Everyone takes part in running for different reasons, but hopefully the main reason each person laces up and heads outside is for enjoyment. For masters athlete Huma Rahman, she has found her love of running later in life, and grabs every opportunity with both hands to take part and race with friends.

Whether a new club are just finding their feet, or they have been running for over 50 years, the common theme of athletics and running clubs up and down the country is the community they create. Shared passion, enjoyment of exercising together and helping others to succeed are what unite us. For West 4 Harriers in Chiswick, they have been at the heart of their local community for a quarter of a century, created as a spin off from the popular Polytechnic Harriers in the 1980s. We were delighted to award West 4 Harriers a Club Improvement Fund grant, and we recently caught up with Club Secretary Jason Drake to see how they used the money to benefit their community.

As part of our commitment to continuing to grow our sport, England Athletics is exploring the possibility of adding to the current membership offer, to ensure that we are appealing to everyone with an interest in running and athletics. A proposed addition to this offering is a membership package designed for those who are not currently part of a running club.

With lots of places on international teams up for grabs, May saw fierce competition in every event. Read our round up of English athletes in action throughout May from track and field, the mountains and on the roads.

The annual England v Wales International Half Marathon fixture took place on Sunday 26th May as part of the well-established AJ Bell Great Manchester Run event. For hundreds of athletes aged between 35 and their early 80s, the 13.1 miles represented the opportunity to pull on their respective home nation white or red vest, having earned the right to qualify at one of the six qualification races.

We are delighted to announce the first athletes selected for the Paris 2024 athletics team are six English marathon runners. All six are set to compete at their first Olympic Games this summer. In the women’s race, two athletes will compete having qualified with the identical time of 2:22:17 - Charlotte Purdue and Calli Haugher-Thackery. The third female athlete selected is Rose Harvey. For the men, joining Phil Sesemann will be fellow Leeds teammate Emile Cairess and Mahamed Mahamed.