Welcome to the South Devon Athletic Club website. Please have a good look around the website and use the contact details if you want any further information.

We hope we are a friendly club which offers the opportunities for competition – if that is what you want – or for training with similar standard runners if that is your aim. We usually have between 180 and 200 members, roughly half under 18 years old, with the others stretching into their 70s. There’s plenty of males and females in the club, with a wide range of running standards and interests.

Club members regularly take part in road running, multi-terrain, cross country and track and field. There are sprinters, middle distance runners and each year there are people preparing for marathons, whether they are planning to run it for the first time or they’ve done it before. We hope to offer support for anyone who wants it.

The club is based at the Torbay Leisure Centre at Clennon Valley in Paignton. Members currently pay £26 a year, starting in April. There are no weekly training fees but there will be race entry fees which individuals pay themselves. Membership entitles you to buy an annual car pass at the Leisure Centre (currently £10 per year). This allows you to park for free whenever you use the facilities. If you are thinking about coming along to see what we are like, you can train with us for up to four weeks with no payment and no commitment.    (If you use the car park please buy a parking ticket with sufficient time for your run and time to collect your car afterwards.)

Our main club night is Thursdays but the juniors have another main session on Monday evenings either in Churston Ferrers Grammar School gym in the winter or on their grass track in the summer. Our senior runners meet at other times during the week to suit what they want to do.

The best way to see what we do is to come along on a Thursday evening about 6.45pm at the TLC and have a chat. The juniors’ coaches are usually around and can give you more advice on sessions suitable for U18s. Please note that the minimum age we accept is 8 years old.

For seniors, you can come ready to run if you want. We meet at 6.45pm, to start running at 7pm. We’ll try to match you up with people going on a distance and at a speed to suit you. If you are planning to run with us on dark nights please wear something light or a reflective vest. Please always think of your own safety when you are out running.

We hope to see you sometime.

(Updated 19 October 2007)