<<First Name>>, Please see this week’s update for Kent AC members – 23/02/25<!–
KENT AC NEWS BULLETIN 23 February 2025
This weekend saw the climactic event of the cross country season, the Nationals at Parliament Hill Fields in Hampstead. Kent AC were without most of their best performers in both the men’s and women’s teams, but still sent plenty of runners, including juniors, who battled hard in tough conditions – full report below.
Gen showing how to run on mud
As the cross country season winds down, the road season picks up, and we’ve had several good results this weekend.
Over in Spain, we had 7 runners starting the Seville marathon, of whom 6 finished – Tom Webb (2:55:06 PB) – first time breaking 3 hours, aged 55 – Gian Valentini (2:55:08) and Jim Goldie (2:55:18) in a group, Alex Morales (2:59:16) – his first sub 3 hour marathon for 8 years – David Gilfeder (3:09:11) and Raymond Leemoon (4:42:48)
Alex under the orange trees
One result we missed last weekend was the Village Bakery Wrexham half in which John Gilbert came 5th in 65:43 (1st V40), just a few seconds off his PB – he doesn’t appear to be slowing down!
This morning on the streets of London, Owen Hind came 3rd in the winter 10k in 30:31, and Luis Molina (36:47), Katie Good (39:48), Dominic Wilkins (42:11), Matt Rogers (43:59) and Jules Gevers (45:34) also ran. Particular credit to Katie for running such a good time the day after a brutal cross country!
Over in East London Paul McCrone ran the Olympic Park Half in 94:38 (4th V55) while Ali Abdoulaye completed it in 1:50:59.
Meanwhile, indoors at Lee Valley we had two champions in the British Masters Indoor Championships – Clare Elms won the VW60 1500m gold in 5:11.06 and Emily Murray won the VW45 Triple Jump after only 6 months of training in the event. Emily is now ranked top 3 V45 in the country in TJ, LJ and HJ events!
Emily jumping for gold
MUD, SWEAT AND TEARS
Kent sent up over 50 runners to Hampstead for the southern visit of the National Championships, and despite the absence of many of our top runners, we came a creditable 11th in the men’s race and 21st in the women’s.
As with the Southern Championships, race day had far better weather than the days leading up to it, but unlike the Beckenham race, Hampstead was very very muddy, becoming increasingly so as each of 10 races – and nearly 5000 runners – trampled over it. Add to the hills and the low sun that made it hard in parts to pick out the firm racing line, conditions were, according to one veteran Kent member, the hardest he’d experienced at Hampstead. There were multiple lost shoes and faceplants, but Kent runners were mostly unscathed.
Nicola having type 2 fun
Five of the six scoring Kent men from the Southerns were unavailable yesterday, but those who were there stepped up, particularly Noah Armitage-Hookes, who paced his race exceptionally well and picked off runners in the last lap to come home in 74th. Max Nicholls and Nick Torry, recovering from paternity and injury breaks respectively, both improved on their Southerns runs to finish in 79th and 121st, while Lyndon Marfell, Dame Dibaba and Matt Speed completed our scoring 6.
The women’s team were even more deprived than the men, but 13 of them battled through the 8k course, with Aisling Ahern, Katie Good, Victoria Cartwright and Claire Oxlade providing our scoring 4.
We had several juniors too, particularly in the U15 boys race, where we have a core of good talent. George Searle, Lucas Stickland, Matteo Watson and Luke Roderick provided a scoring 4 that came 24th, with Matteo Mathers also finishing. Daria Gilmore ran well in the U13 girls race, while Thomas Brain’s 32nd place out of 318 runners in the U13 boys race was probably the standout among Kent juniors. Edward Pearce also ran well in that race, as did Alice Hales in the U15 girls race.
Well done to the 53 Kent runners who completed races yesterday, and especially to those who managed to get out for a long run or even a race this morning!
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Road Relays Season is on the horizon and we’re so ready for it!
Dates for your diaries are: Sunday 30 March for the Southerns in Milton Keynes and Saturday 12th April for the Nationals in Sutton Coldfield.
