Get into the Olympic spirit with Striders! Track racing opportunities this spring/summer

You don't have to be as speedy as an Olympian to take part in track races this summer.

If you want to try something different and take part in some athletics events, there are a number of opportunities available to EA registered members over the spring and summer – all free of charge.

The Vets team at one of last year's league meetings

We team up with St Albans AC to compete in the Southern Athletics League (SAL).

Two of this year's fixtures are at our track so it doesn't involve travelling far. Do come along and support our runners if you can't take part!

The dates and venues for the SAL fixtures are as follows:-

1. Saturday, 16 April - St Albans

2. Saturday, 21 May - St Albans

3. Saturday, 18 June - Mile End

4. Saturday, 9 July - Lee Valley

5. Saturday, 20 August - Lee Valley

Each fixture starts at midday with the last race at 4.30pm but the timetable of events will vary.

Brian Yeomans is the team manager for the SAL so if you are interested in taking part, please contact him via his Facebook page or email brianyeomans at hotmail.com

Meanwhile, if you are aged over 35 you can also take part in the Southern Counties Veterans Athletic League. We are in the Herts and North Middlesex Division with fixtures as follows…

1. Monday, 25 April - Lee Valley
2. Monday, 16 May – Stevenage

3. Monday, 13 June - Allianz Stadium

4. Monday, 11 July - Hemel Hempstead

Your Striders membership gets better with age! The Vets League is open to all EA registered members aged 35 plus

All fixtures run from 6.30pm till 9pm but as with the SAL, the timetable of events will vary at each meeting.

Andrew Maher is the team manager so contact him via his Facebook page or email maherrajah at googlemail.com for more information or if you want to take part.

Both leagues include running races from 100m to 5000m and relays, you can also have a go at field events like the long jump.

They are both open to all abilities but the SAL is slightly more competitive, as there will be speedy youngsters taking part. However, you are in with a chance to win points for the team no matter what your ability - as points are awarded to two scorers per team with six points going to the first fastest scorer, five to the second and so on down to one point for the sixth scorer. As some events may only have six or fewer competitors taking part, you are guaranteed points just for finishing/recording a jump or throw regardless of your time/height/distance.

In the Vets league, you will compete for points against those in your age category (35, 40, 50, 60).

While we want to do as well as a club as possible, primarily these events are about having fun competing against other local clubs, getting into the team spirit and trying something new.

So you might not make it to Rio, but you could achieve a PB or club record - or discover a hidden talent for hurdling!