Training

Generally training takes place throughout the year on a Saturday morning at Churchill Playing Fields, Whitley Bay, NE26 3NT.

This depends on weather and if races are taking place. Please speak to Calum Mills if you are interested in attending.

Churchill track is free to use and utilises a booking system to book a slot so you can attend in your own time if you want to have a go.

Northern Athletics Track and Field League

Heaton Harriers compete in a league with other local clubs across four fixtures over the summer season. The club pays for an overall entry into the league which means your entry is paid for through your membership fee.

Please see the side bar or below for this fixtures.

The league is a day fixture following the same timetable each time, the link for the timetable can be found here.

For each event we can enter 2 competitors. Participation earns the club points and we compete against the other clubs to win the matches and the league.

All the equipment is supplied by the host so you do not need anything other than your running shoes, white club vest and safety pins.

We also need to help ‘officiate’ the event. This means providing people to help retrieve field equipment or lane judge. If you are injured but want to help out this is a great way of giving back to your running club.

2022 Fixtures:

Sat 30th Apr 2022 – Churchill, Whitley Bay

Sun 12th Jun 2022 – Middlesbrough Sports Village

Sun 10th Jul 2022 – Stadium 2000, Shildon

Sat 6th Aug 2022 – Churchill, Whitley Bay

Visit the Northern Athletics Website for more details

North East Grand Prix

This is a series of events put on by NECCA on a Wednesday night at either Monkton Stadium in Hebburn or Gateshead Stadium. The programme varies each time and has a good variation of middle to long distance running as well as field events.

Further information can be found here.

All races are graded which means you will put a projected time and then you will placed in a heat with others who have put similar times.

Entries are paid for by the entrants as it’s an individual event. 

Dispelling Track and Field Myths and Misconceptions

Shoes – The normal running trainer will get you through any event on the track or in the field. Yes there are spikes which you can buy if you want and there are some event specific ones. The only thing I’d say is no super-shoes! Do not wear your Nike Vaporfly or Alphafly as they could disqualify you. There are rules about shoes but at our level these are not enforced as long as you run in something sensible.

Lane discipline – 100m, 200m and 400m sprints you will stay in your lane the whole way round. Leaving your lane will result in a DQ. 800m you will be put in a lane to start, after roughly 100m there will be a break line where the back straight starts. From this line you can move into lane 1. 1500m, 3k and 5k there is a curved line where you start and you will be asked to line up behind it across the track and from the gun you can move into lane 1. Steeplechase you start on the back straight, your first hurdle is the one just after the start/finish line so after 300m of running. You do need to hurdle the barriers but you can put your feet or hands to help get yourself over.