Yesterday saw the climax of the cross country season – the Nationals, this year hosted in Sedgefield, near Durham. Despite the usual stresses of trying to get out full teams for an event that demands a weekend’s commitment, compunded by trouble on the railways necessitating an early start and a 5 hour coach trip, Kent managed to put out 14 men runners, 5 women plus 2 juniors, with highly creditable team results and a few excellent performances. Full report below.
At Lee Valley yesterday, a couple of Kent athletes competed in the British Masters Indoor Championships. Lin Skinner won the W50 800m and 1500m and Amily Murray won the W45 triple jump.
We’re now entering the road season, but also preparing for the track and field season. We have several open meets at the Alex Yee Arena planned for the summer, in addition to the Southern Athletics League (SAL) and Kent Young Athletes League (KYAL) Note that due to England Athletics changing the age categories, the KYAL fixture arrangements are different to previous seasons. All these fixtures have been added to the calendar below.
Notification for the first open meet on 30th April will be sent out shortly – do sign up if you want to take part, but we will also need people to help out, as officials but also for general help. All volunteers appreciated!
As a piece of admin, Jules Gevers notes:
The club is planning to adopt the EA Inclusion policy as a club policy
This will supersede the club’s existing Diversity and Equality policy.
If you have any comments on this please speak to any club committee member. Club Template – Inclusion Policy – England Athletics Club Hub
Finally please note a Kent AC parkrun takeover at Hilly Fields on 21st March. Come along to run (in your Kent vest), meet other Kent runners, or volunteer by contacting the Hilly Fields team.
NATIONAL XC
Kent sent a small squad of runners up to Durham for the weekend, and they performed valiantly in the circumstances, with some individual highlights.
We had two juniors running – Bert Royle completed the U17 boys’ race despite a heavy cold, and Olly Buck came 33rd in the U20 race, a strong finish seeing him pass around 15 runners in the last 1k. As this is his first year in this age category, he has 2 more years to improve on this performance, and this builds on his 3rd place in the Kent County championships which saw him selected for the intercounties next month.
Kent’s small team of women – Aisling Ahern, Gen Blanche, Victoria Buck, Sally Urquhart and Jo Cartledge – fought well and came in 27th overall.
Jo, Aisling, Vic, Sally, Gen
We had 14 men in the senior race, and despite the absence of several of our best runners, KAC managed to finish 12th in the 6 to score competition and 11th in the 9 to score. The outstanding run was by the team captain, Owen Hind. Starting off steadily, he moved up the field and had a storming finish to come in 20th. Getting back to his best.
Noah Armitage Hookes, following up his excellent run in the Southerns, was our second finisher in 65th, and the 6-team was completed by Isaac Parker (141st), Rob Sesemann (146th), Mathew Speed (192nd) and James Boustead (246th) Calum Fraser, Jake Simmonds and Ian Ellwood rounded off the 9-team.
Well done to all who made the trip and ran yesterday, and particular thanks to the cross country captains – Gen Blanche, James Boustead, Parris Williams and Owen Hind – for organising the trip and for their efforts over the whole season.
April
11 – National 12 Stage Road Relay – Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham
11 – KYAL – U12 – Dartford
25 – KYAL – U14/U16 – Medway
26 – London Marathon
30 – Open Meet – Alex Yee Arena
May 16 – SAL – Eltham 20 – Beckenham Relays
23 – KYAL – U14/16 – Dartford 29 – Open Meet – Alex Yee Arena
June
21 – SAL – Watford 24 – Dulwich Relays
27 – KYAL – U14/U16 – Dartford
July
5 – ROn Hale Open – Alex Yee Arena
19 – SAL – Cambridge
August
8 – SAL – Dartford
23 – KYAL – U12 – Tonbridge
September
10 – Late Summer Meet – Alex Yee Arena
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 17:00 – 20:45
Thursday 17:00 – 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.
It seems too tediously British to open the newsletter with a comment about the weather, but, really! Those in spring marathon training who opted to do their long slow run on Sunday instead of heartwarmingly sunny St Valentine’s Day Saturday are still drying off and cursing displaced jet streams and the Scandinavian ‘Block’ (see Met Office for details).
Some people had the opportunity to run indoors, however:
Joe English won a bronze medal in the 3k at the BUCS (Novuna UK Athletics Indoor Championships Birmingham 2026 to give it its full title). He ran 8:38 in the first round, which qualified him for the final.
Harry Forman Wilshaw ran in the 800m British Indoor championships: he was up against Ben Pattinson, a world Championship medallist, and ran an excellent 1:53.82.
Back outdoors, Rob Elphick clocked 32:08 at the Battersea 10K.
Ivona Gongolova ran 47:37 at London Winter 10k, where I’m pretty sure she was running as a pacer.
Amy White achieved a superb 2:55:55 in Seville Marathon, where, the Met Office tells me, there was sun, light cloud and 17 degrees of wonderful warmth.
Julian Gevers also ran London Winter 10K and is presumably too busy wringing out his socks to tell us what time he did.
