President and Committee Contact Details

Before contacting us via the details on this page, please read the how to contact us page. That way, you can get the quickest response to your question.

In any situation we prefer that you contact us by email - click on the name of the person for their address. If you need to contact us by phone please bear in mind that we all have full time day jobs that take precedence over club responsibilities so we may not always be able to take your call.

How does the committee work?

Race Day Information - Sunday 31st October 2010

Everything you need to know is online and race packs will not be sent in advance. Study the following information and the course details carefully! Collect your race numbers at registration on race day.

Race day timetable

ALL TIMES ARE GMT - Clocks go back at 2 am Sunday. Don't forget to change your clocks or you will be off by an hour!

7:00 am – 7:45 am – Registration

7:50 am – Transition closes. All bikes must be racked and competitors out of transition.

7:55 am – Race briefing at the Start. If you're not there you can't race!

8:00 am – Go! There are no waves; you all start together!

10.15 am approx – Prize giving (weather and results dependant)

11:00 am – Our permission to use the park runs out. We ask you to help us out by removing your bike from transition as soon as possible after you finish racing. We're going to have to make a swift exit!

Registration

• Registration 7:00 am to 7:45 am at the bandstand. Click here to see a map.
• At registration you will receive 2 race numbers, number stickers for bike and helmet and a timing chip.
• A number must be visible on your front during the run legs and on your back during the bike leg.
• Race belts are permitted but you are responsible for ensuring that marshals are able to see your number at all stages of the race.
• Body numbers must not be folded or cut down in any way.
• The small bike number must be attached to the frame of your bike before placing it in the transition area. It is there to ensure that you and you alone walk off with your bike at the end of the day. Likewise the helmet number.
• The timing chip should be attached to your left ankle (to prevent it snagging in your chain).

Bike racking

• Transition will close at 7:50 am sharp.
• Racking is not numbered – first come first served.
• After racking your bike it is worth rehearsing your route in and out of transition to make sure you can find your spot in the heat of competition.
• Only competitors and select race officials are allowed into the transition area and you will need your race number to remove your bike from transition.
  

Bikes & helmets

• Bikes and helmets will be checked on entry to transition so allow enough time to do this.
• It is your responsibility to ensure that your bike is safe and roadworthy prior to the event. Pay particular attention to tribars being on securely, bar ends being plugged (of both handlebars and aerobars) and brakes functioning well.
• We provide no mechanical support on the day.
• Only roadworthy bicycles meeting the BTF specification allowed i.e. NOT fixed wheel bicycles, tricycles, recumbents or tandems.
• All competitors must wear a SNELL/ANSI/EN1078 standard cycling helmet during the bike section of the race. You must put on and fasten your helmet before unracking your bike at the first transition and you must rack your bike before unfastening your helmet at the second transition.
• It is a safety condition that we must say "No Helmet? Unsafe bike? No race and no refund - you know the rules".
  

Chip timing

• Your split times will be taken on entry and exit of transition and will also be used to check that you complete the correct number of bike laps.
• Backup time keeping requires that your number must be clearly visible on your front but also be prepared to shout your number to the time keepers.
• All competitors must report to the finish even if you are abandoning the race. Please stay in order after crossing the finish line.
• Chips will be collected at the finish line. IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT YOU RETURN YOUR CHIP. Failure to do so may result in an additional charge.
  

Race rules

For your safety, the Jekyll & Hyde Park Halloween Duathlon is a British Triathlon (BTF) registered race and follows follows BTF technical (rules 8 & 11) and competition rules (esp 13-22). Whether or not you are a BTF member, you should be familiar with these and ignorance is no excuse! Because many of you are new to these rules; here are some that often result in penalties:

This is a non-drafting race. This means that the front of your front wheel must be 5 meters (3 bike lengths) behind the rear wheel of the competitor in front. Drafting is cheating and forming bunches is particularly dangerous due to the tight turns on this course. Once a competitor's front wheel is in front of yours it is your responsibility to drop back EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO SLOW DOWN TO DO SO. When passing you have 15 seconds to get in front or you must drop back. Side by side riding is also not allowed because it encourages drafting and dangerous cycling. We will have roving draft marshals slapping two minute time penalties on draft cheats willy nilly. Repeat offenders will be disqualified.

