Your Orion
Welcome Pack
This Welcome Pack is designed to highlight all the benefits and key information your Orion membership brings. Within it you will find info on our club app, discounts, races and some advice on getting the most from your annual membership.
If this is your first year of membership then please ask any of our existing members if you are unsure of anything about how the club operates and the many races you now have access to.
Many of our members renew each year, but no matter how long you have been a member, we thank you for supporting running within the local area.
Importantly, the club and all it’s volunteers are here to support your running journey, whether its a marathon, a race or simply getting out socially each week.
Now take a few moments to read through this doc and become familiar with all we have to offer you.
Congrats to a New
Year of Running
“A warm welcome to Orion. We continue to compete at the highest level in Essex and have something for everyone here. I’m particularly proud of our women’s section and how we all encourage and support each other at all levels. I wish you well on your running journey with us.”
Nikkii Barnett, Women’s Club Captain.
Our History
The club has a rich history of running since being formed in 1911.
Emerging out of a local gymnastics club (hence the white club vests), the club met on a monthly basis in the Chingford area. With a handful of members it has grown into the club we know today, with over 400 members.
The “harriers” part of Orion’s name is a common term for running clubs dating back to the 1900’s. These running clubs are called “harriers” because they historically competed in “paper chasing” (hare and hounds) cross-country, designed to mimic hunting with dogs. The “harrier” refers to the dog breed. This has evolved into the modern cross-country running we know and enjoy today.
How to Book Sessions
There are training runs most days from either the club house or track centre.
To book these sessions we use a club app, called “Spond”. This is available on either your mobile or PC (as a webpage). Both instance are free for members to download and use.
You can find out more about the club app here, which will then show all the upcoming training sessions, races, and events we have on the weekly calendar.
Once you have logged into the club app you will need to use a signup code to access all the events. This will take around 24-48hours to be approved.
The club app code to join the general groups is WGKNL.
To join the race registration group please use code FIKIN.
“You don’t need expensive gels for those long runs. I’d recommend baby food pouches as a better option, they taste great, have no nasties in them, are less gloopy and are much kinder on the stomach. Most are also resealable.”
Jamie Gwilliam, Social Run Group Leader.
Marathon Training
Many of our members originally joined to take advantage of marathon training in an Orion group. This typically starts around the first week of January and lasts until the London Marathon, normally at the end of April.
During this time we have many members training for different spring marathons dotted around the globe. As such we often have multiple training groups out during the weekend completing their long training runs. Most groups will adopt the trusted plan of adding 10% to the mileage each week, ready for your big day. Whether this is your first marathon or you’ve run multiples, each group will offer something that caters to your needs.
Keep an eye on the club app to see when and how far the groups are going.
For most things Orion related we use WhatsApp to chat between the club member. For ease we have one master group (“Community”) that you should join, and from there you will be able to see all the subgroups that are created for particular topics, including third-party events, marathons, races, parkruns and regular training runs.
To join the master group is simple, just click on the below link:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/EzAR4X3Kaao1MF0hWuvitl
For all members using Whatsapp we remind them of the usual and established community guidelines of promoting safety online, respecting other members and club relevance. All members are requested to not spam the chats and keep the conversations relevant to running.
Discounts
The club is an “England Athletics” (EA) running club which brings a number of benefits. Your membership to the club also gets you a yearly membership with EA. The club handles all this registration for you, and the EA fee is taken from your Orion membership – offering event greater value for you!
If you’re not familiar with EA, it is the national governing body for grassroots athletics in England.
A couple of key benefits to this are discounts on some commercial running events and discounts at some retailers. For commercial running events the discount is normally around £2-£3, although does vary by provider.
Once registered with the club you will receive an email directly from EA. This email will include your membership number. Make a note of this as it will be how you often get those discounts. One popular site for items like running shoe discounts is sportshoes.com. Within your profile you can add your EA number to receive a discount, typically around 10-15%. You also get a discount at Garmin, up to 40% depending on the device.
For a full list of the EA discounts and partners available, visit this external EA portal. You will need to access it with your EA number (“URN”).
Keep an eye out for other club discounts which are typically put on the club house message board or on Whatsapp.
Club Races
Orion continues to compete at the highest level in Essex, and Orion members can participate in a large amount of these fixtures (races) throughout the year. A full overview of the current fixtures can be found on our website here, covering the summer and winter seasons.
Most of the club organised runs are often free to attend as part of your annual membership, or may require a small additional fee. Each fixture listed on our site includes more info on costs, and locations. You can also download some of the routes to your device from this Orion webpage.
The winter season is focused on cross country events, and the summer offers a range of road and trail races.
