Club Updates

March 2026

These are starting very soon! 31st March is the start date and the calendar for these can be found on the Summer Runs page.

Lynda would love to hear from you if you are interested in organising a Summer Run and is particularly keen to get ‘fixtures’ planned for April and May.

We have decided to add another method of communication for our members. We are still maintaining existing channels - Website (having a revamp), email and facebook group but will now start introducing the Whatsapp Community. If you are interested then please follow the invite link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/JXT9SpCJHvOIc4Oj27rGCo

Things to be aware of:

This community is optional, our other channels remain open.

The community (or groups within it) is not the way to get in touch with club officials. Comments and responses to announcements etc will not be monitored.

You are in charge of your privacy settings. Admins will always be able to see your real name and number but you can hide this from other group members in your own settings (recommended).

To be a part of the community you must accept the announcements group - just mute it if you want and then look for the information you require. This is where key information will be sent out.

This is new to all of us so please keep this in mind. The committee has tested it amongst itself but I'm sure we will learn a bit more as we begin to use it properly.

Please do not share the link to the group to non-members. We will be cross-referencing regularly with the membership database and non-members will be removed.



You can all create your own groups for your own topics. Only join what you are interested in.

On Saturday 14th March our latest group of C25Kers completed their 5K run at Blandford parkrun. Thanks to everyone who came out to support them, and the support of the Doddlers makes a huge difference, and they realise we are a friendly bunch.

We've also had lots of comments from other runners about how great the Doddlers blue t-shirts look.

All regular information is available on the website (training times, club kit, race results etc) so it will not be duplicated here in a bid to keep the emails shorter. We will try to use the monthly email to highlight new and upcoming things. We hope you like our new fancier website.

Happy Doddling and we look forward to seeing you out and about

Roger – Club Chairman

February 2026

Just a quick note of (re)introduction. I have recently taken over as Chair of the Dorset Doddlers and look forward to getting to know all of you over the coming weeks and months of Doddler activities.

I’ve been Doddling for about 14 or so years and have had a few different roles over that time. I enjoy all kinds of running but I lean more towards racing on the roads. I love a Sunday Social run too.

 
I live and work in Sturminster Newton where I manage the Leisure Centre, Sturfit.

I have also recently taken over the role of ‘Kit-man’, which as far as super-heros goes, is pretty lame.

Please feel free to come and chat to me at any Doddler events or training sessions with any concerns, suggestions, kit requests or just to say hi – I am more sociable than I often look.


Roger Teasdale

The latest Couch to 5K course continues on Monday evenings in Sturminster Newton. Their ‘graduation’ 5K is scheduled for Blandford Parkrun on Saturday 14thMarch, so please come along then to give them all the encouragement and support you can, they really do appreciate it. 

The club Website is currently undergoing a major makeover by Chris Willis and Chris McKenna to bring it up to date, so please keep an eye on it over the next few weeks to see it evolve and benefit from all the improvements. 

Membership         

Club Membership renews from 1st April each year. As last year people renewing promptly (which is actually just ‘on time’) will get a lower rate. Look out for information on renewing in the coming weeks.

NDVM relay teams  We are hoping to enter 2 or 3 Doddler teams – M, F, mixed. 

If you’d like to be involved in these Doddler teams and enjoy the collective buzz of team racing at this great event, please contact Ian Pollard ASAP.

Summer Runs  The Tuesday Summer Runs commence once the clocks ‘spring’ forward, on Tuesday 31st March. Summer Run Coordinator, Lynda Faulkner, would love to hear from anyone who’d like to organise a run, so please have a think and get your dates and venues to Lynda without delay; especially for April and those early weeks.

The Club Championship Races for 2026 are posted on the club website, so put them in your diaries and set your sights on one of those coveted Bunny trophies!

Although some races might seem a long way off, it’s worth entering as soon as you can so you don’t miss out. 

The next race is Bay Run Half, Bournemouth on 22nd March.

The DRRL Races for 2026 are also posted on the club website, so please put them in your calendars and support your club in our DRRL campaign. You might think only faster runners are needed, but this really is a team effort with every member contributing to our league places. It’s also great fun being part of the Doddler team at any race. The next race is the Bay Run Half, Bournemouth on 22nd March.

Come along and benefit from the vast experience of our Coaching Team – Ian, Paul, Shams and Cathryn, or just to catch up with your running buddies. Please wear High-Vis tops and keep our group running safe.

See the training with us page of the website.

Shaftesbury Hill Sessions on Tuesday evenings 

Mainly targeting the town’s famous hills, these sessions are designed to be inclusive for all abilities.

Meet in the top car park by the Kings Arms SP7 8JX at 6.45 for a 6.50pm start. 

Or, as an alternative, North Dorset Tri Club winter interval sessions in Blandford.

Thursday Club Training from Sturfit, Sturminster Newton

Interval based training to help you improve your running technique, form and fitness.

Meet at Sturfit, 6.45 for a 7pm start. 

Please keep an eye on this club update page and our club Facebook page, where events and other news will be posted. You don’t have to be an active member of Facebook, but it is worth checking the club Members page for notifications, reminders and posts from our members, plus some brilliant photos of Doddlers in action.

Club Committee meetings are normally held on the first Thursday of each month at 8.30pm after the Thursday training session. Our next meeting is due to take place on Thursday 5th March, venue TBC. If you would like to raise any points to discuss, or you’d like to join us for a meeting, please let us know. 

We look forward to seeing you all soon,

Roger – Club Chairman