Junior training is held on a Wednesday night from 7pm – 8pm at Seedhill Athletics Track in Barrowford. We cater for 8 -16 year olds.

Training is run by Matthew Watson, Nick Treitl and Richard Treitl in partnership with Pendle AC. Although we are a specialist distance running club, younger athletes of primary school age will be coached in a range of track and field events. However, in the winter, training is mainly based around endurance running.

Older athletes can specialise in endurance running with Barlick club coaches or can specialise in other track and field event groups with Pendle AC coaches (please enquire for further information).

There is no charge for our coaching but there is a fee of £4.85 each time you use the track. Alternatively, you can pay a monthly fee of £12.99, to Pendle Leisure, for an Activo pass which will give your child access to West Craven Pool in Barnoldswick, Pendle Leisure Centre Pool in Colne, the pool at Pendle Wavelengths in Nelson and Seedhill Track in Barrowford. In addition, there are junior / teenage gym sessions at each centre covered by the Activo pass (please visit Pendle Leisure website for further information or ask in one of the Pendle Leisure facilities).

We offer a three week trial period, and should athletes wish to continue training after the trial period you will need to join the club and pay the annual club membership fee (see membership page for further details).  

Please email Matthew Watson to check availability and with any enquires at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Training is outside year round so children attending will need to bring suitable clothing for the conditions including a waterproof coat and a drink.

Junior Competitions
We aim to develop our juniors to compete in a range of completions including the Red Rose Cross Country League through the winter and BOFRA fell races in the summer.

Athletes can also choose to join Pendle AC as well a Barlick and complete in a track and field league in the summer.

Information for Junior Runners and their Parents/Guardians

Training and Racing

Junior training is currently not running - updates will be posted when the situation changes. 


Entering Races

We would encourage Junior Members to enter races 

Having a race or a series of races to look forward to provide focus to one’s training and provides an opportunity to run against juniors from other clubs of similar ages and ability.

Race entries are generally no more than £2 or £3 and Junior Members will need to run in a Club Vest and appropriate footwear for the type of terrain.

Types of Races

The types of Races we would encourage our Junior Members to enter are:

     Fell Races

Fell Racing (also known as Hill or Mountain Racing) is the sport of racing, off road, over upland country where the gradient climbed is a significant component of the difficulty.
 
For the younger age groups the race terrain is usually over grass or defined tracks, with minimal uphill climb and descent. More often than not these are ‘out and back’ courses or a single loop. For older groups this may be similar but typically with rougher terrain, longer uphill climbs and steeper descents.

A typical example of age groups and distances for Junior fell races would be:

Under 8 (Boys and Girls)    1km distance with 15mtrs climb
Under 10(Boys and Girls)    1.9km distance with 70mtrs climb
Under 12 (Boys and Girls)    2.1km distance with 110mtrs climb
Under 14 (Boys and Girls)    2.7km distance with 150mtrs climb
Under 16 (Girls)             3.8km distance with 220mtrs climb
Under 16 (Boys)        5km distance with 281mtrs climb

As with our Senior Runners, Junior Members are likely to enter events organised under the rules set out by the Fell Runners Association (FRA) or the British Open Fell Runners Association (BOFRA).

FRA and BOFRA, as governing bodies, apply sensible guidelines to ensure juniors are not competing in a race above and beyond what would be expected from a child of their age. Additionally measures are in place to ensure a child’s safety and welfare considerations are fully met.

The FRA was formed in 1970 to cater for the needs of fell runners. It has over 6,000 individual members from around 300 athletic clubs. The Association (which is affiliated to UK Athletics) was the first and is still the biggest athletics body which looks after fell runners' interests.

Take a look at the FRA website www.fellrunner.org. It lists around 178 junior and 550 senior races affiliated to the association and is an excellent port of call for race related information.

The FRA organise a Junior Fell Running Championship, which consists of 6 top quality races throughout the year. The individual championship is open to all FRA members – if you complete 4 races you get a free T-shirt. Complete all 6 and you get a hoodie. None members can still compete in these races but they will not be included in the championship. Junior FRA membership is £8 per year.

BOFRA looks after a smaller number of races and like the FRA has a Junior Championship. For example, the 2015 BOFRA championship comprised of 15 junior races and 16 senior races. Please visit their website, www.bofra.org.uk, for more details.

     Cross Country

The Mid Lancs League is an Association of Athletics Clubs in the North West of England, set up to provide competition in Cross Country and Track & Field for athletes from the region. Please visit www.midlancs.org.uk for more details.

The Red Rose League formed in 1970 to encourage competitive cross-country running in the local area, the league holds four fixtures each year, usually from October to December and caters for both men and women from 8 years and upwards. Please visit www.redrosecrosscountry.co.uk for more details.

Each fixture has a full programme for Junior Members:

Under 11 (Boys and Girls)          2km distance
Under 13 (Girls)             2.5km distance
Under 15 (Girls) and Under 13 (Boys)    3km distance
Under 15 (Boys) and Under 17 (Girls)    4km distance

    Parkrun
Parkrun is a series of 5k runs held on Saturday mornings in areas of open space around the UK. They are open to all, free and easy to take part in.
Parkrun closest to Barnoldswick are Aireville Park, Skipton, Alkincoates Park, Colne and Towneley Park, Burnley.
Check out their website for further information at www.parkrun.org.uk.

The sessions will take place from Barnoldswick Cricket Club at 6.30pm on a Monday and cost £1.

Each child will have a head torch and a high visibility vest for the session unless they have their own head torch.

The Junior session caters for all levels of ability.

After a quick and fun warm up we divide the group into 3 relating to age and ability.

The 3 groups then go with one of the three coaches, Stephen Chew, Nick Treitl and Sarah Tipler.

The sessions will be a mixture of

1 speed work
2 hurdles and technique work
3 endurance
4 pacing

The main aim is to get as many of the juniors racing as soon as possible.

The junior vests can be ordered from Stephen Chew for £15.

Parents attending will be able to seek shelter in the club house at the cricket club.  Tea and coffee will be on sale for 50p.  Alternatively you can join in the new beginner session starting on Monday 12th October from the cricket club.