The only requirement for many of these third party fixtures is you must race in the club vest. This is a strict requirement of the runs, and not controlled by Orion.
You may hear the club talking about ‘priority fixtures’. These are races which affect the position of the club in County level leagues or are based on historical inter-club ‘rivalries’. While these can change, they are typically defined as the below fixtures:
Summer: Mid Week League
Winter: Essex League and Mob Matches
The exact dates and locations will be announced on the club app. During this time you may notice that some of the clashing weekly training runs may be postponed. This is to allow everyone the chance to compete, particularly as the events typically cater for all abilities.
“My advice is to get stuck straight in. The Wednesday social training runs are a fabulous way of getting to know people and building confidence.
The additional pilates and yoga sessions are fantastic ways to keep fit and prevent injury.”
Lisa Barham, Regular Ultra Competitor and Group Leader.
Everyone is Welcomed to
Participate as Part of the Club
Club Kit
The wearing of the white club vest and black bottoms is required for all the inter club races (MWL, Essex League, Chingford League, Elvis races, SAL, etc) and can be worn for all other races that members participate in. The popular red and black vests are to be worn at training only and are not for club races.
Vests and all other Orion branded items are available from our supplier on the club kit page. You can even add your name to the vest.
Membership Reminder
Your membership helps support the club throughout the year. We are incredibly lucky to have a club house, and a team of volunteers who keep everything running for us.
One of the biggest challenges is ensuring memberships are paid on time. Please ensure you keep your payment info up to date on the portal.
All the info about payment options, costs and dates is available where you first signed up, at this location. Our annual fees are kept as low as possible, and are competitive when looking at other local running clubs.
The membership renewal is due at the beginning of October each year, and you will get reminders ahead of this. Please help us to keep the reminders to a minimum by checking your payment info ahead of this.
Also don’t forget to take advantage of your third-party discounts mentioned in this welcome pack. For many of our Orion members this balances out the annual membership!
Volunteering
Throughout the year the club organises a host of races and events which always require considerable help. Please do try and help out where you can. Roles include:
Marshalling: Usually in the forest but may be required for other races, full details will be provided. Your role is to keep runners on the right path during races. Waving, clapping and cheering encouraged.
-Catering: These roles are based in the clubhouse but roles may also be required pre or post events. You’ll be loved by everyone for keeping the tea and coffee warm.
Trail-laying: A vital role to keep our runners on the right path! We lay sawdust throughout the forest for home races so that runners and squirrels know the route.
Race registration: A lot of work goes into organising races, and help is often needed on the day of the race including handing out race numbers.
Other tasks will need assistance from time to time, so anything you can do will be appreciated.
TOP TIP: Volunteer credits also count towards the allocation of our London Marathon club places.
Keep an eye out on our club app and social media channels for volunteering opportunities.
Diversity
Orion Harriers are committed to giving people from all backgrounds and abilities access to our club. In order to enhance our outreach to people from a diverse range of ethnicities, age, gender, ability etc, we have created a Diversity Committee who engage with the membership as well as organising outreach programmes within the local community. They also ensure alignment with the policies of England Athletics in relation to Diversity and Equality within our sport. The Equality and Diversity Officer also serves on the club’s committee.
We are here to
Support Your Running
Committee
The committee is there to help the club to function. They meet bi-monthly. Club members are welcome to put forward their views on how they think that their club should be run. If you have any suggestions for improvement, please contact a member of the committee – a list of current committee members is available here.
Club AGM
Orion holds its AGM (Annual General Meeting) in October each year, typically after the Winter Handicap race.
This is an opportunity for everyone to set the aims and objectives for the club in the coming year.
To see what was discussed at the prior AGM, explore the meeting notes here.
Insurance
As an affiliate member of UK Athletics, Orion Harriers is covered by Public Liability Insurance.
Details of this insurance are posted in the club house.
Injury and Illness
If you have a pre-existing medical condition or any concerns about your health, the club suggests that you consult your GP before taking up running. If you become ill, it is advisable to take a cautious approach to training and either refrain totally or reduce the intensity of your training depending on the severity of your illness. You should always ensure you have recovered from illness before returning to full training.
“Never trust a f@rt on a long run.”
Anonymous Orion Member, Identity Protected.
Contacting the Club
Contacting the club is easy. You can either use the main contact webpage on the website or reach out to members via the whatsapp group (mentioned further down). Whatsapp is often the quickest way, particularly for general enquiries or questions.
For individual enquiries about particular aspects of the club you can view the club committee page and find the right contact. The current committee names can be found here.
Thank You For
being a part of ORION