The use of personal stereos, MP3 players, or mobile phones during the race or in transition at any time is banned. You need to be fully aware of what is going on around you at all times. This is for your safety, the safety of your fellow competitors and the safety of the public. Disregarding this rule will lead to disqualification.

Securely fasten your helmet before unracking your bike. On returning to transition, dismount before the dismount line, rack your bike carefully in your own transition space and do not remove your helmet before racking your bike.  All of these offences carry a 2 minute penalty but where a carelessly discarded bike or your dismount is late to the point of being dangerous, disqualification may result.

Cycle on the left except when overtaking. Definitely no crossing into the opposite carriageway. No rudeness to marshals. No nudity.

We share Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens with the public, please show them respect – competitors DO NOT have priority over other park users.

The course

Start/Finish on Serpentine Road adjacent to the Bandstand.

• First Leg: Run 1 lap of the Serpentine – 4.2 km
• Second Leg: Cycle 8 laps of South Carriage Drive. Dead turns at both ends – 20.8 km
  Every year a few competitors complete the wrong number of laps. It is surprisingly dificult to count to eight as you get tired.  A handy tip is to attach 8 small pieces of tape, one for each lap, to your bike frame.  Peel one off at the end of each lap and when you have one left you know you are on your last lap.  
• Third Leg: Run 2 laps of the Serpentine (water and energy drink station at the start of each lap) – 7.6 km

You must report to the finish, even if abandoning the race. The course map is available here.

Your safety & safeguarding the future of the race

The entire route is on closed roads but that only increases the brownian motion of the park's many tourists and dog walkers. Please be aware that tourists are especially likely to move (or suddenly stop!) in mysterious ways and be careful of this on both the bike and run course. Anybody cycling recklessly; endangering themselves, other competitors or members of the public will be pulled from the race.

Be especially careful at turns and on approaching transition, especially if there are wet leaves on the ground.

Cycling is not allowed on many of Hyde Park's footpaths – when making your way to and from the race please respect this and don't risk creating ill-feeling with the park authorities and users. This might prevent this event from being run in the future.

The full risk assessment is here.

Parking

• There is limited parking in the area – parking is available at the Diana Fountain and the Triangle Car Park, both off West Carriage Drive, and there are spaces on West Carriage Drive itself. Please note that parking is not free after 8:30 am. Underground Parking is available at the Park Lane Car Park.

Facilities

• There are no showers or changing facilities in Hyde Park so come ready to race.
• The nearest public toilets are near the start on Serpentine Road and will be open from 7 am.
• Food and hot drinks will be available at the Dell Cafe.
• Hyde Park is a pretty nice place to hang out after the race and there are cafes at the eastern end of the Serpentine and at the Lido. If you don't come to this part of Central London much, how about a feed in the atmospheric Lebanese cafes on Edgware Road? Or head south from the park and join the ladies who lunch in Harvey Nic's! See the map on the Royal Park's website for other park facilities.

Thanks

• Infinit Nutrition for supplying energy drink, manning the drinks station and subsidising the race goody bag. These guys supply race drink to races at home and abroad including several Ironman races and specialise in creating customised drink matched to your own needs.  They'll be manning the drink station so have a chat with them. www.infinitnutrition.eu 
• The Royal Parks for their continued cooperation in helping us stage this race in such a beautiful venue.
• And most importantly, the marshals and officials – all volunteers from Serpentine Running Club – without whom this race would not be possible.

Distance Sessions at Ethos

Wednesday 7.15am to 8.15am

Location: Ethos, Imperial College Sports Centre.

This is a structured freestyle (front crawl) session led by one coach. It is a 'yardage' rather than a technique session.

The coaches:

• Dan Parsonage
• Sergio Catania
• Cecily Baber

Cost: £10 per session. All levels are welcome.

You need to be a current member of Serpentine Running Club to sign up for this session.

Please email Dan Parsonage, the session coordinator, to book your place and for more info.

Volunteering

Have you ever wondered how the Serpentine Running Club is run?

We are a huge club, catering for all running levels, offering advice and training, team events and road races and providing a very professional website.

Well, you probably knew this before. But are you aware that every single activity is organised and managed by volunteers – people who work, have families and don't spend the whole day in running shoes (although, ok, some do).

