Parklife
Parklife
Please see this week’s update for Kent AC members – 19/02/23–
KENT AC NEWS BULLETIN
19 FEBRUARY 2023
In a weekend break from the rigours of cross country, Kent AC athletes took to the parks to hone their 5000-metre pacing, racing and chasing. Saturday morning saw a fabulous turnout to take Dulwich parkrun by storm.
Will Pitt represented at the British Masters this weekend, and Kent AC runners also dominated the Victoria Park half marathon.
Congratulations to everyone who raced, and thanks to everyone who volunteered at parkrun.
To get back to the cross country, entries are still open for Master’s cross country up in Newcastle as well as plenty of club events to look forward to, including our Track Open Meeting on Sunday 7th May.
Please also see a friendly reminder on our club code of conduct which applies to all members.
–
THE WEEKEND’S RESULTS ROUND UP
First up, TGIF: At Battersea Park, Friday Nights under Lights saw Kent AC record some pleasing times, as Owen Hind writes:
‘The club loves PBs. In the few minutes it takes to re-write your best performances, hidden within it are hours upon hours of solo miles and group work. The phrase is a cliché, but the plan came together on Friday night. PBs were achieved by Cam Dockeril (14:48); Matt Speed (15:29) and there was a road PB for Rob Seseman (15.02). Rob Donohoe, Russell Bentley, Sean F, Pete Lighting and I also put ourselves out there, running hard.
‘Lucy Elms also excelled, transferring her fine cross-country form to the roads with a six-second PB of 17.38. Congratulations to athletes, coaches and organisers.’
On Saturday Jonathan Tipper was mentioned in dispatches from parkrun HQ: he ran one of the fastest recorded this week at Dulwich: 15.33.
Will Pitt was an eminent presence at the Indoors Master Champs this weekend, placing fifth on Saturday in the V50 800m in 2m:16s. His result in Sunday’s 1500m was exceptional and won him bronze (4m 45s)
Our third man in Sheffield
Sunday saw some bright and shiny results under blue skies. Iona Cousland ran the Seville Marathon in 3:00:57 and Ben Clarke finished in 2:29.
In the Victoria Park Half Marathon, Jake Simmonds placed first in 1:11:11 (surely the most auspicious winning result result a chap can achieve?), Barney Day was third in 1:13.03 (sensing a pattern here) and Clare Elms was second woman (1:24:04)
Amazing races, how sweet the results….
Victorious in the Park
–
MASTERS CROSS COUNTRY
The BMAF XC Champs are on the 18th March at Wallsend, Newcastle.
8.6km for Men (<65), 5.6km for women.
Individual medals in each 5 year band, so v35, v40, v45, v55 etc.
Team medals for v35+, v45+, v55+, v65+
To gauge interest please sign-up here
We are looking to put together teams to attend this event. The deadline for entry is the 10th March but we would like to confirm any expression of interest by the end of February in order to allow sufficient time to work out travel and accommodation.
Here are the results from last year to see approx. standard:
Kent AC 2nd in mv35+ and 3rd in mv55+
Teams
Individuals
–
KEY CLUB RACING DATES
Beyond the Surrey League, there are lots of racing opportunities to get ready for over the next couple of weeks.
You can keep track of the dates using club racing calendar – HERE
Cross Country
Saturday 25th Feb – National XC Champs, Bolesworth, Cheshire (entries closed, details sent today to those who are running)
Saturday 18th March – BMAF XC Champs, Newcastle
BMAF XC
Sunday 18th March – Newcastle. This will likely require overnight travel, which the club will support. Team categories are V35, V45, V55, V65. If you are potentially interested, please sign up here.
Road Relays
Sunday 2nd April – Southern Road Relays, TBC
Saturday 15th April – National Road Relays, Sutton Coldfield
Further details to be provided by team managers soon.
Track – Southern Athletics League
Saturday 20th May – Hornchurch
Sunday 18th June – Mile End
Sunday 9th July – Stevenage
Saturday 19th August – Thurrock
–
SHOW TRACK AND FIELD YOUR LOVE
Athletics needs more officials, and volunteering in this way is a wonderful way to give back to the club you love.
Courses take place on 1 April in Norman Park, and the following are available:
Level 1 Starter/Starters Assistant
Level 1 Track Judge
Level 1 Field Judge
This is a great opportunity to help get club events’ results on Power of 10. And it’s fun.
It’s a straightforward process that the club will pay for, with more detail here.
https://www.kentac.org.uk/membership/get-involved-volunteer/becoming-an-athletics-official/
Please contact Len Reilly for more info.
It would be great to see a few more people put their names down to help out
–
CLUB PRESIDENTS CODE OF CONDUCT REMINDER
Kent AC prides itself on being a supportive, inclusive and respectful community. This is evident in the way we conduct ourselves, but is also reflected in our code of conduct. This can be read in full on our website: https://www.kentac.org.uk/wellbeing/uk-athletics-code-of-conduct-for-athletes/ . We are also a competitive, passionate organization with many volunteers contributing to our success. Without such people, we would not be what or where we are today.
Like any community, there will be occasions when we disagree with the opinions and actions of others. However, the manner in which we treat and behave towards one another in such situations is important. Irrespective of differences in perspectives, our members are again reminded to always act in a respectful and courteous manner in communications with, and about, fellow members – particularly on social media platforms. Thank you.
Vic and Len, Club Presidents
–
KIT DONATIONS FOR JUNIORS
We still have more juniors who would be interested in receiving some kit. Please let Amelia know if you have any running kit (not only New Balance) that could be useful to the juniors and I will arrange a time to collect from you. Nationals at the weekend could be a great opportunity.
–
JUNIOR NEWS
Kent AC youth (and their dads) take over Dulwich parkrun
First home was 2nd claimer Olly Buck who ran an outstanding 20 sec PB to come 7th in 16:08. Next was Guy Barnett in 17:08, next George Searle who should be pleased with his solid run of 20:05 on tired legs. Next was Zac Cunningham who battled through in 20:32. Lucas Stickland was next, running a well paced steady effort in 20:39, almost catching the boys in front who set off much faster. This season has been an exciting battle between these 3 U13 boys and we hope will make them a formidable team to challenge for titles in the future.
Tallulah Jones won the battle of the Jones’s beating her father Stephen despite having a bad cough, running 22:15 to Stephen’s 22:15. Although Stephen may have lost that battle, he appears to have won battle of the dads, finishing just ahead of Hugh Stickland and Jason Searle. We look forward to the rematch and will suggest it takes place at the club 125th anniversary event (details to be finalised) to the event organisers.
Liam Schofield rounded out the Kent AC juniors and ran a solid 27:33 despite it being further than his preferred sprint events on the track.
–
CLUB 250 DRAW – 2 SPACES LEFT
There are just two numbers left in the Kent AC 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.
–
LADYWELL OPEN TRACK EVENT: SAVE THE DATE
Further details to follow but please put Sunday 7th May in your diaries.
–
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
–
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.
–
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).
–
KEEP US INFORMED
–