On the biggest day of the running year, Kent had over 60 runners out but several times that supporting on the course, on a perfect day for the event. Up at the front of the race, records were set in the men’s and women’s events, while behind them club runners slogged away on a day that started chilly but ended warm. Debuts were made, PBs were achieved, and nobody was broken by it. A fine day out! Report below.
Our juniors were also in action this weekend, inconveniently having a KYAL scheduled for the same day as the mini marathon. Some game juniors (and their parents!) took part in both, a logistical problem given the KYAL was at Medway’s arena in Gillingham. We had fine performances in both, reported below.
Don’t forget that we have our first open meet of the season, on Thursday 30th at the track. Four events – 200m, 1500m, shot put and triple jump. If you’re not competing, come along to watch, support or help out.
LONDON CALLING
On a momentous day in the history of the race, Kent sent out over 60 runners for the London Marathon, including Alex Yee up front pacing the second elite group. Once again, John Gilbert was our star man, setting out at a 2:15 pace and coming home in 2:18, 18th in the mass race and 1st VM45. Amy Clements was our lead woman, for a while looking like she might break a PB she set 9 years and two babies ago, finishing in 2:46, 7th VW40.
Also doing well in their age categories were Chris Busaileh (2:27, 7th VM40), Caoimhe nic Fhogartaigh (2:53, 5th VW45), Victoria Buck (3:04, 10th VW50), and Roger Beardsworth (3:12, 7th VM65)
Our sub 2:30 men included Rhys Doherty (2:25), Alex Hamlet (2:25), Nick Acfield (2:28), Ben Clarke (2:28), Jonathan Collier (2:29) and James Ewing (2:28) The women coming in under 3 hours included Amelia Pettitt ((2C) 2:53), Lara Bromilow ((2C) 2:58) in her first big race since having a baby and Iona Cousland (2:59)
There were many other fine performances yesterday, debut marathons and PBs, including Che Compton (2:39, 13th VM50), Teresa Murphy (3:07) and Kathryn Williams (3:51, 36th VW60)
Kent women relaxing
Special credit to those pacing runners yesterday – George Russell and Jo Wint, who paced blind runners, and Jon Tipper, who set a 3 hour pace for half the race. And to club stalwart Sarah Young, who fulfilled her ambition to run a marathon with her daughter.
And well done to all who ran, and trained for four months to get in shape for it, and thanks to all the coaches and supporters who got them there!
JUNIOR ACTION
There were two big events for the juniors on Saturday – the mini marathon, which required pre-qualification, an event in itself a few weeks ago, and then the 2nd KYAL of the year, this one for U14 and U16 age groups, at the Medway arena in Gillingham.
In the mini marathon we had lots of good results (probably not comprehensive as the results were not searchable by club):
U12 boys
Oliver Davidson 6th U14 girls
Georgia Fox 112th U16 boys
Ed Pearce 101st
Matteo Mathers 106th
Joel Spencer 115th U16 girls
Ealeanor Davidson 24th
Daria Gilmore 83rd
Martha Parry 100th U18 boys
Bert Royle 44th U18 girls
Elena Oliphant (2C) 30th
Alice Hales 61st
Lexie Walker 78th
The Under-14 boys grasped the chances that the Gillingham meet offered to deliver personal bests in familiar events and try out some new ones.
Stand-out performances included:
a huge new best of 27.02s for Otis Atlee in the 200m
Zac Murray returning to the track with a scorching 13.83s in the 80m hurdles
Mus Senar putting in the hard yards in multiple races from 80m hurdles up to 800m
spirited efforts in the field with Nico and Emerson Hunter Stuart both breaching the 15-metre mark in the discus.
A number of the Under-14 girls hotfooted it from the London Mini-marathon to Gillingham to then hotfoot it round the track.
The small but enthusiastic team covered a range of track and field events between them.
Evie Atanda soared over 75m of hurdles in just 12.86s. In the field Norah Hebditch and Phoebe Hall both smashed the 12-metre mark in discus.
Among the under 16 boys, Mack Atanda (16.63s) and Elyjah Abdoulaye (17.2s) had to contend with racing for the first time over 100m hurdles, a big step up from the 80mH that they competed in at under-15 level.