Why do they do it?

• They are passionate about running.
• They want to give something back to a club that has offered them a lot.
• They want to help others to enjoy running as much as they do.

What can I do?

There are a lot of opportunities for you to get involved. You dont need any specific skills or background – just come along and join the others.

Contact the relevant people below, or for more advice try the Volunteers co-ordinator.

Marshalling and supporting runners at races: Give directions to runners and hand out water at our high profile races such as the Last Friday of the Month 5k and the New Year's Day 10k races. Contact: Race Organisation

Pacing at club runs (Wednesday evening & Saturday morning): Lead groups of runners along the 2, 2.5 and 3 Parks routes and help new runners to find the right group. Contact: Membership Liaison

Leading the Beginners Group at club runs (Saturday morning): Make sure that nobody gets lost, motivate beginners, and advise on running-related questions. Contact: Membership Liaison

Helping with other jobs involved in club runs: minding bags, setting off 2 and 3 Parks runs on Wednesday nights. Contact: Volunteering or just come forward on the day!

Driving/supporting/organising team events (Welsh Castles, Norfolk, Green Belt etc.): Run and volunteer – support, drive, feed, entertain the other runners. A great weekend out, even if you don't want to run. Contact: Competition and Team Events

Writing for the Serpentimes. Articles and other contributions are always welcome. Contact: Communications

Organising social events such as the Christmas party and the Summer party parties. Contact: Social

Joining the Committee (currently 12 members including Chair, Hon. Secretary and Treasurer). Elections take place every summer. Contact: Honorary Secretary

Website management and e-group monitoring. Tasks include website maintenance, egroup support, serpiemail, events scheduling, results management, content development, database programming and web design. Contact: Communications

Other jobs currently done by volunteers in the club:

• coaching at track sessions
• selling kit
• organising trips and weekend outings (Lanzarote, SerpieCamp, etc.)
• keeping our Results database up-to-date
• adding events to the Race Planner
• officiating at track & field meetings
  

So please, give it a try! 

How Does the Committee Work?

The Committee consists of 12 volunteer members, including three Officers and nine Representatives. All 12 positions are elected each year at the Club Annual General Meeting (AGM).

Select from the drop down menu on the right to learn more about the different roles on the Committee and who is currently volunteering in that role.

General roles and responsibilities of the Committee

The role of the Committee is to make decisions on behalf of the members to ensure the club is run properly. This includes facilitating activities that club members want to do and ensuring that we do everything we are legally and officially obliged to do as a club.

Given the size of the club and range of activities provided, Committee members work with a variety of additional volunteers in sub-roles to organise, co-ordinate and provide these different activities for members.

If you are interested in joining the Committee or volunteering for other roles within the club, contact the relevant Committee member via the Committee contacts page.

Officers

The three Officer positions are Chairman, Honorary Treasurer and Honorary Secretary.

They are responsible for ensuring that, as a club, we adhere to our legal and official obligations. This primarily means following the rules as set out by the national and regional governing bodies which administer our sport (e.g. UK Athletics (UKA), British Triathlon Federation (BTF), etc.), and the general rules of running a non-profit or membership organisation, which include having our own set of club rules and bye-laws.

Representatives

The nine Representatives are:

• Coaching & Training Liaison (Triathlon)
• Coaching & Training Liaison (Running / Athletics)
• Competition & Team Events
• Race Organisation & Promotion
• Kit, Facilities & Club Equipment
• Membership Liaison & Club Runs
• Communications
• Participation
• Future Planning
  

The Representatives are responsible for overseeing activities within certain areas of the club (e.g. Coaching & Training Liaison). These are primarily the core activities that have been developed by the membership over time. Representatives are also available as the point of contact for members for their area, whether to raise a query, address an issue or consider a new idea or activity for the club.

Becoming a Triathlon Coach

Serpentine currently uses a mix of third party (external) coaching and coaching provided by qualified volunteer Serpentine coaches assisted by experienced members. We would like to increase the number of qualified triathlon coaches in the club so that we can provide better training oportunities for our membership. Our coaches all volunteer their services and financial support is available to coaches of all standards to help them progress through the British Triathlon 'Coach Education Programme'.

