Watt is Athletics?
Before the revival of the Summer Olympic games in 1896, the first ever recorded Olympics took place in 776BC, athletics was one of the only events alongside boxing and wrestling to not be discontinued and continue as a sport through to the modern Olympics. Running and sprinting are the oldest sports in history with depictions found in caves from around 15,300 years ago.
Athletics has always been a popular sport and still is today and so we welcome you to our club, whether you are already a club runner or just looking to improve your fitness we have something here for you. From sprinting to long distance running and throwing and jumping you’ll find a place at Heriot-Watt Athletics club.
Our club caters for a wide range of competitions including cross country, track and field, road and hill running, and orienteering. Along with our large range of competitions and training we have to offer we also organise a range of different social events throughout the year which gives members the chance to get to know everyone in the club.
With the addition of a Strength and Conditioning session going into the new academic year we want athletes to have the opportunity to further develop their athletic skills, or for new runners to gain a greater interest for this sport!
To know more about the club before coming to Heriot-Watt, feel free to reach out to us on Instagram @hwathletes, or email our Club President, Seth Emmanuel: sa212@hw.ac.uk. Both of these accounts are frequently monitored.
Competitions
Our club competes in a large range of different competitions suited for all levels of athletes including SSS, BUCS, and Scottish Athletics races to local races and parkruns. Our club will cover costs for SSS and BUCS races throughout the year and will help with the entry process for any other race.
Throughout the winter months we mainly compete in cross country and indoor track and field but as we get to the end of semester 2 there are many more opportunities to compete in road races, outdoor track and field, and hill races.
We also host Round the Grounds on our campus as one of the events making up the SSS winter series, this is a great opportunity for any keen members to learn what goes into setting up and organising a running event.
Training
Our club trains up to six times a week, and we offer a variety of different sessions including:
| Session | Day | Time | Location | Extra Info |
| Strength & Conditioning | Tuesdays | 06:30-07:30 | Fitness Suite, Oriam | Ran by an S&C coach |
| Campus Run | Tuesdays | 17:30-18:30 | Heriot-Watt Campus | Led by committee. Great chance to see campus and socialise with club members. |
| Track & Field | Wednesdays | 15:00-16:30 | Saughton Sports Complex | |
| Track & Field | Fridays | 18:00-19:30 | Saughton Sports Complex | Joint session with Napier and QMU |
| Long Run | Sundays | 17:30-18:30 | Various | Great chance to see the many beautiful sights Edinburgh has to offer |
Coaches
Endurance coach – Fraser Holman
Sprints Coach – TBC by Scottish Athletics
Committee 24/25
Socials
Keep an eye on our socials to see up-to-date information on our club:
Instagram: hwuathletes
Tiktok: hwuathletes
Facebook: Heriot-Watt Athletics Club – Members