September highlights
A few of the events to look out for in September
September marks the transition from the summer to winter season. The final Assembly league race of the year will be on Thursday 4 September in Beckenham, starting at 7.15pm and run over a 3-mile course. There’s no need to enter in advance and it would be great to have a big Serpie turnout.
On Saturday 6 September there’s a duo of events in Hyde Park, with the annual Serpentine Biathlon followed by the September club handicap. There’s no advance entry needed for either of these events, but numbers for the Biathlon are limited, so please sign up on MyEvents if you want to race so the organisers know how many to expect in advance. If you’re planning to race the Biathlon, please also think about staying around in the park to help out at the handicap. Also on 6 September, a few of the speedier Serpies are on the entry list for the inaugural BMC 10,000m Track Festival, part of the runbritain Grand Prix.
The club 10-mile championship will be held at the Swineshead 10 on Sunday 7 September. There’s coach transport booked to (and from) the race – leaving from outside the Seymour Centre at 9.15am at a cost of £10 per person, to be paid in cash on the coach. On the same day the Serpie women will be competing at the Southern Counties Vets track and field final in Ashford. Further afield, there are bound to be a few Serpies racing the Great North Run, and for the multi-sporters, the Willesden triathlon and aquathlon are easily accessible and still have places available.
On Wednesday 10 September, Watford will be staging its penultimate open track and field meeting of the season. The weekend of 13 & 14 September will be a busy one, with a sizeable group of Serpies heading to the Isle of Wight for the annual fell racing weekend; plus the Marathon du Medoc and Stockholm half marathon on Saturday; and the Clash of the Tritons aquathlon, Grunty Fen half marathon and QEOP women-only duathlon on Sunday. Also on Sunday 14 September, Ealing Eagles have kindly invited Serpies to join in on their organised 20-mile training run (with cake promised!)
Organisation of the 2015 Serpentine Lanzarote trip is well underway, and there will be a launch event on Wednesday 17 September, giving members the chance to talk to coaches, organisers and previous Lanzarote-goers about the trip, prior to signing up.
For a few of the Serpie Round Norfolk Relay team, there won’t be a lot of sleep happening on the night of Saturday 20 September. We wish the team in this baton-passing relay well and hope that they arrive in Kings Lynn as close as possible to their estimated arrival time on Sunday 21 September. Over the same weekend, there will be 5 women’s teams and 5+ men’s teams competing in Aldershot at the SEAA road relays – the senior and vet women on Saturday and the senior and vet men on Sunday. Also on Sunday are the Bristol half marathon, the Richmond Running Festival and QEOP summer duathlon. For those wanting a more social run, there will be a an out-and-back trail run, suitable for all abilities, on an old railway trail through the Sussex countryside on Sat 20 September – keep an eye on messages to the trail running mailing list for more details.
Wednesday 24 September offers track and field athletes their last chance this season to compete at an open meeting in Watford. The Last Friday of the Month 5k takes place on Friday 26 September and that evening the September Meal of the Month will be at Jamie’s Italian in the city – full details and sign up will be posted early next week.
Victoria Park is the venue for the Middlesex county 10k championship on Saturday 27 September, organised by Serpie Malcolm French. Entries for this "no-frills" race on a flat, 3-lap, traffic-free course close on 19 September. Malcolm will also be hoping to have a few Serpie volunteers for help out at the water station on the day.
On Sunday 28 September, it’s the Ealing half marathon, which is the Serpentine 2014 half marathon club championship. Although Ealing will surely have the largest Serpie turnout, there will be club members running the Windsor Half marathon and Berlin marathon on the same day. The Cambridge triathlon also takes place on Sunday 28 September.
The second committee meeting of the newly elected Serpentine Committee will take place in the club room at the Seymour Centre on Monday 29 September. Any members who would an item to be added to the evening’s agenda can contact the appropriate Committee member before the meeting.
Looking forward to early October, there’s a T&F social evening planned on Wednesday 1 October to thank everyone who has taken part, officiated or helped at any of the track and field events over the 2014 season. The first Saturday in October will see Serpie teams heading to Sutton Park for the ERRA National road relays, plus it's the date of the October handicap; and on Sunday 5 October there’s the popular and scenic Clarendon way marathon and relay.
There's more information about lots of these events on the Serpie events planner.
Sally Hodge
communications@serpentine.org.uk
Submitted: 29 August 2014