If you’re interested in running in either (or both!) please add your name to the sign up sheet linked below or reach out to Alexa Parker for the women and Chris Busaileh for the men. They’re great events and always a lovely day out, especially the Nationals which is always lovely weather (without fail for the last 10 years).
For the women, teams are of 6 and the legs are about 5k in length. For the men, it’s 12 legs; 6 long of around 8k and 6 short which around 5k.
We’d love to take two teams to each event (at least two to the Southerns). The teams do NOT have to be the same teams at both events, so if you are only available for one date that’s fine.
April
3 – Assembly League – Beckenham Place Park
12 – 12/6 National Road Relays – Sutton Coldfield
26 – KYAL – Ashford
27 – London Marathon
May
1 – Assembly League – Victoria Park 10 – (provisional date, tbc) Ladywell 10000/100
17 – SAL – Dartford
18 – KYAL – Norman Park (Bromley) 29 – (tbc) Early summer meet
June
5 – Assembly League – Crystal Palace Park
22 – SAL – Woodford Green
July
3 – Assembly League – Sutcliffe Park
5 – KYAL – Medway Park
13 – SAL – Eltham
26 – (tbc) Ron Hale Open
August
7 – Assembly League – Victoria Park
16 – KYAL – Dartford
30 – SAL – Basildon
September
4 – Assembly League – Beckenham Place Park
7 – Big Half – London
11 – (tbc) Late Summer Meet
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
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 £6.50 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.
The Alex Yee 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.
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 hereis kacladywell2022.
<<First Name>>, Please see this week’s update for Kent AC members – 16/02/25<!–
KENT AC NEWS BULLETIN 16 February 2025
This weekend was mud-free for most with all eyes on the National XC at Parliament Hill on Saturday.
Let’s recap on a week of results.
Last Sunday, at the VAC and EMAC Indoor Track and Field Championships held at Lee Valley, Emily Murray won gold in the triple jump as well as the high jump and silver in the long jump. She came home with new PBs of 9.30m in the triple jump and 4.15m in the long jump.
Post PBs
At the Battersea 10k yesterday morning, Owen Hind came fourth in 29:21, followed by Chris Busaileh in 32:16 and Rich Giles in 35:16. Andrea Barber crossed the line in 43:20.
Vic Cartwright fancied another muddy race up north, scoring third woman at the Temple Newsam Ten.
Also at the Momentum Sports Sprints, Zac Murray ran a PB of 8:90 in the 60m.
Meanwhile, a casual Sunday for Clare Elms at Lee Valley, led her to setting a world indoor W60 1500m record of 5:03.1.
Congrats to everyone who raced this weekend!
There are still five numbers available for our monthly club draw. It costs £6 a month (annual cost £72) with the chance to win £250 and the surplus going to help fund the club. Contact David here if you would like to try your luck and take a number.
In preparation for the outdoor season, there will be a FUN tournament for our juniors, taking place on 25th and 27th February. Please support those taking part by either cheering them on or volunteering at the events.
For more information or to put your name down as a volunteer, please contact Jane Treasure here.
Before you read on, save the date for our next pacing takeover at Dulwich parkrun on Saturday 8th March.
More details to follow soon.
RULES OF THE ROAD… AND TRACK
“We are all runners, some just run faster than others. I never met a fake runner.” – Bart Yasso
The Welfare team have received more than one complaint recently regarding track etiquette and poor behaviour on the track. A friendly reminder of running track etiquette – lets be safe and respectful of everyone using it.
A reminder of the guidance is on the website here.
ONE LAST MUDDY HURRAH!
It’s the big one: the National is being held next weekend at Parliament Hill, London. After last year’s fiasco of last-minute cancellation, the premier XC race being close to public transport and actual paved car parking, means everyone can once again do battle alongside the bravest and best in the country.
If you’re available on 22nd February and want to watch the event and contribute, the organisers have a call out for marshalls. Please contact Ben Noad here.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Road Relays Season is on the horizon and we’re so ready for it!
Dates for your diaries are: Sunday 30 March for the Southerns in Milton Keynes and Saturday 12th April for the Nationals in Sutton Coldfield.
