On a bleak Monday night at the tail end of 1998 a few friends decided to get together and pound the pavement up and down Southend seafront in a bid to keep fit, and as an excuse to catch up each week and have the odd night out.
This was the beginning of what was to become Leigh-on-Sea Striders.
More friends joined in, they told their friends and so on until it we had so many coming training it was felt the club needed to become officially recognised.
So in February 2002 Leigh-on-Sea Striders became affiliated to the UK Athletics Amateur Athletic Association of England.
We now have around 100 members, continue to train on Mondays, enter several races each year and hold a number of social events as well.