Running is fun, but it’s even more fun when you are doing it with someone else.

That’s the message that long-time Cirencester Athletics Club member Liza Darroch wants to get across as life starts to return, hopefully, to something like normal post-lockdowns.

And 73-year-old Liza knows what she is talking about because she has been running since the early 80s and has been a prominent member at Cirencester AC for a good number of years now.

“It’s great fun being part of a club,” said Liza. “At Cirencester we train every Tuesday and then there are social runs on Thursday mornings and at the weekends.”

And it’s the social side that Liza thinks is so important.

“You do see a lot of runners out and about on their own,” she said, “but when you’re part of a club, you’ve got the company and support of others.

“I ran the Stroud half Marathon last month and the last thing I wanted to do was go training two days later on the Tuesday evening. The weather was miserable and I was tired, and then when I got there the coach told us we had to run up a hill – 12 times!

“But I’m really glad I did it because I felt great afterwards. I wouldn’t have done it if I hadn’t been told to, but having the support and company of other people helped me and in the end made it fun.”

Cirencester AC, like a number of other sports clubs across the county, suffered during the lockdowns.

“Covid hit us hard,” admitted Liza. “Quite a few of our members haven’t come back and some won’t.

“They may have found other things to do or now run on their own. Running has become a lot more specialist; some will run trails, others will do 100s of miles, or some will just do parkruns and it may be a club’s training night is not what they are looking for.”

Liza, a coach herself these days, believes there is something for pretty much everyone at Cirencester AC. She also believes there is scope to grow the club, which now has a membership of around 155, down from a high of about 250.

“One of the things about lockdown was that you suddenly got all these people following the Couch to 5k training plan,” she said.

“That means they can now do parkruns and they may still be doing them but, without a target or the support of others, it’s hard to get yourself out in poor weather. They always say, ‘The first step out the door is the hardest’. 

“I go training every Tuesday evening and I enjoy it. It never crosses my mind not to go, I’m committed and it’s what I do. And it’s the same with our social group runs on Thursday and Sunday mornings.

“We would love to meet some of those who had the determination to train on their own through lockdown. It would be such a pity if they let their running fitness fade away now.

“People musn’t be put off by the word ‘Athletics’ in our club name – we offer a warm welcome to everyone – ALL abilities and ages.

“We can’t share hugs any more but we are confident we are Covid cautious – we are always outside and we can monitor and control numbers if need be.

Liza plans to keep on running for a good few more years yet and she’d love nothing more than for a few new faces to join her and experience the thrill of being part of a well-established running club.