Oh what fun it is to run
Oh what fun it is to run
Please see this week’s update for Kent AC members – 22/12/24–
KENT AC NEWS BULLETIN
22 December 2024
Although, first we need to give a quick mention to Emily Murray, who competed in the Be Fit Today Track Academy Open Meet at Lee Valley on 8th December. Emily achieved a PB of 9.06m in the Triple Jump, placing her 3rd V45 in the UK 2024 rankings.
The 5 Miler at Battersea Park on Friday night was a speedy one! The results are in…
Jonathan Collier – 23:53
Nick Acfield – 25:19
Ben Clarke – 26:11
Barny Day – 26:32
Jake Herrera – 26:49
Fergus Johnson – 27:35
Rory Knight – 28:26
Andy Colley – 29:36
Will Pitt – 29:54
Tim Sharp – 30:08
Joe Wilkes – 30:26
Rich Giles – 30:46
Clare Elms – 30:47
Well done all!
Spot Joe if you can
We had a troop of mighty blue vests brave the weather and the challenging course at the South of Thames XC in Tonbridge on Saturday afternoon.
Full results can be found here.
Final team race of the year
Welcome back Dan
Our women’s squad
You can put the spikes aside. It all begins again on the 4th January at Brands Hatch for the Kent County XC Championships. KCAA have requested clubs to help out with marshalling. If you can help, please fill in the form on their website. If you’re running, you can still potentially help before or after your respective race.
http://kcaa.org.uk/
The Southern XC Championships will be held at Beckenham Place Park on 25th January.
Entries must be submitted by 27th December so if you are keen to run, please help the captains out by making sure you have signed up and purchased your entry.
Sign up here.
Pay your entry fee here.
It has been quite a magical year for Clare Elms, who has inspired many of us with her records. Check out this Athletics Weekly article, where Clare reflects on her 2024 races.
Lastly, if you’re staying local for Christmas day this year, head to Hilly Fields parkrun. Wear your Kent AC vest and bring a santa hat if you have one!
For those of you heading out of London for festivities, there may be a parkrun taking place nearby. Take a look here.
If you’re planning to fit in some more laps of the track before the year is out, make a note of the following dates! Check public opening hours directly.
Tuesday 24 December: No booking
Thursday 26 December: No booking
Sunday 29 December: As usual
Tuesday 31 December: No booking
Thursday 2 January 2025: As usual
2025 track passes are available to purchase here.
If purchased before 31st December, you will get 2 months free (£130/year).
If purchased in January, it will be 12 months for the price of 11 (£143/year).
After that, it will be £13 per month.
Please give some thought to volunteering for gate duty. It’s essential that people buy their passes and show them to a representative at the gate.
The awards were given for each year, between 2021-2024.
2021John Barron
2022
Dan Ansell
2023
Sarah Crichton
2024
David Devlin
Best overall female athlete
Clare Elms
Best overall male athlete
Joe Appiah
Best road athlete
Nick Torry
Best track athlete
Alexa Parker
For all those who are wondering who the lucky winners to be drawn out of the hat for a place in the 2025 TCS London Marathon, the agony is over.
The two Kent AC runners whose agony is about to start with 16 weeks of winter training are John Gilchrist and Rob Harvey.
Well done, both!
When you’re waiting around on the cross country field, then layering up after the race, your best friend is your Kent AC bobble hat. If you are still lacking this style essential, you can go to the Kent AC online shop to order and pay. Your ears will thank you for it. How will you get your hands on one? Contact Sarah Young, either on any of the WhatsApp groups, or via the website.
January
4 – Kent County XC Championships – Brands Hatch
11 – Surrey League XC – tbc
25 – Southern XC Champs – Beckenham Place Park
February
8 – Surrey League XC – Epsom
22 – National XC – Parliament Hill
March
30 – 12/6 Stage Road Relay Championships – Milton Keynes
April
12 – 12/6 National Road Relays – Sutton Coldfield
25 – London Marathon
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
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
NOTE that seasonal adjustments mean that track will be closed 19, 24, 26, 31 December (see Seasonal Track, above)
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.
If you renew your annual pass before 31.12.24 you will receive 10 months for the price of 12.
Buying your pass in January gives you 11months for the price of 12.
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).
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