You relay should read on…
You relay should read on…
Please see this week’s update for Kent AC members – 30/04/23–
KENT AC NEWS BULLETIN
30 April 2023
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BECKENHAM AND DULWICH RELAYS
These were great fun last year and the women’s team in particular needs to retain its title. Jake has set up an Excel page for those who would like to run for the team at the Beckenham Relays on 17 May, and the Dulwich ones on 21 June. Please sign up HERE
FINE YOUNG ATHLETES
The first match took place in Norman Park on Saturday 29 April. At the time of going to press the results were not yet available, but they should be posted here once they’re finalised.
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ASSEMBLE HERE
‘After a false start earlier this month, the first race of the Assembly League season has been confirmed for next Thursday in VIctoria Park with a 19:30 start.
The course is a three and a half mile figure of eight loop round the park on tarmac paths.We expect the Race HQ to be at the Victoria Park Harriers clubhouse which is very close to the start line. There are toilets and changing facilities at the club house.
Address of the clubhouse:
St Augustine’s Hall, Cadogan Terrace, London E9 5EG
If the timing system is the same as the previous few years (I’ve asked for confirmation), I’ll send out another email before the race with details on how to create a runner profile.
What is the assembly league?
I know the club has had a lot of new members in the last couple of years, so for those of you not familiar, the Assembly League is a summer race series which takes place on the first Thursday of each month. The races are all around 5km in length.
There are usually six races in the season, but with the first race being cancelled there will now only be five races this year.
The Assembly League is a very welcoming and inclusive series, it isn’t just for “fast” runners. In the past it has been really well supported by the club and we’ve had 40-50 people turn out for each race. We usually do very well in both the mens and womens junior, senior and veteran competitions.
The Assembly League is also free for members (the club will cover the race fees). All you do is turn up on the night, collect a race number (remember your pins!) and off you go.’
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KENT AC’S CORONATION GAMES – 7 MAY
Shout out for volunteers for next week’s Coronation Games. There is a link to a Google sheet, here
All volunteers will get a coffee or a drink voucher.
Events to be contested are 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, The Gunpowder Mile, Hurdles, Relays, Javelin and Long Jump. Exciting news for more mature jump racers: there will also be Hurdle entries for W40-W59 and M50-M59 age groups.
There will be qualified track officials and timekeepers, so times will be official and recorded on powerof10 and elsewhere.
The entry portal is open here. Book your race soon as some events are already booked up.
There will be a fully licensed bar, a wood-fired pizza van and a coffee hut. It costs £5 to enter the first event and £2 per event thereafter.
All spectators are welcome; should be a great day for the club.
Kit donations needed for the Coronation games
We will be running a swap shop for running kit at the event. Please bring along unwanted kit to our stall on the day or alternatively contact Amelia to collect this from you during the week ahead. Shorts, tops, leggings, crop tops etc. all welcome (not just Kent AC branded kit). Thank you.
BEING WELL, RUNNING BETTER
We all know that recovery, fuelling and generally treating our bodies as miraculous temples is as important to an athlete’s wellbeing as the actual training, but still we believe that if we run our bodies into submission, those PBs will happen. They just won’t.
Learn more about the fun stuff during an evening of lectures, food, drinks and general high jinks, cunningly inserted between our two training nights for maximum recovery. You owe it to your temple to attend.
Running & Wellbeing Event: Performance, Power, Psychology and Pints
Wednesday 17th May 2023 19:15-21:15 at St. Dunstans Jubiliee Ground, Canadian Avenue, London SE6 4SW
An opportunity to learn, question, reflect and socialise.
There will be a bar and food.
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SALutations
All are welcome and the more, the merrier! Please contact and for more details and check out the Sign up spreadsheet here.
We also need officials and volunteers and if you are interested please contact .
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SUMMER FORWARD LOOK
Save the dates for the Kent AC Open meet, a wellbeing event, SAL, Assembly League, parkruns, and the big 125 anniversary dinner. It’s set to be a summer to remember!
4 May – Assembly League Victoria Park
6 May – parkrun takeover (location TBC – please share ideas!)
7 May – Kent AC Open Meeting, Ladywell Arena
17 May – Wellbeing Event, St Dunstan’s
20 May – SAL, Hornchurch
1 June – Assembly League TBC
21 June – Dulwich relays
18 June – SAL, Mile End
6 July – Assembly League TBC
9 July – SAL, Stevenage
3 August – Assembly League Victoria Park
19 August – SAL, Thurrock
7 September – Assembly League BPP
16 September – 125th Anniversary Dinner
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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.
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!
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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.
This doesn’t have to be just Kent AC club kit, all running kit suitable for junior athletes is welcomed.
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WELFARE OFFICER VACANCY
The role would suit somebody with a children’s services background in education, health or social care though this is not essential. It is a great opportunity to make a difference and also looks good on your CV! Training in the role is offered by England Athletics and Neil will do a full handover/induction for my replacement. If you might interested or would like to find out more please let us know at .
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MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY VACANCY
We would love to find someone who is:
– Diligent with an attention to detail
– Proactive in dealing with queries
– Computer literate
– Familiar with online payment systems
– Able to attend regular meetings and/or submit reports
If this is you and you want to give a little back to the club, then please reach out to to find out more.
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SWEEPSTAKE NUMBERS AVAILABLE
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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
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 17:30 – 20:30
Thursday 17:30 – 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.
Track Pass – Juniors
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 UPDATED
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