PWR Safety Rules

 Safety is of the utmost importance to PWR and as a member of PWR you have agreed to abide by the rules of the club and to ensure that they are enforced. This includes the “PWR Safety Rules” which are listed below. Please take time to read through and digest them.

 BEFORE RUNNING:

1) Please ensure that you are physically fit to undertake any form of exertion. Should you feel unwell or be injured please assess whether or not you should be running with us until you feel fit enough. Always seek medical advice prior to re-starting/starting running if you have been on any form of medication or suffered an injury.

 2) Please ensure that you wear suitable clothing when joining us for a run and that you have the correct footwear.

 3) Invest in a running bottle - if you are training for more than 30 minutes you should always increase your fluid levels as you run.

 YOUR RUN:

4) Choose a group that suits your running ability rather than your running need.

 The current groups are broken down as follows:

 5) The slowest pace always dictates. One of the most important roles of The Club is to ensure that when running with us no one is left to run on their own and no individual or small group gets lost. PWR offers the opportunity to run in a group – we do not, therefore, endorse runners who decide to run off from their group or who leave individuals behind. The group should always run at the pace of the slowest runner and should, under no circumstances, try to increase that pace through “running ahead” or placing pressure on an individual runner.

 6) Always maintain a complete chain of communication. As a member of PWR it is your responsibility to ensure that the group that you run with remains as close together as possible and that a complete ‘unbroken’ chain of communication between the last runner and the first runner is maintained throughout the run.

 7) Always maintain visual contact with the runner immediately behind you and in front of you. Should you lose visual contact communicate this immediately along the chain to ensure that the whole group stops in order to re-group.

 8) Immediately report any injury or feeling of being unwell to a fellow runner who should then pass it along the chain to the group leader. If someone is injured or unwell it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that they receive prompt help and support from other members of the group.

 9) Always run on public footpaths and pavements. If you have to run in the road try to keep the distance to a minimum and always look out for your own safety as well as your fellow runners.

 10) Always “shout” out oncoming obstacles, obstructions or dangerous situations. If you have to run out of the way of a hole, branch or the like – or a car is approaching, shout out a warning. A simple “branch” or “car” shouted out loudly acts as a clear warning to your fellow runners. And if you hear a member shout out a warning ensure you repeat it so that the warning travels back along your whole group.

 11) Always carry some form of identification – a simple pet name barrel is a simple solution to this and can be picked up easily from any pet store.  Your telephone number on a running bottle or details written on a piece of paper if you are wearing a belt.

 12) Respect your surroundings – don’t run over areas that are not open to the public or are private property.

 13) Re-group at regular intervals – this allows runners to catch their breath, report any injuries that they may feel and stops the group from spreading out too much.

 END OF YOUR RUN:

14) Always ensure that you advise your group if you are going to “drop out” early to run home rather than return to “base”. Many runners actually run past or near their homes during the latter parts of our runs and decide to go straight home. If you do this please ensure that you inform your group. Likewise, if you have been told that a runner is leaving early – please communicate this back to the group leader.

15) Always ensure that you report any “missing” runners immediately. At the end of the run please report any runners who you think might be missing. There may be a simple explanation, but it is better to be safe than sorry.

16) Stretch - the easiest way to avoid injury is to stretch after your run and the best way to do this is as a group!

GROUP RULE:

17) Each Group must ensure that at least one runner has a mobile. This rule also applies to groups of runners that break away from their original group.

By adhering to the above rule and looking out for one another we can ensure that the Club’s responsibility to its members is met and that each of us are able to run knowing that our safety is of the utmost importance to PWR.