If you are interested please contact the Committee triathlon coaching rep to talk about how you can help out the club through coaching. Alternatively you can speak to any of the club's regular coaches about their experiences and see if you can help out in their sessions before you go on the relevant British Triathlon course.

The information below is taken from the British Triathlon website and is correct as of October 2007. Please visit the British Triathlon website to read more about the Coach Education Programme, the individual levels, how to book a course and and the dates/locations of coach training courses across the UK.

The 'Coach Education Programme'

The British Triathlon Coach Education Programme has been produced in conjunction with Sports Coach UK to improve the quality and consistency of triathlon coaching at all levels throughout the UK. The course content has been developed in line with the UK Coaching Certificate (UKCC). The programme currently consists of three levels of award, catering for basic skills for groups through to developing performance training for individual athletes.

British Triathlon Coaching Awards have been designed to:

• Promote quality triathlon coaching
• Place an emphasis on the “HOW to coach skills”, applied to the technical elements of triathlon
• Be athlete-centred
• Ensure best practice amongst coaches
• Promote continuing professional development amongst coaches throughout their coaching career.

To ensure high quality and consistent delivery, all courses are delivered by trained British Triathlon Coach Education Tutors, who have a wealth of triathlon and coaching knowledge and expertise. Support for coaches is also provided at a local level by a team of Regional Development Officers and Coaching Coordinators.

1st4sport Level 1 CCTRI (Assistant Coach)

What is involved? The L1CCTRI is an inclusive 3 day course delivered over 2 weekends. The Level 1 Coach has an assistant role in a session, normally supporting Level 2 or 3 coaches. This course is interactive and involves group discussion, presentations and most importantly practical coaching experiences throughout all three disciplines. Throughout the course, you will be introduced to the HOW 2 COACH skills, eg, how to build rapport, how 2 demonstrate etc and apply this to the technical skill development components of triathlon.

The Level 1 coaching role has been defined as: “assist more qualified coaches, delivering aspects of coaching sessions, normally under direct supervision”

1st4sport Level 2 CCTRI (Session Coach)

What is involved? The L2CCTRI is now a 5 day course, delivered over 3 weekends. This course is interactive and involves group discussion, presentations and most importantly practical coaching experiences throughout all three disciplines. It has been designed to build on the training and experience gained at Level 1 to further develop skills as a triathlon coach and broaden the remit of a coach. Throughout the course, you will be introduced to more of the “HOW 2 COACH” skills and apply this to the technical components of triathlon.

1st4sport Level 3 CCTRI (Development Coach)

What is involved? The L3CCTRI is now an 8 day course, delivered at weekends, over the course of a 3 month period. This course is both interactive and involves group discussion, presentations and most importantly practical coaching experiences throughout all three disciplines. It has been designed to build on the training and experience gained at Level 2 to further develop your skills as a triathlon coach and broaden the remit of a coach even further to include one to one coaching. Throughout the course, you will be introduced to more specific skills of working with individual athletes on a one to one basis.

The Level 3 qualification is designed for individuals who are dedicated to coaching and want to improve in both knowledge (triathlon and coaching) and practical skills or coaching. This is reflected in the length of the course, the cost and the course content.

The course is designed to build on the Level 2 course, where coaches will be introduced for the first time in their coaching development to the interdisciplinary nature of sport science and annual planning for coaching on a 1-2-1 basis with individual athletes, from novice to age-group level, and covers more advanced swimming, cycling and running techniques. In addition to the discipline modules, coaching will be introduced to delivering field based testing methods, i.e. non-laboratory tests.

Coaching

Running and track coaching (where a qualified coach oversees the session) is available at a number of sessions each week as follows:

• Tuesday track sessions at New River (Wood Green)
• Tuesday track sessions at Willesden 
• Tuesday track sessions at Battersea 
• Tuesday interval sessions at the Dome (O2)
• Thursday track sessions at Battersea
• Saturday morning hill sessions in Greenwich Park
• Saturday morning hill sessions in Primrose Hill
  

Serpentine don't hold regular triathlon specific coached sessions, although there are regular cycling and swimming sessions to complement the runnning sessions, most of which are overseen by either a Serpentine coach or an external coach:

• Monday swimming at Orchard Lisle
• Monday swimming at the Seymour Centre
• Tuesday spinning at Imperial
• Wednesday swimming at Imperial
• Sunday cycling
  

Our coaches all abide by the Coaching Code of Practice. Look in our volunteering section if you are interested in becoming a coach.

