The thrill of the race
The thrill of the race
Please see this week’s update for Kent AC members – 06/08/23–
KENT AC NEWS BULLETIN
06 August 2023
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If members fail to pay fees, the cost of the monthly track pass will need to be increased for everyone.
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It may be surprising to hear this with the temperamental weather we’ve had this week but on the plus side, there has been some fantastic race results starting off with the penultimate Assembly League of this year.
The final one will be at Beckenham Place Park on 7th September so make sure to join us there!
Back to 3rd August…a golden evening for Kent AC with Jake Simmonds chasing down a Dulwich runner and taking the win in 17:25 as well as Amy Clements claiming 1st lady in 20:12.
Smiles all round
Kudos to all of you who got out yesterday for a wet and windy parkrun effort.
Over at the Sri Chinmoy 10k in Battersea park, it was not PB conditions but a good tempo session nonetheless with our Kent AC crew not letting the weather take control. Annie Birch scored 3rd lady in 36:30 and Lara Bromilow came 6th lady in 37:36. A shout out also to Tim Jones who raced the 10k in 45:39.
Then onto the evening for the Hercules Wimbledon 5000m festival!
The rain continued with small hope of sunshine but with the focus maintained and the buzz of Thursday evening still in the air, Cam Dockerill raced the 5000m in 14:44:99, Jake Simmonds ran in 14:53:88 and Chris Greenwood crossed the line in 15:12:19.
You can watch the full footage here.
One happy coach!
For anyone in Central London today, seeing plenty of cyclists zooming past along the Thames, you may have thought it was Ride London take two, but in fact it was part of the London Triathlon.
Congrats to Claire Oxlade for taking part in this one, hope you had fun!
This week has really shown that not only can our club mates really inspire us to be the best runner we aim to be, but we truly wouldn’t be able to do it without our fantastic coaches that show up week in week out, rain or shine to help us train so a huge thank you to all of those at Kent AC!
With Summer fixtures coming to an end, a reminder of the final SAL taking place on 19th August in Thurrock. Speak with Ian or Olivia for more info!
That brings us onto exciting events taking place next month, the club 5000m champs on 14th September as well as our anniversary parkrun takeover on 16th September. There will be a spreadsheet to follow for all those wanting to race and volunteer so keep an eye on the WhatsApp groups and the newsletter!
CELEBRATE THE NIGHT AWAY!
Dear Members of Kent AC,
A friendly reminder that Kent AC is celebrating a significant milestone very soon..the 125th Anniversary dinner is fast approaching, on the 16th September it’s your chance to ditch the trainers, drink bubbles & have a good dance!
It’s a celebration of the club of course, but the club is only made by the people who are in it, and that’s you! So please come along and celebrate yourselves and the contributions you’ve all made over the years, the good times we’ve all had and the lovely running family we’ve built up together.
The tickets are being very kindly subsidised by the club – £42 includes a delicious 3 course meal (veggie and vegan options), table wine & drinks reception on the terrace for speeches and toasts!
Ticket deadline 31st August!
GOLD STARS FOR VOLUNTEERING
Sarah Crichton is organising a junior-friendly athletics competition for Kent AC junior members only on Saturday 16 September at Ladywell Arena.
It will be a friendly track and field competition of a maximum of 6 events, in a round robin style with athletes in groups, going between events. Events group coaches will be around to support on the day. The event is designed for Kent AC athletes only as a fun ending to the summer track and field schedule, giving athletes a chance to show off their development over the course of the season.
The event will be at Ladywell Arena on Saturday 16th September to coincide with the club’s 125th anniversary celebrations.
The full details are to be confirmed, but I am looking for people to email me if they can volunteer to help with:
– organising the entries
– officiating the events (we are not aiming this event to go on power of 10 so no previous experience required- previous support at KYAL would be more than enough)
– on the day event management
– supporting with refreshments on the day
If anyone is able to support with organising and running this event, please email Sarah on
ALONG FOR THE ROAD
Southern road relays incoming!
23rd September – Aldershot
6-stage for men and 4-stage for women
7th October – Sutton Coldfield
6-stage for men and women
Whilst on the subject of road racing and the ballot results all announced for London Marathon 2024, Kent AC will be allocated two club places for next year.
More information on signing up will be provided soon.
DUST OFF THOSE CROSS COUNTRY SPIKES
It may still only be the beginning of August, but the countdown to cross country season is here!
We now have the locations announced so make sure to add those to your diary.
These are not only great club races, but the more Kent AC runners available to score, the better!
Plus all pretty local with South of the Thames junior and Southern XC Champs both at Beckenham Place Park.
Surrey League XC:
14th October – Richmond Park
11th November – Mitcham Common
13th January – Wimbledon Common
10th February – TBD
XC events:
25th November: South of the Thames Junior – Beckenham Place Park
16th December: South of the Thames Senior – Lloyd Park, Croydon
6th January: Kent County Cross Country – Brands Hatch
27th January: Southern XC Champs – Beckenham Place Park
National Cross Country:
Saturday 24th February – TBD (Midlands)
A SUMMER MAKEOVER FOR LADYWELL ARENA
With the winter fixtures confirmed and training schedules being planned, we come to you with some Ladywell Arena updates. The operators GLL have been working with England Athletics to get the the arena up to the TrackMark standard.
The steeplechase barriers have been upgraded and are now adjustable for all age groups and categories.
New LED floodlights have been installed, thanks to athletes who had to adapt their sessions this week whilst these works were underway.
The next job will be improvements to the the throws cage.
LOTTERY WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT
Saturday’s bonus ball in The National Lottery was 2 which means Brian Sanders is the lucky winner of £250.00 this week.
If you would like the chance of winning, there are two numbers available at a cost of £6.00 per month. For more info, please contact David here.
SPEAK NOW…IF YOU CAN HELP OUT THE CLUB
Would you like to take a leading role in the club? Are you organised and have an eye for detail? Or do you just want to earn a pint for some volunteering? If you answered yes to any of these questions, we have just the ticket for you.
We are looking for a new Track Admin Officer. This is a committee post, which involves technical admin of the track pass app and negotiating hours and rates for the track with GLL and the council.
If you would like to find out more about this, then please contact Amelia.
THE GATE ESCAPE
Gate volunteers form the unsung heroes spine of the club, making sure that our Tuesday and Thursday night sessions can run smoothly and safely. It’s a great way to meet new people and have a chat with friends too, as well as give back a little bit of time to the club. You can sign up here!
LET’S MAKE IT OFFICIAL
Athletics needs more officials, and volunteering in this way is a wonderful way to give back to the club.
This is a great opportunity to help get club events’ results on Power of 10. And it’s fun.
Our SAL performances not only need athletes, but also qualified officials – so you can directly contribute to our success! Every qualification counts!
It’s a straightforward process that the club will pay for, with more detail on available courses here.
Please contact Len Reilly for more info.
It would be great to see a few more people put their names down to help out!
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 or Laurie
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 17:30 – 20:30
Thursday 18:00 – 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 here. 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 UPDATED
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