Club History

The story of Dulwich Park Runners began in September 1982 when the Sunday Times launched a year-long “Getting into Shape” project for ‘unfit over 30s’ comparing the progress of a group taking exercise classes to a group of runners. The runners met on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and Sunday mornings. The evening sessions gathered in the car park of the Sportsman Pub, and the run was followed by beer and chips inside said pub!

Two years later the runners were still running (and drinking and eating) and a more comfortable and permanent residence was established at Camber Lawn Tennis Club in October 1984. This was when the Club was officially formed, to cater for a wide range of talents from beginners to dedicated runners, with the very important social side bonding them together. The name Dulwich Park Runners was chosen and a year later the DPR Handicap was established.

In the 1990s the club moved to its current base at the Trevor Bailey Sports Club on the south circular. To avoid confusion with the other Dulwich running club, Dulwich Runners, we normally use the abbreviation of ‘DPR’, particularly for our race entries, in order to maintain our identity.