If you’re interested in running in either (or both!) please add your name to the sign up sheet linked below or reach out to Alexa Parker for the women and Chris Busaileh for the men. They’re great events and always a lovely day out, especially the Nationals which is always lovely weather (without fail for the last 10 years).
For the women, teams are of 6 and the legs are about 5k in length. For the men, it’s 12 legs; 6 long of around 8k and 6 short which around 5k.
We’d love to take two teams to each event (at least two to the Southerns). The teams do NOT have to be the same teams at both events, so if you are only available for one date that’s fine.
April 3 – Assembly League – Beckenham Place Park 12 – 12/6 National Road Relays – Sutton Coldfield 26 – KYAL – Ashford 27 – London Marathon
May 1 – Assembly League – Victoria Park 10 – (provisional date, tbc) Ladywell 10000/100 17 – SAL – Dartford 18 – KYAL – Norman Park (Bromley) 29 – (tbc) Early summer meet
June 5 – Assembly League – Crystal Palace Park 22 – SAL – Woodford Green
July 3 – Assembly League – Sutcliffe Park 5 – KYAL – Medway Park 13 – SAL – Eltham
26 – (tbc) Ron Hale Open
August 7 – Assembly League – Victoria Park 16 – KYAL – Dartford 30 – SAL – Basildon
September 4 – Assembly League – Beckenham Place Park 7 – Big Half – London
11 – (tbc) Late Summer Meet
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
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 £6.50 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.
The Alex Yee 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.
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 hereis kacladywell2022.
<<First Name>>, Please see this week’s update for Kent AC members – 09/02/25<!–
KENT AC NEWS BULLETIN 9 February 2025
The days are growing longer, the crocuses are popping and England’s most competitive county cross country league has come to a close. It must be mid February! We’ve had runners competing up and down the country in the England Athletics Indoor Age Group Championships, Farnborough Half Marathon and Epsom’s Surrey League fixture.
Let’s head on over to Sheffield where England’s youngest athletes descended including John Flack, Jack Jones and Tess Hepple.
John competed in the U20M 400m. He did well today in a good quality field with more to give in the bag, plus a great learning experience to compete at these champs. The indoor 400m is a bit of a contact sport, and John is very young in the U20 group, still only 16, but just a couple of days too old for U17.
Tess Hepple ran well to compete in the semi-final for the 60m hurdles too as well as compete in the U17 triple jump.
Jack Jones who is a 2nd claim Kent AC member also competed in the U20 Long jump final, achieving a PB of 6.75m.
Well done to all of our young athletes.
Next up we’re off to the races at Epsom. Place your bets as our runners were chomping at the bit lining up at the gates. Once the race began, they were off like a shot, some taking an early lead while others held their horses to pace themselves. It was neck and neck throughout but every competitor went the distance. Some may have backed the wrong horse with their strategy but all proved they weren’t just one-trick ponies. All showed tremendous horse power on a tough course.
Ok that’s enough with the horse related idioms. See below for the race write up.
Giddy Up – Surrey League Draws to a Close
Surrey League, the Group 1 equivalent of run racing in the region came to an end on Saturday for Season 24-25. 241 senior men and 205 senior women set foot on the historic grounds of Epsom Downs Racecourse for the final match of the Surrey League 24/25 season.
As we traversed to the start line via Tattenham Corner coach Pete Boxhall (fountain of knowledge) pointed out where suffragette Emily Davidson ran out in front of two horses in 1913. The familiar drizzle of the winter cross country season welcomed us. The winds kindly remained calm and we felt just about ok donning only a vest and shorts after a warm up.
Match 4 Team Results
Kent AC Senior Men A 5th
Kent AC Senior Men B 4th (will be revised down as we didn’t have a complete B team)
Kent AC Senior Women A 7th
Kent AC Senior Women B 8th
There were no whips necessary for Amy Clements (16th place) and Cam Dockerill (20th) who stormed home as first runners for Kent AC cementing their strong performances and consistency across the season.
