Snow doubt about Kent AC’s top form
KENT AC NEWS BULLETIN
18 DECEMBER 2022
The inclement weather hasn’t stopped Kent AC from having our ‘ice’ firmly on the prize this week. Last Sunday saw some top notch performances at the snowy Telford 10k, meanwhile Friday night saw some blazing runs in sub-zero temperatures for the Battersea 5 miler. Well done to all!
To note that, subject to weather and the ice clearing, track training will go ahead this week (Tuesday 20th and Thursday 22nd). However, Kent AC will not be able to train at the track on the 25th, 27th, 29th December and 1st January.
Whether you’re headed for Christmas Day parkruns, staying in Lewisham or heading ho ho ho-me elsewhere, we wish everyone at Kent AC a happy Christmas! We’re looking forward to ‘stocking’ up on more great running in 2023.
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DASHING THROUGH THE SNOW
Kent AC’s men put up a very credible defence of their South of the Thames Senior title, taking home bronze medals at Saturday’s race at Aldershot. Train strikes meant the team was down on numbers but there were a number of impressive performances.
Cam Dockerill once again led the men home, running a well-judged race against some high quality competition to finish 7th. It was a welcome return from injury for Dame Dibaba who, after his customary fast start, came home in 22nd. James Boustead was next for Kent in 27th, moving through strongly after a conservative start. Vets international Neil Phillips was 30th, narrowly missing out on top V40. Ben Harding was 5th man home in 42nd getting in some useful overdistance work and the team was closed out by Ian Ellwood in 46th. Ellwood, who many will know better as lead banjo in the Young Believers, had raced the night before at the Battersea 5-miler so a very solid run on heavy legs. Finally, special mention to James Bates who made his cross country debut, finishing in 114th.
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A SURREY LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN…
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
The club have come forward to host the next Surrey League race on Saturday 14th January at Beckenham Place Park, but to pull it off we need your help!
We will be hosting a full schedule of races from Juniors in the late morning, through to the Seniors in the early afternoon. So we will need people to help with the finish line as well as course layout/take down. If you’re able to help please complete this quick form.
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NATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY DATE AND DEADLINE
If you’ve never run in the National then you’re missing out… as this article says ‘this is proper running’.
As a club, we traditionally turn this into a bit of a weekend away with a stayover nearby following the race. This year we will be staying for a night in Chester after the race, so please fill out this form if you are keen to race!
Those travelling back on the day will be able to travel back from Chester.
The club will subsidise travel and accommodation for those racing, but with entry deadlines in late January, the deadline for expressing & firming your interest is Sunday 22nd January 2023.
Any questions, please contact Dan Pettitt () or Sarah Crichton ().
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DULWICH PARKRUN TAKEOVER: SAVE THE DATE
We are looking for volunteer pacers, and would love to see lots of people step forward to pace parkrunners to new PBs! The more the merrier, so if you would like to pace or volunteer for any other roles, please let Rich (07740282702) or Katie (07528233796) know!
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GLL SPORTS FOUNDATION APPLICATIONS OPEN
Applications for the GLL Sports Foundation Athlete Support Programme go live on 20th December. The Foundation supports athletes from across the UK to develop their performance through awards.
This year, they supported 40 sportspeople and hope to support even more in 2023.
Full details, including how to apply, are on the GLL website.
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CLUB 250 DRAW
Kent AC has a monthly Club Draw, based on the bonus ball drawn in the national lottery on the first Saturday of each month.
Whoever owns the winning number receives a prize of £250.00. The cost of entry is £6.00 per month.
Some of these coveted numbers will become available from 1st February 2023. If you are interested in joining, please email David at and you can be added to a list which we will draw names from.
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CONGRATS TO ALEX YEE MBE
A huge congratulations to Alex Yee, who this week was invested by Princess Anne with an MBE for Services to Triathlon at Buckingham Palace.
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EASYFUNDRAISING
Over 7,000 brands pay easyfundraising a commission when you start your shop through their platform, so you can raise FREE donations for us no matter what you’re buying. These donations really help us out, so please sign up if you haven’t yet. It’s easy and FREE! You can get started at https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/kentac
You can also install a helpful Chrome extension, which prompts you to donate whenever doing any online shopping – really handy
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WIN A TRACK PASS
To be added to the rota simply email Jacqueline/Laurie at ( /
).
We only need each track attendee to volunteer a couple of times a year to spread the responsibility fairly.
T&Cs for the track pass draw:
All volunteers for the current month will be added into the hat for a draw each month.
The winner will win a free pass for the next calendar month.
Names will be automatically drawn from https://namepicker.net/ (or similar alternative)
The winner can either chose to:
use their free pass within a calendar year
allow their free pass to roll down to another volunteer
annual pass holders can nominate another club member if they cannot make use of the pass themselves
No refunds/discounts will be provided in place of the free monthly pass.
Volunteers will only be eligible to win a pass once every three months.
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TRACK, TRACK, TRACK
Buy your track pass here.
The usual track times are:
Tuesday 17:15 – 20:45
Thursday 18:30 – 20:30
Sunday 09:00 – 11:30
Please note that individuals are permitted to do their own sessions during club opening times, but coached group sessions continue to take priority.
Please purchase your £5 junior monthly track pass in advance here. When purchasing the track pass can parents/guardians please enter the athlete’s name when completing the transaction
Please see a helpful FAQs guide here
Ladywell Arena now has new opening hours dedicated to the public. While during these times the Kent AC track pass is not valid, members can pay for an individual session.
Session times are:
Monday: 07:00 -15:00
Tuesday – Thursday: 1300 -1700
Friday: 07:00 – 15:00
Saturday – Sunday: 09:00-15:00
Price:
Adult resident: £2.70
Adult non resident: £3.00
Junior (U16): £1.30
The Kent AC track pass continues to be required for training on Tues/Thurs evenings and Sunday mornings.
Track staff have encouraged people to double check the opening hours before their training session, as they may occasionally be closed for school sport days and football friendlies. Hours can be checked at https://www.better.org.uk/leisure-centre/london/lewisham/ladywell-arena. This will likely suit members who can’t make training sessions but would like to train in the morning/lunchtime/evening.
Pay as you go fees can either be paid via cash to the desk or using the Better app (note: staff are working to add the sessions to the app).
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KEEP US INFORMED
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