Group Training under Covid-19

As of 21 October, Oxfordshire is a Tier 1 area, and England Athletics is allowing group training. This has to be socially distanced, with no socialising before or after training. We have a ‘Covid-secure’ training environment so are permitted up to 12 athletes per coach.

The guidance issued by England Athletics to athletes and runners is here, with the guidance for off-track training on page 6.

The points to be noted for our group are as follows. Most of these need to be considered BEFORE you leave home to go to the session.

  • The car park at Tilsley Park is now open for its normal hours in the evenings, but we still can’t use the track.  The White Horse Leisure Centre has reopened some facilities but closes a little early for us in the evenings. The Iffley Road track is open, but some other facilities at the University Sports Centre are closed.  Horspath is available, but not on Monday evenings; only to a ‘pre-booked external group’ on Wednesday evenings; and session passes must be bought in advance here. So we will normally meet at Tilsley Park for training on the road, for the time being. If the routes that we normally use turn out to be too busy for us to be able to maintain physical distancing, we may have to search wider and find more secluded places to train.
  • People should arrive changed and ready to train, and not needing any other facilities for the duration of the session.
  • You should bring your own water, and your own snack if you’ll want one.
  • Hand sanitiser and paper towels will be available at the beginning and end of the session, and should be used.
  • Also wash hands before leaving home and on returning home, in case you have to use petrol stations / press buttons on road crossings etc.
  • It’s up to you to self-monitor your own health and be sure you’re following any medical advice you may have had, including if you are, or live with, a ‘vulnerable person’.
  • At each training session, you’ll be asked to declare your own fitness to train, and the contact information that can be used for track-and-trace if necessary.
  • Before and after training there should be no congregating when it may be difficult to remember physical distancing. Post-session stretching should be postponed till you get home.
  • While training there will be a few parts of the route where it’s possible to walk side-by-side while keeping 2 metres apart. On much of the routes we will need to walk in single file, all 2 metres back from the person in front.
  • Please have tissues with you when training to deal with any unexpected coughs / sneezes hygienically.
  • We’ll need to look out for other users of roads/footpaths/cycle lanes and maintain 2 metres distance from them too.
  • Have a plan for if you are unlucky enough to have an injury, as your fellow athletes will not be able to give you physical assistance. E.g., have a mobile phone with you and a member of your household who will be able to come over and give you assistance.
  • For England Athletics purposes, the coach is appointed as ‘Covid-19 Officer‘.

The points to be noted for a ‘Covid-19 secure environment’ are as follows :

    • The owner / Covid Co-Ordinator is the coach.
    • The ‘action plan’ is this section plus the action points on the risk assessment, here.
    • The tracking protocol is that all participants provide contact information and confirm at each session that the information remains correct.
    • The communication plan is that the coach retains the contact information for all participants.
    • Social distancing of 2 metres must be maintained before, during, and after the training activity.
    • At the start of each session, participants must confirm that they are in good health, and that their recorded contact information is correct. The coach records the attendance at each session.
    • Sanitiser and paper towels are available at all sessions to maintain good hygiene.

And after all this of course, don’t be too worried. In all the years we’ve been training together we have hardly ever had anyone injured to the point where they need assistance. Studies have shown that outdoors in the open air is one of the safest places you can be, from the Covid-19 transmission point of view.