To reach a formidable 5th place the Senior Men point scorers included Noah Armitage-Hookes (23rd), Rob Sesemann (34th), Isaac Parker (43rd), Joe Hartley (49th),Calum Fraser (71st), Barnaby Day (74th), Joe Vis (83rd), Alistair McMaster (94), and Neil Phillips (96th). Noah and Joe were two dark horses of the day improving an impressive 20 places on their previous Surrey League race. The common February cold caused a few drop outs so we didn’t quite manage a complete B team to score but that didn’t stop the rest of the team bringing it home. James Boustead (110th), George Hobhouse (132), George Russell (135), Martin Pollard (145) Fergus Johnson (155), John Gilchrist (157), and Fred U-G (174) gave it their all.
The senior women bolted out of the gates at 3pm, an unusually late start time. Following Amy, Aislin Ahern who only missed one Surrey League this season once again had the blinkers on and finished a strong 38th. Ellie Freedan and Vic Cartwright with a healthy home team rivalry came in 52nd and 53rd respectively with only 4 seconds between them. Always reliable Vic Buck (90) and the ever positive and determined Claire Oxlade (107) completed the scoring team that came in 7th overall. For the B team of scorers, Gen Blanch (111) was closely followed by a team of women who have turned up to almost all races this season come rain hail or shine. This included Nicola Cartlidge (118), Suze Spalding (141). Sarah Young (169), Jo Mott (170), and Jo Wint (172). Special mention to Annabelle Hadlow who finished in a very neat time of 52.52 and Zoë Gaffen who rounded out the team and the season!
Surrey League Season Scores 2024-25
Kent AC Senior Men 4th
Kent AC Senior Women 6th
The Senior men finished in a remarkable 4th place in the Surrey League season club rankings (provisional) and ought to be super proud of themselves. Hercules-Wimbledon came in first, Belgrave second, Thames Hare and Hounds third place.
The Senior Women finished the season in 6th position. The table ended with Belgrave on top, Herne Hill Harriers second and Thames Hare and Hounds third. Individually Annabele Hadlow and Zoë Gaffen were 3rd and 4th fastest women in the 65+ age group, while Clare Elms was the fastest for the 55+ age group. These fantastic results speak to the strength in depth we have at the club.
While the runners put on these outstanding performances, it would be remiss not to thank Pete Boxhall and Ken Pike who sacrificed many Saturdays on top of their weekly track sessions to travel across the region to each race, run around the course to cheer for us and make sure we’ve got pins for our race bibs.
We will see you in a few weeks time when we throw it all out on the line at the final winter mud and hill battle at Nationals Parliament Hill.
By Gen and the XC Captains James, Owen and Parris
All smiles at the start
Raring to go
And they’re off
In full support
Kent Women’s at the races
Kent Men’s after an excellent cross country course
Many thanks to Laurie Oliver and Danny Easton for their photos.
Finally, we go over to Farnborough Half Marathon where Ben Clarke ran 71:10, Dave Morgan raced an astonishing 72.58 PB, Matteo Gala with another excellent PB in 73.09 and rounding out the group was Che Compton with a 75.04 run. Well done all! Winter training looks like it is paying off.
MORE MUD, PLEASE
It’s the big one: the nationals are being held on 22 February at Parliament Hill, London. After last year’s fiasco of last-minute cancellation, the premier XC race being close to public transport and actual paved car parking means everyone can once again do battle alongside the bravest and best in the country. If you’re available on 22 February and want to watch the event and contribute, the organisers have a call out for marshalls. Please contact Ben Noad at .
Look out for details about both upcoming races from your cross country captains this coming week and next.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Road Relays Season is fast approaching
Dates for your diaries are:
*Sunday 30 March* for the Southerns in Milton Keynes and
*Saturday 12th April* for the Nationals in Sutton Coldfield.
If you’re interested in running in either (or both!) please add your name to the sign up sheet linked below or
reach out to Alexa Parker for the women and Chris Busaileh for the men. They’re great events and always a lovely day out, especially the Nationals which is always lovely weather (without fail for the last 10 years).
For the women, teams are of 6 and the legs are about 5k in length. For the men, it’s 12 legs; 6 long of around 8k and 6 short which around 5k.
We’d love to take two teams to each event (at least two to the Southerns). The teams do NOT have to be the same teams at both events, so if you are only available for one date that’s fine.
