RUN CLUBS and COACHING GROUPS

In both Australia and New Zealand, run club popularity has exploded, especially in our major cities.  The number of run coaches and coaching groups has also increased dramatically. 

We have developed some guidelines that run clubs and coaching groups should consider when advertising and holding their sessions. 

Women will feel more comfortable engaging in events knowing that their safety and well being has been considered.  Knowing the location, run route, accessibility of bathrooms, and not being left behind by faster runners makes attendance more appealing.  It's also the right thing to do, especially when advertising that all levels of athletes are catered for.  Women have reported that they have had negative experiences at run clubs and with coaching groups as they have been left behind, have been lost as no routes were shared or advertised, and had no access to bathrooms.
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Guidelines

• When designing the course route, please consider starting and/or finishing where there are toilets, and with adequate lighting.  All genders would be pretty happy with this, but there is the need to consider women who may be on their period and need a bathroom at some point in time on the run. Include this info when advertising your runs. 
• Please advertise the route that you will be running.  Have a map on your website or socials, and include links to gps files, strava, AllTrails, Capra, or any other form of mapping app.  Give a description of the route, where bathrooms may be located, the difficulty level, etc.
• Have a policy in place for dealing with any sexist or misogynistic language or behaviour, as well as a pathway for runners to report any unsafe behaviour.  And let your club members know what your standards are in regard to this.  If women know that they are in a safe community, they are more likely to join that community.
• When designing and selling run club apparel, ensure that you have female fit clothing, not just unisex or men’s sizes.
• If you promote your run club as an all abilities and inclusive club, then have procedures in place to ensure that runners do not get lost or are left behind.  Many women have reported that they have been to run clubs but have been left behind as they are slower than a lot of the runners.  If your club is large enough, then consider having run group leaders positioned throughout the run, including a ‘sweeper’ as the last runner. 
• Always check permission for photo sharing on social media. Some women may want to remain anonymous and not have images or their run locations shared on social media due to domestic violence situations.