Cross country (XC) and road league team events are central to the Windmilers’ club activities.
Cross country
The Surrey XC season takes place between October and March and includes four fixtures in parks with mud and hills! Windmilers participate in both national and league XC events. The club pays for XC entries, and all members are welcome to take part, whatever their pace.
In the upcoming (2022/23) XC season the Windmilers Ladies and Mens teams will both be participating in Dvision 2.
These events are open to everyone and we have a great team spirit. We’d love for you to get involved. See ‘Running for club teams’ below.
If you haven’t run cross-country before do contact the Team Captains on the links below with any questions or to be put on the team email list. Spectators are welcome if you want to watch an event to see what it’s like, or to support the
runners.
Plus: there is usually cake after the run and often a pub social meet up in the evening!
Road league
In addition to the Cross Country Winter Season, in the summer Windmilers take part in the Surrey Road League. This
comprises 7 events for both individuals and teams. The events vary in distance from 5k to half marathon and take place
from May to August. For these races runners enter themselves individually on each event’s website.
Both fixtures can be found on the Club Calendar or using the below links, but if any questions don’t hesitate to email the Ladies or Mens’ captains at the email addresses below.
Club cross-country and road league events:
Related news - League races
Running for the club teams
Kit and footwear: You need to wear a Wimbledon Windmilers club vest. Your team captains will advise you on the nature of the terrain and whether you should consider spikes, trail shoes or road shoes.
EA registration: You must have a current registration with England Athletics to take part. Please contact membership@windmilers.org to arrange for registration well in advance of the event, if you don’t already have it as part of your Windmiler membership.
How to participate: Contact the relevant team captain for XC events so they can register you in advance. Some events allow you to turn up on the day but best to let the team captain know early on where possible. Please arrive approximately 30 minutes in advance to collect your race number. There is no bag drop facility so please leave your valuables at home. Facilities at races are generally basic, often without changing facilities, so come ready to race.
Race distances: These vary according to the course and event. Women’s races are usually 6-8 km and men’s usually 8-10 km, though as a club we support Run Equal’s campaign to make this the same for men and women.
Men’s captains
Simon Wright and Richard Cohen have been leading the Mens’ Team for three seasons and our goal is to encourage as many Windmilers to join us on the start line at events.
You will often find us at mid week sessions or the track session on Saturday. Do let us know if you would like to know more about racing as part of the team
Women’s captains
Ella Waddingham (left) and Bernadette Maher (right) lead the women’s team.
Bernadette has been a member of the Windmilers since 2006. When she joined the club she was new to running. Since then she’s competed in many events, but with a particular passion for the mud (then cake) of Cross Country!
Ella joined the Wimbledon Windmilers in 2014 and has since been encouraged by friendly club mates to run races of all varieties and distances. Including a developing a passion for a good, muddy cross country race with homemade cake afterwards.
