Serpie Planner - event reports
Dartford Half Marathon (17 Jul 2005)
About 10 Serpies converged on the well-organised Dartford Half marathon this Sunday, famously won by Steve Ovett in the 1970s, who ran it on the spur of the moment, after he realised that his regular Sunday training partner was doing it, and he would be without a partner that weekend. The first half of the race takes you through some lovely Kent countryside, but it's not a pb course, as it's invariably scorchingly-hot on race day, although the 9 am start and ample water stations help mitigate that factor. But there's little - apart from plenty of well-coached hill training, naturally - that can help you with the 3-mile climb that starts at mile 3, followed by another nasty climb lasting from the 9th to the 10th mile markers. The last 3 miles are gradual descents however, back into Dartford, finishing on Dartford Harriers' track. There is a race memento ( a tasteful horse-brass!), and bananas for all finishers; results for the first 100 finishers are published very quickly on the club-house walls, and there's an added bonus (for parents) of a 1-mile fun run on the track for the kids whilst the main race is underway. They get medals and certificates for finishing. The race is the Kent County Half Marathon Championship, and I was lucky enough to win the FV45 and FV35 titles, finishing 5th lady overall and first FV45. My son Rory MacFarlane finished 3rd in the 1-mile fun run. Marathon-junkie Stirling Slingerland was 6th male in the open men's race.
report by Karen Hancock
Dartford Half Marathon (20 Jul 2008)
Reasonably quick course, albeit undulating with 2 decent climbs(100m). Ends with a very fast last 3 miles down into Dartford. Starts and finishes with a lap of Dartford Athletics Track. Well marshalled, with 5 water stops.