Zy’Shae Brown-Thomas and Olaoluwa Oladipo were dominant in the A- and B-strong 300m races, respectively, stopping the clock at 37.61s and 38.12s.
The huge team spirt among the under-16 girls paid off richly in the 4x100m relay, where they came in second in a very competitive race. Several PBs were achieved too:
Amalya Hunte had PBs in the 200m 28.25 (by over a second) and in LJ (4.26) while also debuting in the hammer.
Lizzie Brain ran the 200m for the first time, where she ran a really well-fought race to take 2nd in a great 27.55s.
Shekinah Acheampong competed across a wide variety of events and had a great run in the 300m (47.86s).
Lily O’Gorman worked hard in some very tough events, including the hurdles and 800m.
Zoe Folarin had a very speedy run (a PB) in the 300m (45.55) and did really solid work in the HJ and 80m hurdles – despite both events being scheduled for the same time!
KYAL offers athletes a great opportunity to seek new PBs or compete at relatively unfamiliar events in a supportive environment as well as aiding the club in its efforts to maintain its coveted division 1 status. The Junior coaching team also guarantees the same sunny, dry conditions for all the forthcoming fixtures. So take the chance to sign up.
SUMMER SAL-ING
This year’s Southern Assembly League (SAL) starts locally on Saturday 16th May in Eltham, and it would be great to have a strong turnout from all groups. The league is once a month through the summer, four fixtures in total. The league is free and open to all members, no experience is needed. All dates are listed at the bottom of the newsletter. As your captains for this year (Sofia Contino, Jo Cartledge and Alex Harris) we will be sending out more information on the Whatsapp groups and here soon. Do reach out if you have any questions. Here’s to a great summer of track and field.
ON FORM
Narciso from C Group has proposed a series of form/technique training workshops during June and July. What is being proposed is a training block of sessions to be held on Thursday evenings (same time as usual) focusing on form and technique as a summer camp, for middle distance/endurance runners. If there is sufficient interest – 10-15 people committing to attend regularly – (in order to gain meaningful benefits), coach Ted has kindly agreed to design and run these sessions. There is also an option of running it on Sunday mornings but this can be finalised once we have an indication of interest. People can indicate interest by sending a WhatsApp to Narciso 07476721272.
EVENT CALENDAR
April
30 – Open Meet – Alex Yee Arena
May 7 – Assembly League – Victoria Park
16 – SAL – Eltham 20 – Beckenham Relays
23 – KYAL – U14/16 – Dartford
26 – Post-track Social
June
4 – Assembly League – Crystal Palace
21 – SAL – Watford 24 – Dulwich Relays
27 – KYAL – U14/U16 – Dartford
30 – Post-track Social
July
2 – Assembly League – Sutcliffe Park
5 – ROn Hale Open – Alex Yee Arena
19 – SAL – Cambridge
28 – Post-track Social
August
6 – Assembly League – Victoria Park
8 – SAL – Dartford
23 – KYAL – U12 – Tonbridge
September
3 – Assembly League – Beckenham Place Park
10 – Late Summer Meet – Alex Yee Arena
29 – Post-track Social
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.
The sun has made an appearance this week, giving us a welcome taste of the summer ahead. A number of Kent athletes took on races across the country this weekend, as things start to heat up as we head in to some busier weeks of racing.
Before we get into results, please note the dates below for some post-track socials over the summer. It would be great to see as many of your faces there as possible!
Tuesday 26th May
Tuesday 30th June
Tuesday 28th July
Tuesday 29th September
Finally, a huge good luck to everyone taking on London Marathon next Sunday! We’ll be at The Chandos afterwards for some well-earned celebratory drinks.
THIS WEEK’S RESULTS
In the Youth Development League today, Olly Buck finished the 1500m in a superb 4:07!
Elsewhere, the standout event this weekend was Manchester Marathon – strong performances across the board. Huge congratulations to all who took part:
Matt Thomas – 2:49:51 (PB!)
Jamie Harvie – 3:07:07
Tom Joslin – 3:07:36
James Royston 3:51:27
Over in Wales, David Morgan finished Newport Marathon in a very impressive 2:37:01.
