How to Join the Club

We're happy to see you're interested in joining the Mornington Chasers, and we're always keen to welcome new members into the club!

We encourage all potential new members to read and follow this page when joining, as due to the size of the club we have to restrict what club nights new members attend to ensure we are able to find the best training route for you to start on.

Typically we suggest potential members turn up to 2 - 3 Tuesday sessions to help get a feel of the club. After that point, if you'd wish to continue running you should officially join the club following the instructions below.

Our members benefit from being part of a sociable, competitive and established running club, with the opportunity to train with like-minded runners of all abilities.

In addition to this, club membership provides:

• Entitles you to attend any of our training sessions (note track and Yoga sessions do require additional fees per session).

• Free entry into club races such as the Summer League and Met League Cross Country.

• Reduced affiliated entry into many external races.

• A membership card that entitles you discounts at Runners Need stores.

• A Club vest.

• Access to member services on this website, such as forums, email and weekly club updates.

Please see our Club Membership page for full details.

To make the process of joining the club as smooth as possible please follow this short guide below:

• Understand your running experience: what distances and at what pace do you normally run?

• Browse our website, look at our training overview and training groups to see what training we offer as a club.

• If you have any further queries not covered by this site, feel free to contact us for more details.

• Turn up to a Tuesday training session, and run with one of our many groups. We suggest you turn up to one or two Tuesday training sessions so you can get a good feel of the club and it's members.

• If you're keen to continue, apply for membership with The Mornington Chasers.

• An account on this website will be created and you will be sent login details to your email.

It's important to understand your running abilities and experience before you attend a training session. The club always has various groups that run at different paces and distances during the Tuesday meets, and to ensure we select the best group for you to run with we need an idea of your normal pace.

Typically we pace the groups in terms of distance and approximate miles per minute. It's good to know roughly your pace in these terms so a club member can find the best group for you on your first week.

If in doubt, always pick a conservatively paced group. You can freely move between the groups each week so it's much better to progress up to your natural pace rather than starting at the top on your first week.

If you're new to running and like the look of our Gentle Joggers group, there is a more detailed list of tips to prepare you for turning up to a training session here.

We ask new members to only turn up to our Tuesday sessions, as we can't guarantee to have an adequate number of pace groups on Thursday's or Sunday's to cater for all.

• Review our events page to ensure there is a weekly Tuesday training session taking place.

• On a Tuesday arrive at Talacre Sports Centre for approximately 7pm. See below for details on changing and locker facilities.

• After you have changed please walk back in the direction of the reception. During Winter, we meet up stairs on the top floor. During the summer we generally meet directly outside the venue. It's hard to miss all the runners!

• Please make yourself known as a new runner to one of the Team Captains (Daren Morley, Maki Kimura, Tom Craggs and Camilla Ray). You can see some pictures of the current Captains here. Alternatively, just ask any member and they should be able to point you to the right people to speak to.

• The Team Captain will find a suitable training run for you and a group to go with.

• Note we set off on runs at 7:15pm. Runs last for approximately 1 hour, with members meeting up on the first floor back in Talacre for tea and biscuits from 8pm.

There are changing rooms and lockers at Talacre Sports Centre that can be used by club members. When you arrive, you can purchase at reception a locker token for 20p. The changing rooms are located down the corridor after entering the centre and to the left. Showers and toilets can be found in the changing rooms.

Even though the centre remains staffed all evening we strongly suggest you look after your valuables when using the facilities.

If you would like to become a member please send an email to the Membership Secretary - Lezley Hilliard, who will send you an application form. The email address is membership@chaser.me.uk. The form will include all details required to apply for membership, including payment information.

Please see our Club Membership page for more details.