Beginners Courses

The next course starts on Saturday 8 March and runs for 8 consecutive weeks, finishing on 26 April. 

Would you like to start running?  Are you an absolute beginner?  Or are you  perhaps returning after injury or a long absence?  Or do you have just a little running experience but wish to progress? 

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions then the Beginners’ course is the ideal course for you. 

Or are you already confident at 5k, and want to progress? 

If yes, then our 5k-5miles course will help you do that.

To sign up for the course please complete the form at the foot of this page but do please read the information below first if you have not done the course previously

You may already have heard about ‘couch to 5k’ programmes but the DPR beginners’ course beats them all.

Following a simple but proven approach, you discover the joy of running by developing a simple weekly routine, with the main group sessions taking place at either 8.00am or 9.00am on eight consecutive Saturday mornings in Dulwich Park.

The 5k-5miles course follows a similar routine, starting at 10.00am on five consecutive Saturdays and is suitable for those who are already running. The course starts on the same day as the 8-week course.

You are guided by expert coaches who provide advice, motivation and a simple and easily understandable schedule, and you are accompanied on the Saturday morning runs by a number of DPR members.

The courses are truly transformational. Over several years they have given new or returning runners the confidence to continue on their own, to join the club, or simply reach a point where the thought of running seems less daunting and more enjoyable.

Lots of our members completed these remarkable programmes and many comment not just on how they radically improved their fitness but also on how they formed new friendships, and met like-minded people with whom they can carry on running (and socialising). And some have even gone on to run a marathon.

Prices for the courses are as follows: £40 for the entire 8-week course. £25 for the 5 week course (5k to 5 miles)

If you are already a member of DPR and wish to do/repeat either course please complete the sign up form and submit but no need to make the payment. The courses are normally free to members if they have been a member for 6 months or if they joined the club after completing the previous beginners’ course.

Each Saturday morning session lasts between 1 to 1.5 hours. But don’t worry, you’re not running for all of this period! There is also a little ‘homework’ to be completed during each week in your own time.

The courses take place in and around Dulwich Park. Meet inside the Queen Mary Gate to the park on the south circular. (See a map here.)

If you’ve got any further questions, please feel free to email us at: beginners@dulwichparkrunners.com

The courses take place twice a year (Spring and Autumn) 

Please complete the form below.