West 4 Harriers is a small and very friendly club based in Chiswick with about 90 members. There is a wide range of abilities, from beginners to seasoned marathoners and everything in between and a nice mixture of men and women. Ages range from 20ish to 60ish.
Club nights are 7pm Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Meet at the club house in Ibis Lane Chiswick, which we share with the Quintin Rowing Club. The club house looks out over the river, perfect for evening drinks in the summer after a run. Monday night is an easy, social run of about 6 miles. Ideal for prospective members to meet us all. Tuesday and Thursday are hill and speed sessions (see training for more details). All of our running is done in the local area, either on the towpath between Hammersmith and Kew, or Richmond Park in the summer and then on the roads in the winter.
West 4 Harriers participate regularly at races of all distances all over the country. There is no pressure to race but almost all new members end up catching the bug and there is nothing more enouraging than crossing the finish line with all your club mates cheering you on. Unless of course you cross it before they do!
Each month there is a hotly contested club handicap race - 3 miles in the summer and 4 in the winter. In the winter we take part in the Surrey League men's and women's cross country league. An opportunity to do some off road running and get muddy whilst scoring points for the club.
Our annual club race is the Fullers Thames Towpath Ten, a popular 10 miler down the towpath. West 4 have organised this successfuly for nearly 20 years and all members turn out to help make the day special.
When the running is done we are a very sociable club and ,apart from the summer BBQ and Christmas party, we take any opportunity to celebrate with a few drinks. The annual training week at Club La Santa in Lanzarote and the bi-annual training weekends in the New Forest are excellent opportunities to mix running with pleasure.
Prospective members are urged to come and try a few runs with us before committing to joining. If you do join, the annual fee is a mere £25. This gives access to a plethora of running partners, a unique bank of knowledge and wisdom from the many years of combined experience in the club. We are members of England Athletics so £5 of the fee goes to England Athletics entitling you to a discount on race entry and at some running stores.