Our Run Leaders

Although we think our Run Leaders are superheroes for dedicating their time, energy and enthusiasm to supporting other women with their running, they are not super human athletes. They’re women just like you who know how hard it is to get started. They remember what it was like as a beginner and they’re super passionate about supporting others.

We have a dedicated team of over 50 volunteer Run Leaders, many of whom are former graduates of our beginner programmes themselves. Our community simply would not exist without them!

One our main objectives is to empower women to support other women in their local communities to get active. If you’re interested in joining the team, we’d love to hear from you.

Run Leader Role and Responsibilities

 If you meet the following criteria we’d love to hear from you:

  • You enjoy running in all weathers

  • You want to share your love of running with others

  • You are encouraging to others of all abilities

  • You have been running regularly with one of our groups for at least 3 months (N/A if you’re looking to set up a new location and running with an existing group is not practical)

  • You understand that when you’re leading a run, it is not ‘your run’ and the pace and programme should cater to the group runners and not your own personal training plan

  • You can commit to supporting a group once a week for a minimum of 2 out of 4 weeks

  • You can commit to being a Run Leader with Let’s Run Girls for a minimum of 9 months

 What do we expect our Leaders to do?

 Before a session:

  • Support potential new runners by answering questions etc. (via email or social media)

  • Communicate with the other leaders prior to the session

  • Plan a run route

  • Arrive at the meeting point 5 - 10 minutes early and welcome runners to the session

  • Create a friendly and welcoming environment for runners

  • Check in runners at a session

  • Screen for injuries/illness

  • Be prepared to lead the group through a warm up

During a session:

  • Carry your phone with you at all times

  • Wear high-vis clothing in the dark months

  • Encourage all runners of all abilities

  • Follow the planned session working with the other run leaders to ensure the group is fully supported

  • Make sure the group stays on track and all runners are accounted for

  • Watch out for safety hazards and communicate with other leaders and runners

  • If a runner is injured, ensure appropriate support and communicate with other leaders

After a session:

  • Wait for all runners to finish the run

  • Encourage the runners to take time to stretch following a run

  • Demonstrate good stretching techniques

  • Be supportive to all runners on their run

  • Pass on any relevant communication to runners (e.g. upcoming events)

What do we NOT expect:

  • You to be an expert in running, you will learn all the necessary skills to be a safe and effective Run Leader on the Leadership in Running Fitness (LIRF) course and from the support we provide to you.

  • You to be a fast runner. You can lead a group from the front, middle or back and we welcome runners of all paces and abilities to join our Leaders Team.