2025/26 Serpentine Competitions Review

For the 2025–2026 season (April-March), Serpentine Running and Triathlon Club had a high level of participation across all racing disciplines, with a particularly strong turnout in road racing and a skew towards veteran (35+) athletes.

Road Races
Road racing is the club’s most popular category, driven by major marathons and internal club championships.

• 434 members participated in at least one targeted road event primarily in the Virtual Half Marathon (105 different races) and Full Marathon championships (62 different races).
• London Marathon remains a cornerstone of club activity with 72 participants (45 Male, 27 Female).
• The Big Half had a good showing by the club with 49 participants (35 Male, 14 Female) and Age Group wins in M45, M50, M60, M70, F65
• The monthly Serpentine Handicap maintains consistent year-round attendance, typically ranging between 34 and 63 runners per event.
• Summer League – these fixtures saw solid turnouts, particularly at Battersea (42) and Regents Park (39).
• Award Winners and Exceptional Performances
  • Club Handicap Champion for 2025 (8 races) – Frank Womelsdorf
  • Club Handicap Age-Graded Champion for 2025 (6 races) – Michael Morris
  • Summer Grand Prix winners (4 races) – Natasha Sheel and Nicholas Browne
  • British Masters Athletics Federation 5K Champs – Top M45-54 team (Will Green, Nicholas Browne, Matthieu Prevot)
  • International member Dina Aleksandrova achieved two club records, one at Friday Night Under the Lights 5k 16:07 (4th), and London Marathon 2:31:41 (2nd women open race)
  • Callan Moody returned to racing for the club finishing the Pulford 10K in 30:01 (6th)
  • Will Green has been on a streak setting club V50 records including 15:50 5k (93% AG), 31:44 10k (95% AG), 53:47 10M (91% AG), and 1:08:31 Half Marathon (93% AG) [And a UK V50 record in 2026 London Marathon of 2:23:07!!]
  • Kevin Murray secured a club V60&V65 5k record running an 18:00 (92% AG) and V65 HM record (1:22:00 92% AG) [And a V65 AG win at the 2026 London Marathon]
  • Jonathan Poole also had some exceptional performances including a 14:59 5k (92% AG) and 31:16 10k (90% AG)
  • Nicholas Browne managed to better 7 New Zealand V45 records ranging from the indoor 800m to the Half Marathon.

Cross Country
The cross country season had a dedicated core of runners, with participation spread across several leagues and championship events.

• 94 members participated in at least one targeted cross country event.
• The Metropolitan League and the Sunday League are the primary drivers of participation. The Met League consistently saw between 25 and 37 total runners across the male and female squads per fixture.
• The Southern Counties Cross Country Championship (28) and the Liddiard Trophy (21) were the most popular one-off fixtures.
• Participation is heavily skewed towards veteran athletes
• Award Winners and Exceptional Performances
  • Club Champions Open – Natasha Sheel and Jonathan Poole
  • Club Champions Masters – Sarah MacKenzie and Jonathan Poole
  • Dina Aleksandrova completed in one cross country race with the club this season, winning the January Met League race

Track Meets
Track participation is focused on internal championships and specialised leagues.

• 134 members participated in at least one track meet.
• The 1 mile and 3000m club championships were well-attended, with 53 and 71 participants respectively.
• The Southern Counties Vets AC League was a big drawcard for club members, with 30+ athletes appearing at every meet.
• Southern Athletics League (SAL) participation was modest, typically seeing 10–20 athletes per meet
• Award Winners and Exceptional Performances
  • Summer Grand Prix winners (4 races) – Natasha Sheel and Nicholas Browne
  • Men’s award for SAL (Robin Kindersley Trophy) – Tom McKelvey
  • Women’s Track and Field trophy (women’s SAL) – Sayana Lee
  • Men’s vets Derek Paterson Trophy – Dave Robinson
  • Women’s vets (Jan Farmer Trophy) – Camilla Allwood
  • Tony McGahan trophy – Stephanie Vaatz for her contribution as an official and competing
  • David Bueno Monge had a great season setting 3 club V45 records with a 11.72 100m (93% AG), 23.63 200m (94% AG), and 52.37 (93% AG)

Relay Races
Relays highlight the club’s social and competitive team spirit.

• Green Belt Relay: This is a major highlight for the club, with 33 participants taking part across 3 teams in the two day event.
• Regional Relays: The club fielded two mens and two womens teams for the SEAA 12/6 Road Relay Champs with 24 men and 12 women competing
• Award Winners and Exceptional Performances
  • Green Belt Relay – Vets Team category winners
  • SEAA 12-Stage Relays – Mens team improving from last year going from 38th to 20th / Womens team improving from 17th to 16th

Participation Trends

• Across all four racing disciplines, Veterans (35+ / 395 members) significantly outnumber Open (20-34 / 106 members) runners
• Participation is generally higher amongst male members (Total M=306 / F=195), particularly in the longer road distances and XC leagues, though the female contingent remains strong in the handicap races and specific XC fixtures like the Sunday League.
• The highest participation levels were in internal club-organised events (Handicaps / Club Track Champs) and mass-participation events like London Marathon and The Big Half.