February highlights

A few events to look out for in February

February will begin with the second club handicap of the year on Saturday 6 February. All standards are welcome and there's no need to enter in advance. If you haven't run a club handicap before, you can read all about the race here. The Watford half marathon on Sunday 7 February will be run over the same course as used in 2015 to circumvent the flooding of 2014. Also on Sunday is a Regents Park 10k and a WSEH Open indoor athletics meeting in Eton.

There will be a club committee meeting on Wednesday 10 February - if you have items you would like adding to the agenda, please send them to the Honorary Secretary by Saturday 6 February. Also on Wednesday there's an indoor sprints meeting at Newham starting at 7pm.

The final Start Fitness Metropolitan cross country league race of the season is on Saturday 13 February at Alexandra Palace. The Serpie women's A team is currently in third place in the league, only 4 points behind London Heathside; and our men were just 14 points off a win at Horsenden Hill, so it would be great to get a really big Serpie turnout at Ally Pally. There's no need to enter in advance and all Serpies are welcome.

The final Sunday League cross country of the season will be on Sunday 14 February on the remarkably hilly Royston course. This is another enter-on-the day cross country event where all Serpies are welcome, no matter what standard. For those Serpies training for a spring marathon, the Bramley 20 (and 10) and the Worthing half marathon, which currently still has places available, are both on Sunday 14 February. Also on Sunday is the Harrow Hill race, which offers two unique 'King and Queen of the Hill' awards, for the first man and woman to pass the crest of the hill on the first lap; and the England Athletics Age Group Indoor Championships in Sheffield.

On Wednesday 17 February there is a Lee Valley Middle Distance Indoor Open Meeting. For Serpie trail lovers, there will be a scenic 22 mile trail loop from Kings Langley, linking pretty villages through rural Hertfordshire on Saturday 20 February. Sunday 21 February is a busy one, with the Hampton Court half marathon and the Wokingham half marathon for road runners; and the Meon Valley Plod and a Green Belt Relay recce trail run on stage 11, from Epping to Ingateston, for trail lovers. Also on Sunday is the Winter Warmer duathlon at the QEOP.

The next indoor sprints meeting at Newham is on Wednesday 24 February, starting at 7pm. On Friday 26 February it's the February Brooks Last Friday of the Month 5k, then on Saturday 27 February it's the highlight of the cross country season at Donnington Park - the English National cross country championships.

On Sunday 28 February there will be a big group of Serpies at the Kentish Killer sportive. Also on Sunday are the Brighton half marathon, the Victoria Park half marathon and Dash for the Splash, a 10k trail race on Wimbledon Common.

Looking forward to early March, the club handicap will be on Saturday 5 March and the Berkhamsted half marathon on Sunday 6 March is the 2016 club championship half marathon.

There's more information about lots of these events on the Serpie events planner.

Sally Hodge
communications@serpentine.org.uk

Submitted: 29 January 2016

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