Lastly, closer to home, Pete Lighting secured 2nd place at Crystal Palace Half, and Lin Skinner was 2nd woman at the Hyde Park 10K in a time of 39:39.
Lin looking strong!
EARLY SUMMER MEET 30 APRIL
The first Kent AC open meet of the year will be on Thursday 30th April, and will involve two track events and two field events. The schedule will be as follows:
Exact timings of field events will be dependent upon the number of entrants and age categories required.
All events will be club championships.
If you would like to enter these events please click through here. Registration is now open.
Please also note that we will need several volunteers to help from 5pm. These will be officials to help with the field events – qualifications and experience not required, as long as you can wield a rake or carry a shot – and with setting up, registration and marshalling the track. If you are available and willing to help on the night, please contact Phil Marsden, Dan Ansell or Richard Giles or sign up here.
SUMMER SAL-ING
This year’s Southern Assembly League (SAL) starts locally on Saturday 16th May in Eltham, and it would be great to have a strong turnout from all groups. The league is once a month through the summer, four fixtures in total. The league is free and open to all members, no experience is needed. All dates are listed at the bottom of the newsletter. As your captains for this year (Sofia Contino, Jo Cartledge and Alex Harris) we will be sending out more information on the Whatsapp groups and here soon. Do reach out if you have any questions. Here’s to a great summer of track and field.
CAT-CH US AT CATFORD
The next Kent AC parkrun takeover will be at Catford on Saturday 9th May – see you there for running, walking, jogging, volunteering, cheering and of course the all-important coffee after! All welcome, including buggies and dogs!
ON FORM
Narciso from C Group has proposed a series of form/technique training workshops during June and July. What is being proposed is a training block of sessions to be held on Thursday evenings (same time as usual) focusing on form and technique as a summer camp, for middle distance/endurance runners. If there is sufficient interest – 10-15 people committing to attend regularly – (in order to gain meaningful benefits), coach Ted has kindly agreed to design and run these sessions. There is also an option of running it on Sunday mornings but this can be finalised once we have an indication of interest. People can indicate interest by sending a WhatsApp to Narciso 07476721272.
EVENT CALENDAR
April
25 – KYAL – U14/U16 – Medway
26 – London Marathon
30 – Open Meet – Alex Yee Arena
May 7 – Assembly League – Victoria Park
16 – SAL – Eltham 20 – Beckenham Relays
23 – KYAL – U14/16 – Dartford
26 – Post-track Social
June
4 – Assembly League – Crystal Palace
21 – SAL – Watford 24 – Dulwich Relays
27 – KYAL – U14/U16 – Dartford
30 – Post-track Social
July
2 – Assembly League – Sutcliffe Park
5 – ROn Hale Open – Alex Yee Arena
19 – SAL – Cambridge
28 – Post-track Social
August
6 – Assembly League – Victoria Park
8 – SAL – Dartford
23 – KYAL – U12 – Tonbridge
September
3 – Assembly League – Beckenham Place Park
10 – Late Summer Meet – Alex Yee Arena
29 – Post-track Social
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.
Sutton Coldfield is aptly named if you’re standing around in vest and pants waiting for the gun and fully experiencing this week’s sudden temperature plummet. There was no chance of overheating for any of our plucky racers this weekend, but what a fantastic set of results we can bask in! It all kicked off in the aforementioned Midlands town, about this far away from the Alex Yee stadium: Part of the women’s team, from left to right we have Jemima D’Arcy, Aisling Herne, Molly O’Connor and Caoimhe Nic Fhogartaigh. Thanks to Coach Pete for the picture.
Full reports from the women’s and men’s teams on the best set of National 12 Stage Road Relay
results in many a long year is in the Results section, below.
We’ve also charged into marathon season all guns blazing this week. Brighton, as usual, steals a march on other big-ticket Spring marathons, but Hannover and Rotterdam get a look-in, too. Then there are little forays to Lincoln and central London for that Landmarks special, and a solid local win for our Amy Clements at Dulwich Park.
A full Juniors report all about the Kent Youth Athletics League (KYAL) comes courtesy of Coach Steve Jones.
We’re now just a few weeks away from the first open meet of the year, so don’t miss the chance to sign up. Details of this, and the New Southern Athletics League (SAL) season, below.
