Run, Jump, Throw: Athletics and Little Athletics Across Canberra

Athletics has a deep and well-organised presence in Canberra, sustained by a network of clubs, a dedicated governing body and the proximity of the Australian Institute of Sport. Whether you are a parent watching a five-year-old cross a finish line for the first time or a serious middle-distance runner chasing a national qualifying time, the capital has the facilities and the community to support your goals.

Little Athletics ACT is the gateway for most young athletes. Centres operate across the territory at venues in Belconnen, Tuggeranong, Gungahlin and the inner south, running Saturday morning programs from October through to March. Children aged between five and around fifteen participate in a rotating program of sprints, distance runs, long jump, high jump, shot put, discus and other field events. The focus is on participation and personal improvement rather than intense competition, and the atmosphere at most centres is warm and encouraging. Many of Canberra's best adult athletes trace their love of the sport to a Saturday morning at Little Athletics.

Adult club athletics in Canberra operates through Athletics ACT and its affiliated clubs, which hold interclub competition nights during the summer season at venues including the AIS Athletics Track in Bruce. The track itself is one of the finest in the country, and the opportunity to train on the same surface used by Olympic-calibre athletes is one of the perks of being an athletics club member in Canberra. Cross country running is also well supported, with a winter series of races held on courses through parks and nature reserves across the city.

The AIS connection gives Canberra an elite athletics ecosystem that few cities of comparable size can match. Scholarship athletes from across Australia and the region base themselves at the AIS campus to access world-class coaching, sport science support and high-performance facilities. Local club athletes benefit indirectly through coaching clinics, open training sessions and the inspiration of watching elite competitors train in their own city.

For those interested in getting involved, Athletics ACT's website lists affiliated clubs, competition calendars and graded competition entry information. Little Athletics ACT maintains a centre finder for parents looking for their nearest Saturday program. The sport requires no expensive equipment to start, and the athletics community in Canberra has a well-earned reputation for being welcoming to newcomers of every ability.

Sources: Athletics ACT Little Athletics ACT

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