Spiky season
Spiky season
Please see this week’s update for Kent AC members – 01/10/23–
KENT AC NEWS BULLETIN
1 October 2023
The month of the National Road Relays, the start of the XC season and more Autumn marathons to come.
The last week of September has been warm and this so-called Indian summer looks like it is going to be with us for a while, maybe even for 14 October at Richmond Park, meaning a less muddy first Surrey league.
A quieter week on the racing front but a few things to mention from Kent AC, starting off with Barny’s report of the SOAR/Unsanctioned Athletics race.
On Thursday night, Barny, James, Calum and Matt took on the SOAR/Unsanctioned Athletics race. The first of it’s kind in London. We arrived not sure of the route or plan. 30 minutes before the race starts we were given three check points. Runners can head to the check points in any order and can run individually or stay as a team. The three check points were St Paul’s tube, Rough Trade East and a pub near Victoria Park.
After a quick scrabble to put a route together and deciding to run as a team we headed off into the night. What was clear was what we lacked in navigational skills we made up for in speed of running. Even with getting lost a couple of times we were able to finish as the highest placed team winning the team prize.
It was a fantastic event and nice to do something a little different as cross-country season is on the horizon.
A ‘SOARée’ of racing
Onto Saturday, Paul McCrone took part in the Maverick South Downs race, a 25k trail run, finishing as 1st v50 and 24th overall in 2:15:32. Kudos Paul!
You may also have been following Joe Appiah in the European Masters Athletics Championships in Pescara over the last couple of days. Joe gave a fantastic performance in the M50 100m Hurdles, winning the final in 13:67, crowning him European Champion!
Joe also placed 3rd in the M50 Long Jump final. Congratulations to you!
Now, dust off your spikes and get them ready, cross country season is coming but of course first we have our men and women heading to Sutton Coldfield next weekend for the National Road Relays.
We’ll fill you in with the results next Sunday but wish us luck….
SPIKE UP FOR SURREY LEAGUE
The Cross Country Captains would like to welcome you, esteemed Kent AC member to cross country season. No gimmicks, no accurate course measurements, just Kent AC against whoever else turns up from across the country.
The traditional season curtain raiser of a Surrey League match is being held on 14th October at Richmond Park, and we wanted to raise the early excitement levels by being clear with our goals and club aspirations for us all.
The first is that seeing as many Kent blue vests on start lines each week is the most important element of the entire season. Over the four Surrey League matches, we’d love to see 125 of you turn out and race hard for the club to celebrate our 125th birthday. Top 10, top 100, or keeping the time-keepers hanging around whilst you finish; it all matters. Just being there with spikes and a vest on is the success. To keep celebrations going after each match we might not be able to offer an all-night party like Katie or Alexa, but there will be options of both additional course laps to help anyone in marathon training and nearby pubs booked for us to stage the classic Kent AC takeover.
The second is that for those who want to race a bit further afield or chase one of the several championship medals on offer throughout the season until early March, this is very much on offer. The first event is the Mansfield XC relays in November where the club will make its debut. We 100% want to build on the road medal successes from earlier this year and make up for the women’s team who were just edged out of medals at the Southern XC last January. This success will still take as many of us all turning out together, so to make it easier to target races as an individual then we will target races as a club as well. More information later in the year.
If this sounds like the kind of Type 1 fun you want to take part in, then let us know by filling in the spreadsheet below!
So whos’ joining us?
XC Captains, Gen, Sarah, Owen and James
KENT AC AGM
Kent AC Annual General Meeting 2023
This is notice of our Annual General Meeting which will be held on Tuesday 14 November at 8.30, upstairs at the Blythe Hill Tavern, 319 Stanstead Rd, SE23 1JB.
Please come along after the track. Food will be provided!
The AGM is a yearly gathering of the club members, primarily to hear reports from committee members about the club’s activities and finances; to appoint the committee and vote on any contested positions; ask questions to the committee and express your ideas and concerns. If you wished to propose any change to our rules/constitution or a major change to club policy it would be useful if this was submitted in writing before 6 October. This will enable it to be included in the calling notice to all members and agenda, which will be sent out in mid October.
The committee is made up of volunteers and we have a number of vacancies which give you an opportunity to be more involved.
They are:
Trophies secretary (previously Dan)
H&S advisor (previously Amelia)
Women’s road manager (Katie Rowland will be stepping down when she moves away in early 2024)
Social secretary (Katie Rowland will be stepping down when she moves away in early 2024)
A big thanks to all for their hard work over this and previous years.
If you are interested in any of these please write to and your mail will go to the incumbent who will happily tell you what their job involves.
If you wish to stand, please let know before 6 October so it can go in the agenda.
A big thanks too to those putting their name forward for roles this year:
Zuzana Nemeckova to become membership sec.
Bernie Hutchison is standing down after a remarkable 33 years in post
Rob Sesemann to join the comms team
Gen Blanche as joint womens xc manager
James Boustead as joint mens xc manager
Kieran Fitzpatrick to join welfare team, replacing Neil Gordon-Orr
Anne Hepple and Claire Oxlade to take on junior’s secretary from John Barron
A full list of committee, juniors-sub committee and non-committee posts can be found on our website.
Thanks
Vic and Len
CLUB RECORDS
I’ve done a bit of light research in Larry Garnham’s info fest and have found the following revisions to club records. All are women’s records and all for the 1970’s. Some impressive numbers to go at there, but I’m sure all are within the grasp of the massive talent we have in our membership. So I hope not the end of the story.
Len
Edinburgh – 23.07.1970
Avril Bowring
400m – 54:10
Croydon – 25.07.1971
Isle Kristen
Shot put – 10.84
Hendon – 15.04.1972
Isle Kristen
Discus throw – 40.44
Tonbridge – 06.08.1972
Wendy Chapman
Javelin Throw – 39.78
Crystal Palace – 21.08.1976
Helen Barnett
100m – 11:64
200m – 23:63
WINTER RACE DATES
A summary of dates for your diary:
October
7 – National Road Relays – Sutton Coldfield
14 – Surrey League XC – Richmond Park
November
11 – Surrey League XC – Mitcham Common
25 – South of the Thames Junior XC – BPP
December
2 – Kent County Vets XC – Dartford (Age group xc champs)
9 – SEAA Masters CC Champs – Horspath, Oxford
16 – South of the Thames Senior – Lloyd Park (Senior XC champs)
2024
January
6 – Kent County XC – Brands Hatch
13 – Surrey League XC – Wimbledon Common
27 – Southern XC champs – BPP
February
10 – Surrey League XC – TBD
24 – National XC Champs – Weston Park, Shropshire
March
16 – British Masters XC Champs – Corwen, N Wales
April
TBD – Southern Road Relays – TBD
TBD – National Road Relays – Sutton Coldfield
ADMIN ON TRACK
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.
DUTY CALLS
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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