All this talk of racing and inspirational results may have prompted a new spring resolution to get down to some serious training and explorations in efficient running form. If that’s you, sign up for a special Thursday workshop series (see On Form, below)
If you’d like to volunteer for the club while sitting down and letting the legs recover, please join our newsletter team. It would be fun to have some new voices in the comms department, and it’s a satisfying way of seeing all the news from across the club and celebrating everyone. Get in touch if you could help out once every 5 weeks or so.
As we head into some busy weeks of racing and big events, please share your stories, pics and thoughts with us so we can share with the club.
HIGH FIVES ALL ROUND
The weekend’s results
First up, the Stage 12 Relays, and the women’s performance:
‘Competing in a field of 50 of the top clubs in the country, the Kent AC ladies squad delivered an excellent performance at the Spring National Road Relays, climbing steadily through the field to secure a 16th-place finish – one of our best results at the spring nationals ever. The legendary Clare Elms took the high-pressure opening leg. In a typically dense and fast start, Clare clocked a swift 20:16 to hand over in 24th place, perfectly positioning the team for a charge. Aisling took over for the second leg and kept the team in contention while the field was still tightly packed, finishing her leg in 25th place and ensuring the gap to the top 20 remained manageable. Alexa put in a strong performance given her recent return from injury, and she began picking off runners, gaining 3 places to bring the team up to 22nd. Jemima, in her nationals debut for Kent C then gained another spot with a very controlled leg, moving the team into 21st. The biggest move of the day came on the penultimate leg with Caoimhe producing a standout run, slicing through the field to overtake five teams and move into the top 20, handing over in 16th place. Molly was then tasked with defending that hard-earned position on the anchor leg which she did with no problem, crossing the line to secure 16th place, almost two minutes ahead of 17th. Thanks to all the ladies who competed in both the Southerns and the Nationals this spring and who came to support (most notably our fabulous coach Pete!). We’re already looking forward to the next turn around Sutton Park in October.’
Over to the blokes:
Bags, gentlemen, please
Rob 1: Elphick Rob 2: Sesemann
Report from the men’s team
‘Kent AC came a fantastic fourth in the country at the annual 12 stage relays yesterday. Although we have come third before, that team included two Olympians. So yesterday – with a team of Kent AC bread-and-butter runners who turn up at 7am to Dulwich Park and 7pm at Ladywell, or nail fartlek sessions with a laptop in the rucksack on the way to office, was arguably the better result. Punchy
Man of the match performance to Owen Hind who ran the 11th leg completely isolated, setting off 90 seconds behind a bunched 6th, 5th and 4th place. Closing the gap by 40 seconds setting up young gun Joe English to chase them down. Joe then subsequently ran the quickest leg for Kent of the day, overtaking all three to haul us into fourth. While this 1-2 finishing sucker punch takes the newsletter’s sub headlines, all 24 runners of the two travelling teams ran superbly. No-beer Street
The B team came 25th on the day, and were 2nd B team: 25th in the country, as a B team. Think about that for a moment – by definition, missing the club’s 12 best runners. In recent years the slow train home from Litchfield Trent Valley has been akin to a party bus, but not a beer was consumed yesterday such was the effort put into each runners’ performance. Gregg’s steak bakes and recovery carbs were the order of the day. Shout out to Rob Elphick for running quickly enough in the B team to justify an A team selection another year. To Jonathan Collier for the biggest number of places gained (13) of the two teams and Ben Clarke for racing despite working triple back to back shifts keeping our night time economy functioning. And of course to team captain and organiser Chris Busaileh.
Sunday Running
Now to those marathons. We had a large Kent AC presence in Brighton, which, as well as hosting the beloved Road marathon, also found space for the Maverick Trail Marathon. In fact the two came together for the last 5km, which must’ve been hard work for those in their trail shoes, such as Laura McCrave, who ran 4:44:37 to be tenth woman and Ash Green, who ran 4:25:30.