Advice from our coaches

• Frank Speaking by Frank Horwill. A superb collection of articles by Frank Horwill, a Senior British Athletics Federation coach, who works with the faster Serpentine runners and is a prolific writer on all aspects of running.
  
• Ask Karen. Karen Hancock, our level 2 coach who runs the Greenwich hill sessions, provides lucid answers to some of the questions put to her by relatively inexperienced runners.
• Advice from Derek Turner. Particularly for new runners and those planning a first marathon.
• Running a first marathon by Daniel O'Donoghue
  
• Advice for Women Runners. For most purposes, women runners face the same challenges, highs and lows as male runners. But there are one or two issues that affect women in particular. This section is intended to deal with those specifically.
  
• Marathon Training Seminar. Notes from the 2006 Spring Marathon Training Seminar.
  
• Bleep and Balke Testing. Information about these tests for VO2 max to help you set the intensity of your sessions.

Contacting us: coaching@serpentine.org.uk. Please remember that all the coaches have full-time jobs and other responsibilities, so please have consideration for their lives too. For example, it is usually best to make phone contact outside office hours, or better still, by e-mail.

The Club Committee

The Serpentine Running Club is managed by the Committee, elected each year at the Annual General Meeting. The minutes of Committee meetings and AGMs are published on this website.

The names, phone numbers and email addresses of each Committee member are on the contact page. Details about each of the Committee roles can be found using the menu on the right. For an overview of how it works, see the page on Committee structure.

Please feel free to contact any member of the Committee if you would like to get involved, or to make suggestions on improvements to the club.

If you would like to nominate someone for election to the committee, please use this nomination form.

Jekyll and Hyde Park Hallowe'en Duathlon

Central London's duathlon - 31st October 2010

Entries will go on sale 6th September 2010

The 2009 event was the finale of the Triathlon London League and so the fancy dress was gone and the gloves were off for some ferocious competition beween London's fastest triathletes.  Thames Turbo dominated, winning top 2 men and women's places plus the team prize. Priscilla Queen of the Desert was the only fancy dress contestant but complete with pink Ceepo bike and pink racing flats she was a worthy winner.  The 2010 Jekyll & Hyde Park duathlon is once again the finale of the league and will be held on Sunday 31st October - actually on Hallowe'en, so let's see more of you out there dressed to impress!

Important note to Serpentine members

This race is your chance to give something back to your club and to London's multisporters, so our members are not allowed to enter the race. We really want you to volunteer to help except in the following circumstances:

• You are one of our faster multisporters.This is a London League race and we really want to encourage you to turn out for your club. Men, women and 40+ all count to the points total. How fast is fast? Men should be capable of a 2:15 olympic distance triathlon, women and vets 2:20. 
• You already contribute a lot to the club with a proven track record of volunteering

In each case you must apply to the race director before registering via EntryCentral.

2009 results and photos

Results are available on the website. Competitors who provided mobile numbers received their results by SMS. Full splits are also available.

Sussex Sport Photgraphy provided race coverage.

2008 results and photos

Results are available on the website. Competitors who provided mobile numbers received their results by SMS. Full splits are also available.

Sussex Sport Photgraphy provided race coverage.

2007 results and photos

Results are available on the website. Competitors who provided mobile numbers received their results by SMS. Full splits are also available.

Pro Sport Photos provided race coverage.

2006 results

Results are available for the event on 22 October 2006. Full splits are also available.

Contact details

Race Secretary
Email duathlon@serpentine.org.uk
Mobile 07876212493

Ethos, Sport Imperial

Serpentine use the Ethos Studio, part of the Imperial College Sports Centre, for swimming and spin classes. Please show your Serpentine membership card on entrance.

Address

Sport Imperial
Imperial College London
7 Prince's Gardens
South Kensington campus
London SW7 2AZ

Transport

The nearest tube is South Kensington. Bus routes 9, 10, 14, 52, 70, 74, 360, 414, 452 and C1 all pass nearby.

Location

"Digital Data © Bartholomew (2006)"