Starting as we mean to go on
KENT AC NEWS BULLETIN
2 JANUARY 2023
As we emerge blinking into a brand new training block for 2023, it’s time to put the lovely new kit we were given for Christmas/bought ourselves in the sales, to good use.
First up, the joy of a re-opened track (buy your annual pass right now, see Track, Track, Track, below). Then there’s the exciting prospect of getting knee-deep in all the mud created by the deluge in the past fortnight in cross country races this month. Finally, it’s time to consider the possibility of a spring fitness goal, the attainment of which the previous two opportunities provide perfect preparation for. Happy running, team.
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WHILE WE WERE AWAY…
…Ross Braden’s time of 2:14:22 in last year’s London Marathon earned him twelfth place in UKA rankings
…Russell Bentley rocked up at Hillyfields Parkrun for the first time and came in first
…Isaac Maxwell came first at Burgess parkrun in 16.16
…and Jake Wightman (not of this parish, sadly) went on a holiday tour of park runs and completed Bushey Park in 14:39 (51s slower than Andy Baddeley’s course record) and, the following week, Dulwich parkrun in 14:52
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VOLUNTEERS URGENTLY 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.
PLEASE
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 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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MORE NORTHERN OPPORTUNITIES
However, it is in Newcastle, not Tonbridge as in 2022
If you are interested, even tentatively, please sign up and add any caveats to the sheet linked below.
Date –Saturday 18 March 2023
The race will be held at Wallsend, Newcastle, which is likely to require overnight travel therefore the Club may support both travel and accommodation for the event.
The men’s (<m65) race starts at 13:00. The course is 8.6k on grass.
Team categories vm35, vm45, vm55, vm65
If you are potentially interested, please sign up, here, on the google sheet, so that we can start to think about teams
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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NEW MEMBERS
Becky Davey
Kieran Fitzpatrick
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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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