord Mayor stopped by to say hello (she knew all about our amazing club). Well done to all involved. Sunday 19th May 2024 We rounded off Mental Health Awareness Week with a lovely walk in Middleton Woods. 7th June 2024 We have all been touched by the tragic passing of Rob Burrow. This week our junior lakers, with help from willing coaches & parents, ran 7 laps of South Leeds Stadium to help raise funds for the MND Centre. ITV Calendar came down to film. Watch here Donate Sunday 9th June 2024 The weather held out & Lakers met for a social get together at The Nelly. What will we do next? Wednesday 19th June 2024 What a glorious evening we had hosting the YVAA Grand Prix race number 4. Thank you to all the amazing volunteers. Saturday 22nd June 2024 Lakers promoted the club at Beeston Festival & dazzled the locals with 'The Lakers Loo Roll Challenge' Wednesday 26th June 2024 We had a lovely evening at The Hyde Park Harriers Summer Mile. This event was our 'race of the month' for June & did not disappoint. We had a great time testing out our speed & received a chocolate bar, beer & medal for our efforts. Well done to Michelle & Richard, our fastest female & male trophy winners. Results Saturday 29th & Sunday 30th June 2024 Some brave Lakers took on Endure 24 at Bramham Park. We had solo runners & teams trying to rack up the miles on the looped course. Well done all. Thursday 4th July 2024 We love to make the most out of our lovely local woods. Thanks, Wendy, for your weekly hill sessions. Saturday 13th July 2024 Parkrun league run number 7 saw Lakers at Sherwood Pines. A beautiful, one lap, course in the woods. Saturday 20th July 2024 Lakers smashing it at The Tolkien Trail Race. Andrea 1st F40 & Haydn 1st U23. Well done guys! Sunday 28th July 2024 More success for Lakers. This time in the shape of Simon. "...just to say to all, don't give up on your running goals! After many years & races I finally got a podium position in my age category today, at the James Herriot trail race. Might not seem much to some but I've never achieved it... Beautiful day (bit warm though), stunning scenery & a race of two halves. Even had enough winnings for a pint with Paul..." Well said Simon & a massive well done. Cheers! Tuesday 30th July 2024 Monopoly anyone? South Leeds lakers Monopoly Madness 12K Wednesday 14th August 2024 Lakers enjoyed a lovely curry night at The Plantation in Middleton. Cheers! Friday 16th August 2024 Leeds Dock Relay 2024. We had six teams pushing themselves to get as many laps completed in the hour. Well done to all the Lakers that took part this year. What a great way to spend a sunny, Friday night. If you want to know more about the event, here is a great write up from Charli at Dragons Running Club. Sunday 6th October 2024 Well done to everyone who took part in the Morley 10k. Sunday 13th October 2024 What a great turn out of Lakers at The Abbey Dash. We had plenty of first time 10kers, shiny PBs for some & a fabulous group of volunteers taking charge of the baggage tent. Tuesday 29th October 2024 Did somebody say pie & peas? The promise of food brought out all the ghosts & ghouls. We saw some great costumes on our club runs this week followed by pie & pies in The Pump House. A big thanks to Claire & team for organising the food & serving it up with a smile. Sunday 17th November 2024 The return of the West Yorkshire Winter League! It's nice to see a lovely big team & welcome some new runners to the Lakers family. Well done to everyone who braved the cold & made it back for the all important raffle. The first Lakers back were Simon Purll & Hannah Lewis. We had some great age category results too, with Andrea in 3rd & Graham & Cheryl in 4th. December 2024 Reindeer Strava art, a Santa hat run, festive Parkrunning & a Twixmas St Aidan's 10k. What more could you ask for? Happy Christmas!

Bah Humbug 10K 10th December 2023 "Not really sure where to start, but I’ll try! From the course set up team out at 6am, to the registration team that ensured all aspects of the event went so smoothly, to the core team that have spent 8 months planning, to our amazing course Marshalls for which the feedback from the runners was you are simply the most enthusiastic they have ever seen , to the catering team, water station and finishers team, to the juniors that stood in the rain & handed out medals, our amazing PA & of course Harry The Hawk ! To our fantastic partners and suppliers, to each and everyone of you who brought raffle prizes and bought tickets & of course our amazing runners who trudged though the mud in the most festive of outfits, I thank you all You’ve certainly done yourselves proud today." 10.12.23 Mark Bowman Race Director for 2023 Here are some of our winners More photos 2023 Results 2023 video

Track Session Friday night is our track night! For 40 weeks of the year we have access to the track at South Leeds Stadium (John Charles Centre for Sport), LS11 5DJ. The track is available between 6-7pm, is FREE & is open to all. You have two options: 1. Free Track Session (weekly) this session is not led, so come with your own plan to walk or run 2. Wendy's track session (weekly, starting April 2026) Wendy is our coach Meet track side at 5:55pm & sign in with a leader/coach To register, for FREE, & book please visit our RunTogether (England Athletics) page by clicking here. Alternatively, you can download the app for iPhone or Android by clicking on the links below. iPhone App Android App If you need any help with this please do get in touch or let us know at your first session & we can assist.

