Vitality weekender

Please see this week’s update for Kent AC members – 28/09/25–

View this email in your browser

KENT AC NEWS BULLETIN  
28 September 2025

A superb weekend for Kent runners taking part in the Vitality race weekend, with the Westminster Mile taking place yesterday and the London 10,000 this morning.

In the Mile race, Clare Elms and Lin Skinner set the tone, finishing in 5:22 and 5:33 respectively and each winning their age category.
Full results can be found here.

Momentum continued into the 10K today with a string of excellent performances and a lucky few even nabbing a photo with women’s race winner, Eilish McColgan.

Age category highlights:
Nick Torry – 31:54, 1st vm45 
Jon Tipper – 33:37, 4th vm45
Vic Cartwright – 39:18, 3rd vw40
Vic Buck – 39:40, 1st vw50
Nesrin Sabanci – 41:21, 10th vw40
Nicky Hayes – 49:36, 9th vw60

Full results can be found here.
Well done to everyone who took part!

Ali Farrall and Sarah Young travelled further afield to compete in the Warsaw marathon, finishing in 3:26:50 and 4:16:16. Enjoy the celebrations in Poland!

Next up, the National Road Relays on Saturday. You’ll find a full race report in the newsletter next weekend.

A reminder of the club AGM, taking place at the Blythe Hill Tavern on Tuesday 18th November, after the track session.
Please send any proposed resolutions to the Club Secretary by Wednesday. 
The agenda will be distributed two weeks before the meeting. 

If you would like to view the newsletter in a separate browser, click the link at the top or go via the website.

SPIKES AT THE READY

The cross-country season kicks off on 15 October for the Surrey League at Hurst Green. 

Details will follow for each individual race, but for now please check out the fixtures and start signing up on the spreadsheet. Important note to please make sure that your England Athletics membership is up to date and paid for beforehand. 

A reminder also that across the cross country season there are six club championships at stake: male, female, main champs (at South of the Thames on 20th December), Grand Prix and Grand Prix handicap. The Grand Prix and handicap are for the best six performances across the whole 9 races of the XC season. The grand prix rewards the overall best and most loyal performer, whilst the handicap can only be described as a dark art – a handicap using best six performances of the same 9 races.

Last year’s winners were: John Gilbert and Amy Clements for champs, Matt Speed and Aisling Ahern for the Grand Prix, and Calum Fraser and Jo Mott for the handicap. Good luck to all this year! 

If you have any questions, please let your XC Captains (Owen, James, Gen, Parris, Jason, Nicky, Jules) know and they’ll gladly help. Spikes at the ready. 

AGM NOTICE

Notice is hereby given of the Annual General Meeting of Kent Athletic Club which will take place at 20:30 on Tuesday 18 November 2025 at the Blythe Hill Tavern.

The meeting will be held in person and via videolink. Refreshments will be provided.

The Agenda for the meeting will be circulated later. Please submit any items for the Agenda to the Club Secretary at by 30 September 2025.

Please also note that all Committee posts are up for election each year. While we no longer have any unfilled posts, any post can be contested at the AGM if properly nominated. A full list of committee members will be circulated two weeks prior to the AGM along with the agenda.
 

CHILLY WEATHER MERCH

Tis the (XC) season for BIG bobble hats, the essential piece of kit for all that chilly pre-and post-cross country hanging about when the next cup of tea seems very far away.

The hat, and other essential Kent AC merch, is available via the online shop. Message Sarah Young on the WhatsApp group for collection.   

EVENT CALENDAR

October
4 – ERRA 6/4 Stage Relays – Sutton Park
11 – Surrey League XC – Hurst Green

November
15 – Surrey League XC – Beckenham Place Park
18 – AGM – Blythe Hill Tavern
22 – South of Thames 5 Mile XC – TBC
22 – Kent County Vets XC – Central Park, Dartford
29 – SEAA Masters XC – Horseden Hill, Greenford

December
20 – South of Thames Senior Champs 7.5 mile XC (including Club XC Champs) – Wimbledon Common

January
10 – Kent County XC – Brands Hatch
10 – Surrey League XC – Mitcham Common
24 – Southern XC – Beckenham Place Park

February
7 – Surrey League XC – Wimbledon Common
21 – National XC – Sedgefield, County Durham

March
29 – Southern 12 Stage Road Relay – Milton Keynes

April
11 – National 12 Stage Road Relay – Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham
26 – 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 £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.

Please see a helpful FAQs guide here

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.

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.

The password for the club contacts page here is .

–

–>