April 3 – Assembly League – Beckenham Place Park 12 – 12/6 National Road Relays – Sutton Coldfield 26 – KYAL – Ashford 27 – London Marathon
May 1 – Assembly League – Victoria Park 10 – (provisional date, tbc) Ladywell 10000/100 17 – SAL – Dartford 18 – KYAL – Norman Park (Bromley) 29 – (tbc) Early summer meet
June 5 – Assembly League – Crystal Palace Park 22 – SAL – Woodford Green
July 3 – Assembly League – Sutcliffe Park 5 – KYAL – Medway Park 13 – SAL – Eltham
26 – (tbc) Ron Hale Open
August 7 – Assembly League – Victoria Park 16 – KYAL – Dartford 30 – SAL – Basildon
September 4 – Assembly League – Beckenham Place Park 7 – Big Half – London
11 – (tbc) Late Summer Meet
IT COULD BE YOU
Our treasurer David notes that there are six numbers still available for the monthly sweepstake – it allocates lottery numbers to participants and costs £6 a month (annual cost £72) with the chance to win £250, the surplus going to held fund the club. Please contact David at if you’d like to join in. To whet your appetite: the bonus ball last night was No. 2:
£250 on its way to Brian Sanders
SUPPORTING EACH OTHER
The welfare team work hard to build a friendly, supportive atmosphere where everyone feels welcome; with mutual respect and positive communication – whether on the track, during training sessions, on WhatsApp or in person. Let’s keep the positive andcompetitive vibes going and make sure our club stays a place which everyone enjoys being part of.
A reminder of the Kent AC code of conduct can be found here.
Welfare Team
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
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
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.
The Kent AC track pass continues to be required for training on Tues/Thurs evenings and Sunday mornings.
Buying your pass in January gives you 11 months 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).
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 hereis kacladywell2022.
<<First Name>>, Please see this week’s update for Kent AC members – 02/02/25<!–
KENT AC NEWS BULLETIN 2 February 2025
Yup, there was plenty to cheer about this weekend, as our club’s dedicated members ran north, south, east and west (of Lewisham, at least), and virtually, to smash PBs, records, WAVA percentages and a little bit of pride by slipping headlong into the Catford mud for the glory of the team. As usual, though, pictures say it louder than words.
First up, the Serpentine RC Last Friday of the Month 5k race, where five of Kent AC’s finest tore round the park at pace.
Their times? Tim Sharp 17:59, Samuel Taylor 18:01, Ed Matthews 18:30, Clare Elms 18:42 and Elinor Skinner 20:00. The picture below shows Clare and Lin post their Hyde Park loops, but we received a special accolade for our Clare from the organisers:
‘I’d like to highlight the outstanding performance from Clare Elms, whose age grading of 100.4%makes her only the second person to have exceeded 100% in this long-running series.’
What a champ she is.
Lin and Clare
The five 5k runners
Saturday 1 February dawned grey and damp, and Kent AC runners scattered far and wide to make their presence felt at various parkruns. At Dulwich, the speedsters tested their mettle on the flat, unmuddied paths and Owen Hind earned himself a mention as the fourth fastest parkrun runner in the country this week. He ran 15:07. At Catford, it was Kent AC’s parkrun takeover day, and a very muddy non-PB time was had by all the smilers pictured below: Catford parkrun takeover-ers Other Kent AC parkrunners stuck to the familiar routine of Hillyfields three times up the hill. One of our members, who shall remain nameless but whose local parkrun is in fact Catford, went to Sutcliffe Park ‘to avoid the mud’.
Then today, (Sunday 2 February) the sun came out and Kent AC made the pilgrimage down to Chichester, there to run a 10K. Both Nicola Cartlidge and Suzanne Spalding PBed in 42:55 and 43:34 respectively. Martin Pollard and Ed Osborne ran 35:20 and 41:51 respectively. Ivona Gongolova paced the 50min, so helped a number of happy runners score their PBs. Pictures below. Ding dong! Nic and Suz.
There were other races of course: Caitlin Bradley was fifth Senior woman (9th woman overall) at Watford Half. On the trails, Alex Morales goes from strength to strength, placing sixth overall (fifth man) at the Pilgrims Challenge.
