The club.
Furlong is a running club for Hitchin and the chalk towns around it. Ruth Calder started it, and she still runs the Saturday start.
Ruth Calder
Ruth lives in Hitchin. In 2018 she was running alone from the gate at Bancroft Recreation Ground. In March 2019 six people met her there. That Saturday became the club.
She is the person in the navy top. On Saturdays she points out the short turn and waits for the last runner. During the week she works in Letchworth, so the Thursday night run is the one she can make after work.
The Sunday long run is the one she cares about most. It leaves Royston station at 07:45. There is a shorter turn if 18 km is too far. She does not ask anyone to explain why they came.
- FOUNDED
- March 2019
- FIRST SATURDAY
- 6 people
- RUNS THIS WEEK
- 9
- ON THE CARD
- 90 km
- SATURDAY START
- 08:15
- NIGHT RUN
- 20:10
- LONGEST
- 21 km
- TOWNS
- 6
The week
This week's card is 9 runs and 90 km. That figure is the distances added up, not a count of members. The longest is the Icknield Way, 21 KM, from Baldock.
Saturday in Hitchin is 08:15 and 6-9 KM. Meet at Bancroft Recreation Ground at 08:05. The night run is Thursday at 20:10 from Broadway Gardens, 6 KM.
Where the runs leave
Hitchin, Baldock, Letchworth, Stevenage, Royston, Therfield. The pages for each run have the exact meeting point. Beginner runs stay short. Weekly runs keep a regular time. Long runs are for when the short ones feel easy.
What to bring
Shoes you can run in, a layer you can tie on, and water on anything over 12 km. Winter starts are dark, so bring a light. There is no clubhouse. After Saturday, people walk back across the ground, and the town is a few minutes away if you want coffee.