The road runners were plentiful and impressive, led in by Barnaby Day in 2:39:29
Harry Massingham 2:49:00 PB
Henry Court 2:59:14
Marcus Grima 3:07:25
Rupert Bedford 3:07:16 PB
Chris Hardy 3:11:16 PB
Abdullah Kizito 3:22:27
James Hilton 3:27:10
Lee Buchanan 3:44:41
Jaqueline Phillips Owen 4:27:35 (PB-first marathon)
Sharon Stanley 4:27:35
In Germany, Karina Box took on the Hannover Marathon and PBed in 3:36:13, and Ben Race went to Rotterdam to run the 26.2 in 2:42.
Well done the marathoners!
In other distances, Patrick Nation ran the London Landmarks Half Marathon in 78:30 and Sean Fitzpatrick ran the Lincoln 10K in 34:16.
Amy Clements, meanwhile, popped over to Dulwich Park for her Sunday run before taking on London Marathon again in a fortnight, and just happened to be first woman in the Run Through 10K:
HIGH FIVES ALL ROUND – JUNIOR VERSION
Would that be lower fives all round? The youngsters excelled themselves this weekend over at Dartford Central Park Arena in the Kent Youth Athletics League leg 1 on Sat 11 April.
Saturday saw the first ever KYAL event for U12s following the reclassification of junior age groups this year, and Kent AC’s newly formed U12 team made a fearless debut. With a number of athletes competing just a fortnight after trialling for the club and trying events for the first time on the day, they all did the club proud competing across a range of events with spirit and commitment in chilly conditions. Most importantly, they gained experience of competition and came home with some times they can use to measure their own development in the coming weeks and months. Thanks to all the athletes to competed, and parents who came to show support. For the girls, Lily was a one-woman dynamo in a bobble hat – representing the Kent AC girls and racking up an impressive 13 points alone. She displayed great technique to achieve 4.29m in shot put, then ran 2.28.9 in a draining 600m. Soon after she bounced back to run 26.7 seconds in 150m. For the boys, Ollie had an outstanding day, coming first in both his races – 150m (22.3 seconds) and 600m (1:49.3 seconds) and third in long jump, recording a distance of 3.64m. Adam showed great commitment and energy, creating some valuable times which we will no doubt see broken in the coming weeks and months, of 31.3 in 150m. 15 seconds for 75m, and throwing 4.22m in the shot put. Dylan ran an exciting 600m race, pacing sensibly to steal some positions in the final straight and achieve third position with a time of 2:05.5. He also achieved 2.97m in long jump and 3.59m in shot put. Josiah recovered from the cold conditions, gaining experience of throwing discus to run a speedy 75m hurdles – with practice on jumping technique and maintaining speed to the finishing line, his 19.3 will be smashed very quickly. He returned later to show us how it’s done with a 12.6 second time for the 75m sprint. Isaac also cleared the hurdles comfortably in 18.4 seconds, gained his first experience of high jump and threw 5.06 metres in javelin. The boys – Josiah, Adam, Dylan and Ollie – also competed in the 4 x 100m relay, coming 6th overall with a time of 66 seconds – smooth handovers all the way around, what wasn’t bad considering they were coached in how to do it just 30 minutes before the race itself. Overall, our position of 8th reflects the comparatively small squad we fielded on the day, but puts us in a great position to build on for subsequent legs across the U12, U14 and U16 categories in the coming months.
EARLY SUMMER MEET 30 APRIL
We can announce that the first Kent AC open meet of the year will be on Thursday 30th April, and will involve two track events and two field events. The schedule will be as follows:
Exact timings of field events will be dependent upon the number of entrants and age categories required.
All events will be club championships.
If you would like to enter these events please click through here. Registration is now open.
Please also note that we will need several volunteers to help from 5pm. These will be officials to help with the field events – qualifications and experience not required, as long as you can wield a rake or carry a shot – and with setting up, registration and marshalling the track. If you are available and willing to help on the night, please contact Phil Marsden, Dan Ansell or Richard Giles or sign up here.
SUMMER SAL-ING
This year’s Southern Assembly League (SAL) starts locally on Saturday 16th May in Eltham, and it would be great to have a strong turnout from all groups. The league is once a month through the summer, four fixtures in total. The league is free and open to all members, no experience is needed. All dates are listed at the bottom of the newsletter. As your captains for this year (Sofia Contino, Jo Cartledge and Alex Harris) we will be sending out more information on the Whatsapp groups and here soon. Do reach out if you have any questions. Here’s to a great summer of track and field.
