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Quality racing from Kent AC!
<<First Name>>, Please see this week’s update for Kent AC members – 28/07/24<!–
KENT AC NEWS BULLETIN
28 July 2024
It’s been a great week of racing and also for sport, as the Olympics is back on our screens for the next fortnight!
Starting off on Tuesday, many of us took part in the Sri Chinmoy Battersea 5k or the ‘Che Chinmoy’ as this edition became affectionately known.
A very warm evening which encouraged post-race celebrations at the pub!
Full results can be found here.
Spot the birthday boy
Another day, another race at Battersea Park. Moving onto Wednesday, Amy Clements ran in the Top Flight 5k, taking second place in an incredible time of 16:19, now claiming 3rd all-time V40 in the UK.
Huge congratulations to Amy!
Also on Wednesday evening, was the BMC in Tooting Bec which a number of Kent members took part in. Check out the results here.
A fantastic result came from Birmingham where Tess Hepple won the bronze medal in the U15 triple jump at the England Athletics Championships on Friday evening, with a new PB of 10.56m!
John Gilbert took the win in 14:41 at the Shrewsbury 5k yesterday, following 30:12 for 10k in Wrexham the week before!
A hot and sunny Sunday for the KYAL in Norman Park today, take a look at the results here.
U15 girls 4 x 300 relay team
We have an exciting week ahead, remind yourself of upcoming activities below!
* Alex Yee will be competing in the Olympic games triathlon at 07:00 (BST) on Tuesday morning – to be confirmed once we know what is happening with the River Seine…
* The next Kent AC track social will be taking place on Tuesday evening, where we can hopefully celebrate victory for Alex. Nibbles and drinks will be provided but please BYOB too!
* The next Assembly League is at Victoria Park on Thursday evening.
If you plan on running, just turn up and make sure to note your bib number on the spreadsheet.
* The club 10k championships will be held on Saturday 3rd August during the Sri Chinmoy race at Battersea Park. If you want to join in, enter here.
Scroll down to read more on the last SAL of the season, rescheduled national cross country championships and dates for the Autumn national road relays…
SAL SOS!
The final Southern Athletics League (SAL) of the 2024 track & field season is in Ware, Hertfordshire on Saturday 17th August.
Currently, Kent AC sit a highly respectable 7th out 18 teams in Div 2 but are not safe from relegation and we go into this match with several key athletes unavailable due to summer holiday commitments.
What we need from you:
Please check your calendars and try your best to make yourself available to be part of the team, either as an athlete or as an official (there are points for providing officials). We need to try and fill as many events as possible with two scoring athletes, so need people to embrace a “School Sports Day Spirit” and have an attempt at events they are not experts in as well as the events their training is more suited for.
What to expect:
The standard at the SAL is comparable to a typical Parkrun – the best athletes are very impressive but others are just there to roll up their sleeves and give it a go. You will see people climbing steeplechase barriers, the pole vault opening height will be below head height and there may be teams getting lapped in the 4x400m relays! More often than not, the weather is glorious and almost everybody seems to have a fun day out.
What does it cost:
It is free to enter and if you travel to the event with the team, then transport costs are also covered.
Entry details:
Take a look at the events and put your name down on this spreadsheet to take part: SAL 2024
Timetable is in the second tab.
Any questions please reach out to Sofia Contino, Alex Harris, or Jo Mott!
RESCHEDULED
NATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Do you want to race the rescheduled National XC event on the
14th of September 2024?
If so, please complete this form: https://forms.gle/tFTwkTeXF5uXRkZU9.
We will use this form to understand the interest level and will begin communicating about the event directly with those interested.
Please note, the club will pay for entries, and based on interest level, we will determine if the club will cover some of the travel costs.
DEREK BALDWIN 14.5.1940 – 24.7.2024
The club has learned of the recent death of Derek Baldwin, aged 84.
Derek joined the club in 1956, apparently on his 16th birthday, and appeared consistently in results for cross country, road and occasionally track for the next 35 years.
As well as being a relentless competitor he was involved in club administration for many years. He joined the committee aged 17 (!) as cross-country vice-captain, a role he was still doing 10 years later. He stuck with the club during its lean period in the late 1970s and early 1980s, taking on the roles of general secretary (1980-1) and later president (1983-4). He was also involved in putting on events, notably the jubilee trophy, a meet that ran for over a decade in the 1950s and 1960s. He combined this with a busy career as a landscape gardener. He was made an honorary member in 1996.
In 1960 he won both the club xc championship and the 10 mile road race (in 53 mins) and had a national xc best of 197th at Sheffield in 1966. He was a crucial part of club teams from that era including Peter Brenchley, John Oliver, Richard Selby, Ron Hale and more recently Norman and Dennis Fairbrass.
He also shared some of Ron Hale’s adventurous spirit. He passed on joining Ron on the latter’s hitch hike to spectate at the 1964 Olympics, but apparently later joined him in Australia and trained with Herb Elliot’s coach, Percy Cerutty.
He was a great enthusiast and evangelist for the sport and for Kent AC and is fondly remembered by members from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
Len Reilly, July 2024
Derek Baldwin in action in the 1988 Kent 10 at Sidcup
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
July
30 – Post-track social
August
3 – 10k Sri Chimnoy Battersea Park (club champs)
10 – KYAL – Dartford
17 – Southern Athletics League – Ware
27 – Post-track social
September
1 – Big Half (club champs)
14 – National Cross Country Championships, Weston Park
21 – 6/4/3 Southern Stage Road Relays, Aldershot
14 – National XC – Weston Park, Telford
October
5 – 6/4/3 National Road Relays, Sutton Coldfield
12 – Surrey League xc – Wimbledon
November
9 – Surrey League xc – tbc
23 – South of the Thames Junior xc – Guildford
December
14 or 21 – South of the Thames Senior xc – Tonbridge
January 2025
4 – Kent County xc championships – Brands Hatch
11 – Surrey League xc – tbc
tbc – Southern xc – tbc
February
8 – Surrey League xc – tbc
tbc – National xc – tbc
March
April
25 – London Marathon
EASYFUNDRAISING
Please remember to use easyfundraising every time you shop online.
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
TRACK, TRACK, TRACK
Buy your track pass here.
The usual track times are:
Tuesday 17:30 – 20:45
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 has 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
You can have your say about what goes in the newsletter and keep us apprised of your results or running adventures by emailing the comms team directly here.
CLUB CONTACTS PAGE
The password for the club contacts page here is kacladywell2022.
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Kent AC · 412 Indiana Building · Deals gateway · London, County (optional) SE13 7QD · United Kingdom