Why you should join!


We welcome all runners to join. We can cater for anyone 12 and above, though we do ask that juniors between 12 and 16 years are accompanied by a parent or guardian. 

We only have the resources to support a limited number of groups running at different paces on our club runs, the details are on the club run page. If you feel that you're not able to run at the pace of our slowest group yet (12 mins/mile or 7:30 mins/km), please contact us. We may be able to suggest alternatives, such as the Couch to 5k program.

We pride ourselves on being a friendly club which supports competitive and social runners alike. 

Our club runs generally meet at Congleton Leisure Centre, CW12 1DT. Each route has several stops and no-one is left on their own. 

Find out from our members why joining the club is a great idea.

If you have been thinking about joining a running club but would like to try us out before joining, you're more than welcome to. Please get in touch with the New Members Team to get all the info. 

If you want to join – please complete the Membership Form (Word version - PDF version). For the year 2023/2024 membership of the Harriers costs £30, which includes the £17 registration fee with England Athletics. Non-running membership costs £7 and second claim members pay £11. There are discounts for families.

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About us

  • Our homebase is Congleton (the one in Cheshire, UK).
  • We have been around for over 40 years.
  • We have over 170 members.
  • We are one of the friendliest clubs out there!
  • We have a lot of very active members who will happily provide advice on anything from the best running socks to how to get into fell running.
  • We are affiliated to England Athletics – this means that as a member you will get a discount on many races. 

Club activities

  • Summer Away Runs – monthly trail runs in various local-ish locations. Approximately 10k at a pace to suit all abilities and followed by a chance to chat over food & drink. The food is subsidised by the club.
  • Winter Warmers – monthly get togethers with food & drink. The food is subsidised by the club.
  • Couch to 5K – we run this 9-week programme at least twice a year.

Member run activities

These activities are ones that are arranged by our members, or ones they are involved in.

  • Sunday Runday – 8 miles to 10 miles / 12.8 km to 16 km – various local-ish locations, mostly off road, always with a stop for coffee & cake after.
  • Tuesday social runs – slower paced evening runs of 5 miles to 6.5 miles / 8km to 10.5 km, but off road all year round.
  • Park Run – many members attend Congleton Park Run every Saturday and on the first Saturday of the month our club members act as pacers.
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Competitions

Our members attend all sorts of events – from 5Ks to ultras via trail, cross country and fell runs – some like to compete, others just like to take part and enjoy the experience. Most race organisers offer entry fee discounts to people who are members of clubs affiliated with England Athletics.

We enter teams in the North Staffs Cross Country League and participate in Cheshire, Northern and National Cross Country championships. Quite a few members started their love affair with off road running by doing a few of these events.

There’s also the internal Club Competition. Each spring and autumn the club posts a list of all the events which has been popular with members in previous years and if you enter any of those events you can gain club competition points. We even have an awards ceremony with trophies and everything. 😉 

Finally, there’s the Club Handicap races. The Cloud Handicap is run twice a year and in summer there is also the Horseshoe Hobble. Everyone is given a time handicap based on their speed and current form and runners are set off at staggered times based on their handicap, meaning even a slower runner has a chance of nabbing the trophy AND the pot (all runners put £1 in the pot). 

Races

We organise 3 races each year and there is always a need for helping hands whether you are great at drumming up sponsors or happy to marshal along the course on the day.

  • Cloud 9
    Chip-timed 9-mile trail race up to the top of Bosley Cloud – early March
  • Passing Clouds
    9.8 mile fell race taking in Tittesworth and the Roaches – early June