Athletics Ireland has launched a new national campaign to encourage women and girls to keep running through the winter, inviting clubs nationwide to organise special training sessions and create more welcoming opportunities to participate.
The RUN ON initiative, announced yesterday, responds to shorter days, darker evenings, and the challenges some women face in maintaining regular physical activity during the winter months.
It comes as women’s participation in running events is at record levels, with Athletics Ireland seeking to build on that enthusiasm by encouraging more women to stay active year-round.
The campaign has been developed with reference to Welsh Athletics’ Own The Night initiative and places particular emphasis on confidence, visibility and the social benefits of running together.
Its central message is that darker evenings should not mean the end of regular running.
Athletics Ireland is encouraging affiliated clubs to organise a dedicated RUN ON training session between Thursday, 29 October and Thursday, 5 November.
The sessions will give clubs an opportunity to welcome existing members, encourage runners who may be less active in winter, and introduce new participants to the benefits of training in an organised group.
The campaign is built around three themes: Be Seen, Run Together and Join In.
Be Seen focuses on practical guidance for running safely in darker conditions, including appropriate clothing, visibility and route planning.
Run Together encourages women to train with others when they would prefer not to run alone, recognising the importance of companionship and confidence in maintaining activity.
Join In highlights athletics clubs as places where women can train, build friendships, and stay connected to running throughout the year.
Athletics Ireland has developed a range of resources to support participating clubs, including social media materials, a practical guide to running at night and a registration process for local events.
The governing body also intends to produce a national map showing the clubs taking part, making it easier for women to identify opportunities in their communities.
Athletics Ireland is planning a series of webinars during the winter months to provide further guidance and support for women runners and clubs.
Running has grown considerably in Ireland, supported by the popularity of road races, recreational running groups, and community fitness initiatives.
However, participation in organised events does not necessarily translate into year-round involvement in athletics clubs.
RUN ON seeks to strengthen that connection by encouraging women to see clubs as accessible, supportive environments rather than places exclusively associated with competitive athletes.
The campaign also recognises that the barriers to participation can change throughout the year.
Women who are comfortable running alone during summer evenings may be less inclined to do so when daylight is limited.
Work commitments, family responsibilities, and concerns about personal safety can also make it harder to maintain established routines.
Providing structured opportunities to train with others offers one practical response.
The initiative does not require clubs to establish entirely new programmes.
Instead, they are encouraged to use the campaign period to promote existing activities, welcome additional participants, and demonstrate the benefits of their local running communities.
Sport for Business Perspective
RUN ON addresses one of the most important challenges in sports development: turning initial participation into a sustained habit.
The growth of recreational running has created considerable opportunities for athletics, but event participation and long-term engagement are not necessarily the same thing.
A runner may enter a 5km, 10km or marathon without ever joining an athletics club.
While that activity is valuable in itself, stronger connections between recreational runners and local clubs could help create more sustainable participation structures.
RUN ON provides a relatively simple way to build those relationships.
By encouraging clubs to organise welcoming sessions during a period when some women might otherwise reduce their activity, Athletics Ireland is seeking to improve retention while opening the door to new members.
The initiative also shows how relatively modest resources can support a national participation objective.
A larger, more engaged membership also creates opportunities to build relationships with community businesses and organisations interested in supporting health and wellbeing.
The national campaign gives Athletics Ireland an opportunity to gather evidence on what works.
The number of clubs participating will be one useful measure, but the more important indicators will be how many women attend, how many are new to club running and how many continue participating after the campaign period.
Those findings could inform future Women in Sport initiatives and help establish approaches that can be repeated in other sports.
RUN ON also demonstrates the value of sharing ideas between governing bodies internationally.
Welsh Athletics’ Own The Night campaign shows how a participation initiative developed in one country can be adapted to local needs elsewhere.
That exchange of practical ideas is an increasingly important part of sports development.
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Image Credit: Athletics Ireland
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