Welcome to South Leeds Lakers Running Club So you want o be a Laker? Well we don't blame you! All you need to do is sign up on RunTogether (England Athletics), then book & attend a session. Signing up is FREE & all sessions are FREE. Each week we have a daytime run, club night, a hill session & a track session (40 weeks of the year). There is nothing to pay & no commitment to attend every week. Just join us when you feel like it - you will always receive a warm welcome. Tuesday - Daytime Run Cross Flatts Park 10am Click here for full details Tuesday - Club Night Hunslet Nelson Cricket Club 6.50pm for a 7pm start Click here for full details Thursday - Coached Hill Session Hunslet Nelson Cricket Club (dark nights) Middleton Woods Visitor Centre Car Park (light nights) 6:30pm Click here to learn more about our coaching Friday - Track Session South Leeds Stadium 6pm Click here for full details Check our 'diary dates' page to find out what else is going on this week. Signing up for a run: The runs for each week are posted on Facebook & you can book via the Runner App, or via the Runtogether (England Athletics) website . Groups are mainly advertised by distance & time & are, usually, available to book by Monday. Please make sure your details are up to date. The run leaders are provided with your emergency contacts & any medical conditions that you have disclosed (these details are available to run leaders via an App on their phones, it's crucial they can access this information whilst out on a run with you). Affiliation (optional): Lakers is a free running club but there is the option to become an affiliated member of England Athletics. Their fee will be £23 for April 2026 to March 2027. Becoming an affiliated member is necessary for some races such as the West Yorkshire Winter League but it also allows you to enter other races at a discounted price. Click here for full details. Lakers kit: There is no requirement to wear Lakers kit except for certain races such as the West Yorkshire Winter League (wearing a club shirt is compulsory). If you wish to purchase kit, details can be found here. Contact us: You can contact the club via social media, or you can email us at Southleedslakers9@gmail.com . There are committee members present each Tuesday, so please do come to us with any questions, concerns or suggestions. Extras: Members receive a monthly email with a discount code for SPORTSSHOES.COM The code should not be shared with non-members.

South Leeds Lakers Affiliation Form You can run with the club as a social member, but to take advantage of the many benefits associated with affiliation, please register via the above form . The England Athletics membership year runs for 1st April to 30th March. There is an offer for new members to join between January and March, receiving additional months membership for the price of the current membership year. For 2025/26 this will be £20. On 1st April 2026 membership will increase to £23, which is dictated by England Athletics. Any queries can be directed to our Membership Secretary, Shelly Parker, at missshellyparker@gmail.com

Contact South Leeds Lakers for any questions you have Contact South Leeds Lakers For general enquiries please use the form below. For any welfare related issues, please email welfare.lakers@gmail.com Forename Surname Email Address How can we help? Contact Us Thanks for submitting!

South Leeds Lakers Policies & Forms South Leeds Laker Running Club adopts the UKA/EA 'Code of Conduct for senior athletes'. Every club, club member & anyone undertaking a relevant role must agree to abide by the Code of Conduct. The code of conduct is available here We also have various policies & documents which are available below The Club Constitution Adult Safeguarding Policy Discipline and Appeals Process London Marathon Ballot Rules Affiliation form SLL Accident Reporting Form

South Leeds Lakers Running club, free for all social Running club Welcome to South Leeds Lakers Running Club Welcome to South Leeds Lakers Running Club, we are an inclusive, friendly & FREE social club for runners of all abilities. Take a look at our 'Get Involved' section to see all the things we offer our members. We currently meet at 6.50pm for a 7pm start at Hunslet Nelson Cricket Club, Gipsy Lane LS11 5TT, on a Tuesday evening, for our club night . We also have a daytime run, coaching & a track session . We have a junior section using the South Leeds Stadium on a Friday 6-7pm. Run, jump & throw for children aged 8-14 years. Club Night Juniors Diary Dates