CAT-CH US AT CATFORD
The next Kent AC parkrun takeover will be at Catford on Saturday 9th May – see you there for running, walking, jogging, volunteering, cheering and of course the all-important coffee after! All welcome, including buggies and dogs!
ON FORM
Narciso from C Group has proposed a series of form/technique training workshops during June and July. What is being proposed is a training block of sessions to be held on Thursday evenings (same time as usual) focusing on form and technique as a summer camp, for middle distance/endurance runners. If there is sufficient interest – 10-15 people committing to attend regularly – (in order to gain meaningful benefits), coach Ted has kindly agreed to design and run these sessions. There is also an option of running it on Sunday mornings but this can be finalised once we have an indication of interest. People can indicate interest by sending a WhatsApp to Narciso 07476721272.
EVENT CALENDAR
April
25 – KYAL – U14/U16 – Medway
26 – London Marathon
30 – Open Meet – Alex Yee Arena
May 7 – Assembly League – Victoria Park
16 – SAL – Eltham 20 – Beckenham Relays
23 – KYAL – U14/16 – Dartford
June
4 – Assembly League – Crystal Palace
21 – SAL – Watford 24 – Dulwich Relays
27 – KYAL – U14/U16 – Dartford
July
2 – Assembly League – Sutcliffe Park
5 – ROn Hale Open – Alex Yee Arena
19 – SAL – Cambridge
August
6 – Assembly League – Victoria Park
8 – SAL – Dartford
23 – KYAL – U12 – Tonbridge
September
3 – Assembly League – Beckenham Place Park
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.
Spring is definitely in the air this week! The clocks going forward brought a welcome return of light track Tuesdays (don’t forget to get your track pass if you want to bask in the newly appearing sunlight!), and a very welcome return of Assembly League on Thursday.
We’re now just a few weeks away from the first open meet of the year, so don’t miss the chance to sign up. Details below.
With new beginnings on the horizon, if you’re also thinking about getting more involved in the club, our comms team would love a couple more pairs of hands to help with these esteemed newsletters. It’s a fun way of seeing all the news from across the club and celebrating everyone – a solid way to spend that much-needed sofa time after a Sunday long run too. Get in touch if you could help out once every 5 weeks or so!
This week, the place to be was Battersea Park, which lived up to its fast and flat reputation…
Tuesday night saw a strong contingent at the Veterans 5km at Battersea Park – well done to Narciso Lopez Guerrero for finishing in 22:31, Robbie Smith in 17:02, Samuel Taylor in 17:54, and Paul McCrone in 20:22.
Then on Saturday, the inimitable Clare Elms ran at the Top Flight 5km, becoming the oldest ever woman to break 18 minutes for the 5km distance, breaking her own W60 World Record to run 17:45 (17:48 gun time). Incredible doesn’t quite do this justice – well done, Clare!
The last (but not least by any stretch) of the Battersea successes came today for Neil Phillips, who ran the half in 79:16!
As we head into some busy weeks of racing and big events, please do share your stories, pics and thoughts with us so we can share with the club!
HOP TO THE TOP FOR ASSEMBLY LEAGUE MATCH 1
What better way to kickstart the long weekend than on Thursday night, when the annual Assembly League summer series of monthly 5km races kicked off. A smiley contingent of Kent AC runners lined up to run two undulating laps of Beckenham Place Park, racing the sunlight and racing to get back to the bar afterwards.
Our first three male scorers were Matt Speed, Joe Vis and Barny Day, coming in 3rd, 4th, and 8th overall and sandwiched amongst some Dulwich Runners. Our first three female scorers were Amelia Pettitt, Molly O’Connor, and Vic Cartwright, who came in a storming 1st, 2nd and 4th women.
Looking forward to next month’s race already on 7th May in Victoria Park. All are welcome to join, all you need to do is turn up on the night and collect a number and register yourself on a spreadsheet that will be shared on WhatsApp groups. It’s super easy, very fun, and incredibly social!
SWAPPING NAVY VESTS FOR TEAM GB KIT!
This week, three Kent AC athletes headed to Poland to compete in the 2026 European Masters Championships. It was hugely exciting to compete on the new track where only the week before we had watched that triple gold moment and the world’s top athletes battling it out.
