New athletics group in Inverness sees membership running up
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A new athletics group set up to promote the sport in Inverness has seen 120 members signing up in the first 12 hours.
Athletics Inverness is an independent organisation for adult and pre-adult athletes and coaches and a focal point for distance runners interested in competitive racing.
Organisers say the group has been set up to address a growing lack of local provision for the sport at senior level in Inverness.
It will initially operate online, although further activities will follow once Covid restrictions recede.
The group’s aims include promoting training and competition for athletes at or approaching senior level, and the exchange of ideas.
Organisers say they will act as a focus group and hopes to address a lack of suitable access to training facilities.
Athletics Inverness will also provide help and advice for distance runners - including many who have taken up running since the start of the pandemic.
Most of Inverness’s leading coaches and athletes, have already signed up. However Athletics Inverness stresses that it is not an elite organisation and has been formed to help at all levels.
A spokesperson for the group said: “We would have preferred to start after Covid was over but this senior end of the sport needs something urgently so we felt we had to do this now.
“The speed people joined up at shows just how badly lacking provision is and we’re overwhelmed at the response.
“Inverness simply doesn’t have adequate arrangements for the kind of people we want to help.
“Accessing suitable training facilities is a growing problem, but we need to do a lot more than that for athletes of all abilities from age 15 upwards.
“We’ve got a huge amount of expertise and experience on board in our many coaches, administrators and athletes, and want to focus this in a more meaningful way.”
