Stockport Harriers and AC: Woodbank Park Running Club

Stockport Harriers and Athletic Club were founded in 1897 and have long been based around Woodbank Park in Stockport, one of the Mersey valley parks that sits between the town centre and the hills of east Stockport. Woodbank is also home to the popular Woodbank parkrun, which gives the club a consistent footfall of runners who might be looking for more than a Saturday 5k. The Stockport area is defined by its topography – the hills that rise from the Mersey valley toward Romiley and Hazel Grove make for excellent cross-country preparation and give the club’s athletes a different kind of fitness to those training on the flat terrain of central Manchester.

The club competes in Northern Athletics across track and cross-country, with road running events through the year. The winter cross-country season is where Stockport Harriers have historically been strong, the hills of their training ground giving them an advantage on the kind of courses that flatten more central clubs. New members across all age groups are welcomed, and the club runs junior sessions alongside the adult training programme. Track sessions, hill sessions, and long road runs are all part of the weekly programme. Contact the club ahead of the season via their website for details of how to join training.