About Us
Basic information about the club is AVAILABLE HERE in the 'New members leaflet'.
The following is adapted from original text by Dave Weeden:
An early 80s 'Beaujolais run' featuring younger versions of Gordon McIlroy, Mel James, Colin Slocombe, Huw Roberts and Derek Williams.
;)
We are one of the largest running clubs in Wales. Anyone, regardless of ability, is welcome to join: if you look at our results, you can see that while some of our members finish at the front end of races, most are in the middle, and quite a few bring up the rear.
We were formed in 1981, mostly from members of Cardiff AAC. We’re best defined as a road running club, although our main competitive league is the Gwent League (a series of five winter season cross-country races).
The name comes from the casino owned by one of our founder members, Gordon McIlroy, who offered to "put a few bob in" when we started.
For anyone interested in joining, or just in the Cardiff area and wanting some company for a run, the best thing to do is to show up at Llandaff Rugby Club from 6:45pm on a Thursday. This website also offers a wealth of information about the Club, contacts and a useful FAQs section.
What We Do
We run together once a week (see above). After that we repair to the clubhouse for 'food' and drink. Many of us meet to run at other times, and we do meet for track sessions or hill training on other days. We often share lifts to races and to/from training. And, of course, we socialise together too.
What We Don’t Do
We don’t run beginners’ groups. Other clubs do, but we’ve never mastered the delegation business, and besides we feel that running isn’t a skill like swimming or golf - you just go out and do it. Runner's World Magazine provides a useful online collection of 50 Best Beginners Tips. If you are a beginner you could start by coming along to parkrun on Saturday mornings. This is part of a national scheme of timed 5k runs which is for absolutely all abilites.
We don’t have a junior section, as such. Children of members do run for the Club at times, but we aren’t able to offer coaching. If you are under 18, Cardiff Amateur Athletic Club offer development in all athletic disciplines, and can be contacted at Cardiff International Sports Stadium, Leckwith, Cardiff; 029 2078 8399. Youngsters can take part in parkrun which is a national free weekly 5k run open to all. Club members assist in the running of the Cardiff event.
Want to Join?
Come and run with us, and talk to a few people. You wouldn’t buy a pair of shoes without trying them on, and we won’t ask for money until you feel comfortable. Payment gets you a club vest (free after you’ve run three races; until then you have to borrow one), and a warm sense of belonging.
If you’ve been running or jogging for at least a few months on your own, and have run a race and enjoyed it, you’ll fit in. Some of us have been running since school, some of us took up running as a replacement for other sports (such as football, rugby, or squash), and some of us started from scratch–in a couple of cases, after a lifetime of smoking.
If you feel you’d rather talk to someone first, click on the Club Contacts section.
Membership
Current annual subscription is £35 per year, which includes mandatory membership of Welsh Athletics (WA). This includes insurance benefits should you be unfortunate enough to be injured whilst training or competing. Membership of the WA saves a few quid on every race you enter.