October highlights

A few events to look out for in October

The club championship 10k will kick off the month and forms part of the Middlesex & Open 10k in Victoria Park on Sunday 1 October. The race is hosted by VPH&THAC, is open to all, and incorporates the Middlesex County 10k Championship. If you aren't running but would like to cheer your fellow Serpies on, please contact Malcolm French as helpers are needed at the water station and to marshal.

The new club committee will have its first committee meeting on Monday 2 October - if you would like to raise an issue or agenda item with a member of the committee prior to this, please contact a committee member. New club members have the opportunity to meet other club members and find out about what Serpentine offers at the new members' evening at the Seymour Centre on Wednesday 4 October, while on the same night, Serpies who competed and officiated for the club during the track and field season will be getting together at the end of season track & field social.

This month's Ealing mile is on Friday 6 October, then the October club handicap is on Saturday 7 October. 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 and if you're not planning to run but can offer to help, please email the handicap team. Also on Saturday we hope to have Serpentine teams competing at the ERRA 6 and 4-stage road relays in Sutton Park; plus there's a chance to join a long social trail run on the Bedfordshire Greensand Ridge, with a choice of 16, 23 or 36 mile options.

Sunday 8 October is a busy one in the race calendar, with Serpies due to run in the Oxford half marathon, the Royal Parks half marathon, and the Chicago marathon. Away from the road and also on Sunday, the Petts Wood 10k trail race has been popular with Serpies in the past; and for newcomers to trail running, there'll be the chance to join a short social trail run of 3-5 miles in Epping Forest.

The winter cross country season will get underway with the first Start Fitness Met League meeting of the season at Claybury on Saturday 14 October. There will be full details about the race sent out soon, but this cross country league provides our main competitive focus for the winter season and we hope to see lots of Serpies — junior and senior — running. If you haven't run cross country for many years, or have never tried it, it's great fun and very sociable. On Sunday 15 October, the annual Serpentine-organised Jekyll & Hyde Park Hallowe'en duathlon will take place in Hyde Park. We need lots of you to offer a bit of your time to help out to make sure that we can put on this excellent BTF 2 star event. You can sign up to help here and don't forget that volunteering helps you gain points towards a club London marathon place! Also on Sunday is the final club championship road race of 2017 - the Cabbage Patch 10, plus there will be a group of Serpies running the Amsterdam marathon.

The organisers of the club's annual trip to Club La Santa in Lanzarote and some of the coaches who will be on the trip will be at the Royal Oak on Wednesday 18 October for a Lanzarote launch, where they will be able to answer any questions you may have before booking opens.

The SEAA cross country relays will be at Wormwood Scrubs on Saturday 21 October and on the same day there's a Sri Chinmoy 10k in Battersea Park and another social trail run, this one a 10-mile run from Farnham to Guildford. There are sure to be Serpies running the Abingdon marathon on Sunday 22 October and also on Sunday is the London Fields aquathlon, which is a London League event and still has places available.

The October Harbour Club Last Friday of the Month 5k will be on Friday 27 October. The North of the Thames cross country championship, on Saturday 28 October, is the first of this season's cross country races where advance entry is required (details will be out soon) and once again the race is also incorporating the Liddiard Trophy. On Sunday 29 October, there's another chance to run cross country at the first Sunday League cross country event of the season, over a 5-mile course at Cheshunt Park in Broxbourne. The Sunday League provides less experienced runners with an excellent introduction to cross country running. Also on Sunday are the Frankfurt marathon and the London Triathlon League Awards Evening.

Looking forward to early November:

  • the November club handicap will be on Saturday 4 November
  • the North London cross country championship will be on Saturday 4 November
  • the autumn Ballbuster duathlon will be on Saturday 4 November
  • the New York marathon will be on Sunday 5 November.

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

Opportunities to help

If you would like to help the club, volunteers are needed at the following events this month:

Club Championship 10k - Sunday 1 October in Victoria Park

Help is needed with the water station and course marshalling. If you can help out, please email Malcolm French.

Handicap - Saturday 7 October in Hyde Park

If you want to volunteer and share the unique experience of an early morning in Hyde Park please email handicapper@serpentine.org.uk. You'll need to be at the Boathouse at 8:30am, you'll have fun and get a thank-you cup of coffee and the temporary loan of a fluorescent bib!

Jekyll & Hyde Park Duathlon- Sunday 15 October in Hyde Park

We need lots of you to offer a bit of your time to help out to make sure that we can put on this excellent BTF 2 star event. You can sign up to help here and don't forget that volunteering helps you gain points towards a club London marathon place!

Harbour Club Last Friday of the Month 5k - Friday 27 October in Hyde Park

Help is needed with course marshalling, in the finish area and to keep an eye on the runners' bags. If you can help out, please either email lfotm5k@serpentine.org.uk or add your name to the Serpie Planner.

Eda Korkmaz
communications@serpentine.org.uk

Submitted: 26 September 2017

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