Enough road and track, already. We’re still very much in the midst and mud of the glorious wildy, windy, cross country season, with the Championships taking place next weekend (21 February) in Durham. What is more, one of our most promising young runners, Olly Buck, has been selected for Kent U20s for the inter-counties cross country next month. Go, Olly!
Please do send in your results and photos each week – we love seeing what everyone’s been up to.
EVENT CALENDAR
February
21 – National XC – Sedgefield, County Durham
April
11 – National 12 Stage Road Relay – Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham
26 – London Marathon
May 16 – SAL – Eltham 20 – Beckenham Relays
June
24 – Dulwich Relays
21 – SAL – Watford
July
19 – SAL – Cambridge
August
8 – SAL – Dartford
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 17:00 – 20:45
Thursday 17:00 – 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.
Kent was out in force this weekend, with 43 runners tackling the muddy 8km course at Wimbledon Common. The club put in a superb performance at the final Surrey League fixture of the season, leaving the women sitting 4th overall and the men 5th. More below.
Some more results from the week. On Wednesday, Clare Elms ran 5:25:07 in the Ayo Falola Dream Mile at Lee Valley, reclaiming her VW60 world mark. And at the Farnborough Half, Iona Cousland clocked an excellent 1:23:26.
The next big fixture comes on 21st February, with the Cross Country Championships taking place in Sedgefield, County Durham. It’s shaping up to be a great turnout.
And the next next social run is this coming Wednesday!
– Meet from 6:50pm at the Brockley Brewery (Brockley site) and be ready to run from 7pm
– Run a leisurely route followed by drinks if you fancy
– Any belongings can be left at Brockley Brewery if needed!
Lastly, as always, please do send in your results and photos each week – we love seeing what everyone’s been up to!
SURREY LEAGUE XC
The final Surrey League fixture of the season took place on a very well-trodden Wimbledon Common, which has taken a real battering after the seemingly non-stop rain throughout January. Underfoot conditions were exactly what you’d expect for a proper season finale – muddy, churned up, and energy-sapping – demanding grit and smart racing from start to finish.
Despite the testing course, our teams rose to the occasion.
The senior women delivered a superb performance once again. Finishing 3rd team on the day, they closed the gap dramatically in the overall standings and secured an impressive 4th place overall in the League — only ever so slightly off 3rd after a season of consistently strong results. It’s a fantastic achievement and a testament to the depth and commitment within the squad.
Dogs welcome too!!
The senior men also put together a solid league campaign, finishing 5th overall. Across the season they’ve battled deep fields and tough conditions, and this final result reflects steady, determined team performances throughout the winter.
A huge thank you to everyone who pulled on the Navy vest and represented the club this Surrey League season. Cross country isn’t always glamorous – especially in a January like this one – but the commitment, camaraderie and resilience on display have been brilliant to see.
We should be really proud of these final results and the way our teams have competed all season. On to the next one.
EVENT CALENDAR
February
21 – National XC – Sedgefield, County Durham
April
11 – National 12 Stage Road Relay – Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham
26 – London Marathon
May 16 – SAL – Eltham 20 – Beckenham Relays
June
17 – Dulwich Relays
21 – SAL – Watford
July
19 – SAL – Cambridge
August
8 – SAL – Dartford
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 17:00 – 20:45
Thursday 17:00 – 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.
Another quieter week, in between two big xc weekends, so the action was mostly people finding races to fit into their marathon training plans.
The best result of the weekend was by Joe English at the BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sport) cross country championships. He came 3rd in the Men’s A race – KAC’s 2nd ever podium in the race after Alex Yee’s win in 2018 – and could be selected amongst the GB entries for the World Uni Championships!
On the south coast, a few Kent members ran the Chichester 10k. Jim Allchin ran an impressive 32:07, Jonathan Beatty ran 36:22 just ahead of Joshua Lennard-Jones in 36:25, while Nicola Cartlidge (44:05) and Suzanne Spalding (44:52) also ran well.
Further afield we had two runners in Spain – Narciso Guerrero ran the Torremolinos half, and Martin Morgan completed the Murcia Marathon.
Next Saturday we have the final Surrey League race of the year, in Wimbledon. Kent men are currently 3rd with a prospect of 2nd, but with 4th and 5th close behind; the women are in 4th. Let’s have a strong turnout and see if we can get a double podium!
Note that we have dates and locations for the Southern Athletic League, now entered in the calendar below. KYAL dates are currently provisional, we will update you once we have them.
EVENT CALENDAR
February
7 – Surrey League XC – Wimbledon Common
21 – National XC – Sedgefield, County Durham
April
11 – National 12 Stage Road Relay – Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham
26 – London Marathon
May 16 – SAL – Eltham 20 – Beckenham Relays
June
17 – Dulwich Relays
21 – SAL – Watford
July
19 – SAL – Cambridge
August
8 – SAL – Dartford
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 17:00 – 20:45
Thursday 17:00 – 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.