Joe Appiah MBE (V55) took on the Long Jump, 60m Hurdles and 60m Sprint. He started his campaign by winning a brilliant gold in Long Jump with a British Record distance of 5.87m! He followed this up by winning his 60m semi to make it through to the final. Then to the 60m Hurdles final where he was the clear winner with a time of 8.53s. Another gold! And Joe even found time in his busy medal-winning schedule to help out with officiating the event. Congratulations on your incredible successes Joe!
One-derful golds for Joe!
Joe with the first of two golds!
Emily Murray (V45) competed in both the Long Jump and Triple Jump. Coming back from injury Emily jumped amazingly well in both events, finishing 6th in the Long Jump with a PB of 4:45m, and 4th in the Triple Jump, with a SB of 9:93m, just 4cm off her PB which she set at the end of last year, claiming the Scottish record into the bargain! Emily, who turns 48 this week, is new to athletics, having started training aged 46 and jumping her first ever Triple Jump 18 months ago. So competing against some of the best athletes in Europe, each with decades of experience behind them, was an achievement in itself. She would like to say a huge thank you to Coach Juno, who started her on her athletics journey, and Joe Appiah MBE, with whom she now trains. You can follow Emily at @pinkhouseliving on Instagram, for an inspiring mix of training content plus interior design inspo! Start with this awesome video!
Emily giving meaning to the phrase, jumping for joy
New to the sport, but jumping like a true Master
Lin Skinner (V50) took on 3000m, 5k road, 8km XC and 1500m, which was a bit of a schedule especially after narrowly avoiding having to pull out due to a very bad January illness. Lin’s plan had been to not race all of them, but due to a big rivalry that developed with a German athlete, it became necessary to keep trying for the medals. Lin’s results are:
8km XC – 3rd 🥉 and 2nd 🥈 team (also outsprinted for silver)
1500m – 5th – indoor PB – 5:10 on tired legs (only 3 seconds off 3rd)
Lin’s signature sprint finish!
From Surrey League to GB cross country!
It was great to compete with such a high standard of peers, and to visit the lovely city of Torun. It is quite a big commitment in many ways to take on these events, but really such a great experience, not just competing but watching others, especially the inspiring older athletes and of course representing GB.
Emily, Lin and Joe showing how to work hard, play hard!
The next European Masters Championships is Glasgow 2028, starting 23rd of March. It would be wonderful to have a team of Kent AC masters competing if anyone else would like to give it a try. It is a bit more accessible than Poland.
(Thanks to Lin for kindly writing this report and bringing us all up to speed on the action!)
EARLY SUMMER MEET 30 APRIL
We can announce that the first Kent AC open meet of the year will be on Thursday 30th April, and will involve two track events and two field events. The schedule will be as follows:
Exact timings of field events will be dependent upon the number of entrants and age categories required.
All events will be club championships.
If you would like to enter these events please click through here. Registration is now open.
Please also note that we will need several volunteers to help put these events on. These will be officials to help with the field events – qualifications and experience not required, as long as you can wield a rake or carry a shot – and with setting up, registration and marshalling the track. If you are available and willing to help on the night, please contact Phil Marsden, Dan Ansell or Richard Giles.
CAT-CH US AT CATFORD
The next Kent AC parkrun takeover will be at Catford on Saturday 9th May – see you there for running, walking, jogging, volunteering, cheering and of course the all-important coffee after! All welcome, including buggies and dogs!
EVENT CALENDAR
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 7 – Assembly League – Victoria Park
16 – SAL – Eltham 20 – Beckenham Relays
23 – KYAL – U14/16 – Dartford
June
4 – Assembly League – Crystal Palace
21 – SAL – Watford 24 – Dulwich Relays
27 – KYAL – U14/U16 – Dartford
July
2 – Assembly League – Sutcliffe Park
5 – ROn Hale Open – Alex Yee Arena
19 – SAL – Cambridge
August
6 – Assembly League – Victoria Park
8 – SAL – Dartford
23 – KYAL – U12 – Tonbridge
September
3 – Assembly League – Beckenham Place Park
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.
Rob 1: Elphick
Rob 2: Sesemann
