August highlights

A few of the events to look out for in August

On Monday 1 August there is another of the popular Sri Chinmoy races in Battersea Park: the Sri Chinmoy 2-mile. Later that week, on Wednesday 3 August, there are three chances to take part in an open athletics meeting, at the Hercules Wimbledon open meeting, the Lee Valley sprint series or the Newham open meeting. Also on 3 August is the penultimate Silverfit aquathlon in Hyde Park. Twenty eight Serpies ran the Assembly league race in Victoria Park earlier in the year and there are sure to be many running what will be the penultimate Assembly League race of 2016 at the same venue on Thursday 4 August.

The August club handicap will be on Saturday 6 August – if you can't run, why not come along and share the experience of an early morning in Hyde Park by being a marshal/timekeeper/writerdowner or cheerer – please email handicapper@serpentine.org.uk if you can help. Also on Saturday, for ultra Serpies is the North Downs Way 100-mile; and Serpie triathletes will be heading to east London for the London triathlon. The next in the Regent's Park Summer 10k series will be on Sunday 7 August, plus the Serpentine social recce of Green Belt Relay routes has reached stage 17 - for more details sign up to the Trail and Ultra Distance mailing list.

It's back to Battersea Park on Monday 8 August for the Sri Chinmoy 5k. 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 10 August. Also on Wednesday is the final of this season's Rosenheim League at Tooting Bec, which the Serpentine women's team have qualified for. It would wonderful to see a strong team on the day with as many of our SAL regulars as possible so that we can target the top of the podium! Last but not least, there's a Watford Open Graded track & field meeting on Wednesday 10 August.

The Pride 10k Run on Saturday 13 August in Victoria Park is a great event and often has many Serpie runners; while on the same day a few Serpies will be running the Thames Meander marathon and half marathon. Gunnersbury Park is a new venue for the Summer League on Sunday 14 August. The Summer League is an inter-club competition with a main event plus a shorter 'tenderfoot' (1.5-2km) race that is suitable for children and a series of light hearted 300-400m relays, plus food provided by the organising club after the races. There is no need to enter in advance - just turn up and run. Also on Sunday is the Burnham Beeches half marathon.

It's good to see that 5000m and 10000m races on the track are growing in popularity. The latest addition is the Hercules Wimbledon 5000m festival on Wednesday 17 August; and for those for whom 12.5 laps are far too many, there's a Lee Valley sprint series on same evening.

Serpentine had our second win of the season at the last SAL match in Watford and a win at our home Southern Athletics League meeting at Battersea on Saturday 20 August will put us in an excellent place to challenge for promotion to division 2 next year, so we need to get our best possible team out. This not only means Serpies who run fastest and jump and throw furthest, but it means filling every event, A & B strings. For Serpies who are new to track and field, or who haven’t competed since school days, there’s information about the SAL on our website, and please contact the team captains if you have any questions about taking part. As this is our home match, we also need to provide officials and lots of helpers - all are very welcome, no matter whether you have had experience of helping at an athletics meeting before - please contact races@serpentine.org.uk for more information or to sign up to help. Helpers are also welcome to try out some events as non-scoring athletes.

Also on Saturday are the Reykjavik marathon and half marathon and the famous Race the Train event in mid Wales. A small group of Serpies will be in Denmark for Ironman Copenhagen on Sunday 21 August and a bit nearer to home, there are the Clapham Common half marathon, 10k & 5k.

For Serpies still competing in the virtual icosathlon, there's another Watford Open Graded track & field meeting on Wednesday 24 August. The August Brooks Serpentine Last Friday of the Month 5k will take place on Friday 26 August and on Saturday 27 August, there's another icosathlon point-gathering chance at the Herne Hill open athletics meeting.

Monday 29 August is a bank holiday and there are chances to race at the Thames Turbo sprint triathlon and Canterbury half marathon. An alternative way to take advantage of the bank holiday will be to join a Serpie social trail running group on a Tring Hills route: a 9-mile basic loop with optional extra hills. The last Wednesday of August, Wednesday 31 August, repeats two events from the first Wednesday of the month: a Lee Valley sprint series meeting plus the last chance of the year to take part in a Silverfit aquathlon in Hyde Park.

Looking forward to early September, Thursday 1 September is the date of the last Assembly League race of 2016 which will be held at Beckenham, with prizes given out after the races in the excellent club house. On Saturday 3 August are the club handicap as well as the Serpentine biathlon. The club championship 10k is on Sunday 4 September, as part of the Middlesex & Open 10k in Victoria Park. Hosted by VPH&THAC, the race is open to all and incorporates the Middlesex County 10k Championship. Online entries are still being taken via Run Britain. Also on Sunday is the Splash & Dash aquathlon, which is a London Triathlon League event. After the last league race the Serpie men's team remain 4th overall. We are still in with a chance of the league title but need to win one of the remaining 3 events, so it would be great to see lots of Serpies, (men in particular!) in Stoke Newington for this event.

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

Sally Hodge
communications@serpentine.org.uk

Submitted: 28 July 2016

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