Belgrave Harriers, founded in 1887, are one of the leading athletics clubs in Britain

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, with headquarters located in Wimbledon

Wimbledon, London

Wimbledon is a district in the south west area of London, England, located south of Wandsworth, and east of Kingston upon Thames. It is situated within Greater London. It is home to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and New Wimbledon Theatre, and contains Wimbledon Common, one of the largest areas...

, close to Wimbledon Common.

In the early days, Belgrave's headquarters were in Belgravia

Belgravia

Belgravia is a district of central London in the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Noted for its immensely expensive residential properties, it is one of the wealthiest districts in the world...

, and races were held along the Embankment of the River Thames

River Thames

The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...

 and over the common lands south of London. Nowadays, Belgrave's home track is located at the Millennium Arena, Battersea Park

Battersea Park

Battersea Park is a 200 acre green space at Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth in England. It is situated on the south bank of the River Thames opposite Chelsea, and was opened in 1858....

, and 'Belgravians' train there on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.

Belgrave Harriers compete in track and field (in the National 1 Division of the British Athletics League

British Athletics League

The British Athletics League is a track and field male team's competition, the most important in the United Kingdom for history and number of teams....

), road running

Road running

Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...

, racewalking and cross country

Cross country running

Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...

, and have traditionally drawn their members from South London and Surrey

Surrey

Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...

, but in recent decades have attracted athletes from counties all over England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, the Home Nations

Home Nations

Home Nations is a collective term with one of two meanings depending on the context. Politically, it means the nations of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom...

 and overseas.

Belgrave Harriers' most successful period lasted from the 1920s to 1950s, but the 21st century has seen a resurgence, and they have won 29 national championships in this period, on the road, cross-country and track.

Their membership contains several of Britain's leading athletes, including Olympic

Olympic Games

The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...

 silver medallist and World Champion

2009 World Championships in Athletics

The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate....

 Phillips Idowu

Phillips Idowu

Phillips Olaosebikan Idowu MBE is a Nigerian-English triple jumper...

, Goldie Sayers

Goldie Sayers

Goldie Sayers, born Katherine Dinah Sayers , is a British javelin thrower. She was born in Newmarket, Suffolk, United Kingdom. On 20 May 2007, Sayers set a new UK record in the javelin , thus becoming the first British woman to throw over 65 metres since javelins were redesigned in 1999...

, Dwain Chambers

Dwain Chambers

Dwain Anthony Chambers is an English sprinter of Afro-Caribbean descent. He has won medals on the international stage numerous times and is one of the fastest European sprinters in the history of recorded athletics. His primary event is the 100 metres sprint, in which he has the second...

 and Chicago Marathon

Chicago Marathon

The Bank of America Chicago Marathon is a major marathon held yearly in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Alongside the Boston, New York, London and Berlin Marathons, it is one of the five World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also an IAAF Gold Label race...

 winner Paul Evans

Paul Evans

Paul Evans may refer to:*Paul Evans , British Olympic runner*Paul Evans , American college basketball coach*Paul Evans , Canadian ice hockey player in the National Hockey League who played for the Philadelphia Flyers*Paul Evans Paul Evans may refer to:*Paul Evans (athlete) (born 1961), British...

 as well as GB & NI 110m Hurdler William Sharman

William Sharman

William "Will" Sharman is a British athlete who specialises in the 110 metres hurdles. He started his career as a junior high jumper and decathlete, but focused entirely on hurdling after a shoulder injury. He made his international debut for Great Britain at the 2006 European Athletics...

.

Men

• European Champion Clubs Relays: 4x100m, 4x200m, 4x400m and 4x800m 1999
• British Athletics League Division One (Premier Division): 1992, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006
• British Athletics League Gold Cup: 1991, 1992, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999
• British Athletics League Golden Jubilee Cup: 2002, 2003

Men

• National Cross Country Championship: 1935, 1939, 1946, 1948, 2004.
• National Cross Country Relay Championship: 2003, 2007

Men

• AAA National 6-Stage Road Relay: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008
• AAA National 12-Stage Road Relay (London to Brighton 1924-1965): 1934, 1935, 1936, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2009
• AAA 5 km: 2006
• AAA 10 km: 2003
• AAA Half-Marathon: 2002, 2004, 2007
• AAA Marathon: 1996

Men

• RWA 20 miles: 1924, 1925, 1928, 1929, 1938, 1939, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1960, 1970
• RWA 50 km: 1934, 1935, 1936, 1938, 1951, 1954, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1964, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970
• RWA 20 km: 1968, 1969, 1973, 1979
• RWA 10 miles: 1947, 1948, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1982, 1984