Then there was the monthly Kent AC trailrunners outing to Sevenoaks, culminating in a well-earned Sunday roast. What a day for it! The trailrunning gang are pictured below. Kent AC actually in Kent
Last in the weekend’s results round-up we have the extraordinary achievement from David Mohring, who evidently ran on trails, treadmill, pavements and just about anywhere to achieve this:
‘I have just completed the Badwater 267 2025 virtual ultramarathon and have managed to come in 1st place. The challenge was 267 miles in January in the fastest time. 250 lunatics from around the world toed their own start lines on 1st January and staggered to the finish on 31st.
Loved it (mostly).
‘The 267 miles is the total distance of the 3 ultra races that Badwater run and this is their way of kicking off the season. I ran an average of 8.67 miles a day (in practice, I was a bit more lumpy than this) in an average time of 6.26 per mile for a total time of 28:37:20. The runs were a mixture of along the Thames Path and in the gym on the treadmill.’
MORE MUD, PLEASE
The next Southern League cross country fixture is at Epsom next Saturday 8 February.
After that, it’s the big one: the nationals are being held on 22 February at Parliament Hill, London. After last year’s fiasco of last-minute cancellation, the premier XC race being close to public transport and actual paved car parking means everyone can once again do battle alongside the bravest and best in the country. If you’re available on 22 February and want to watch the event and contribute, the organisers have a call out for marshalls. Please contact Ben Noad at .
Look out for details about both upcoming races from your cross country captains this coming week and next.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Road Relays Season is fast approaching
Dates for your diaries are:
*Sunday 30 March* for the Southerns in Milton Keynes and
*Saturday 12th April* for the Nationals in Sutton Coldfield.
If you’re interested in running in either (or both!) please add your name to the sign up sheet linked below or
reach out to Alexa Parker for the women and Chris Busaileh for the men. They’re great events and always a lovely day out, especially the Nationals which is always lovely weather (without fail for the last 10 years).
For the women, teams are of 6 and the legs are about 5k in length. For the men, it’s 12 legs; 6 long of around 8k and 6 short which around 5k.
We’d love to take two teams to each event (at least two to the Southerns). The teams do NOT have to be the same teams at both events, so if you are only available for one date that’s fine.
April 3 – Assembly League – Beckenham Place Park 12 – 12/6 National Road Relays – Sutton Coldfield 26 – KYAL – Ashford 27 – London Marathon
May 1 – Assembly League – Victoria Park 10 – (provisional date, tbc) Ladywell 10000/100 17 – SAL – Dartford 18 – KYAL – Norman Park (Bromley) 29 – (tbc) Early summer meet
June 5 – Assembly League – Crystal Palace Park 22 – SAL – Woodford Green
July 3 – Assembly League – Sutcliffe Park 5 – KYAL – Medway Park 13 – SAL – Eltham
26 – (tbc) Ron Hale Open
August 7 – Assembly League – Victoria Park 16 – KYAL – Dartford 30 – SAL – Basildon
September 4 – Assembly League – Beckenham Place Park 7 – Big Half – London
11 – (tbc) Late Summer Meet
IT COULD BE YOU
Our treasurer David notes that there are six numbers still available for the monthly sweepstake – it allocates lottery numbers to participants and costs £6 a month (annual cost £72) with the chance to win £250, the surplus going to held fund the club. Please contact David at if you’d like to join in. To whet your appetite: the bonus ball last night was No. 2:
£250 on its way to Brian Sanders
SUPPORTING EACH OTHER
The welfare team work hard to build a friendly, supportive atmosphere where everyone feels welcome; with mutual respect and positive communication – whether on the track, during training sessions, on WhatsApp or in person. Let’s keep the positive andcompetitive vibes going and make sure our club stays a place which everyone enjoys being part of.
A reminder of the Kent AC code of conduct can be found here.
Welfare Team
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
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
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.
The Kent AC track pass continues to be required for training on Tues/Thurs evenings and Sunday mornings.
Buying your pass in January gives you 11 months 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).
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 hereis kacladywell2022.
