December highlights
A few events to look out for in December
The final club handicap of the year is on Saturday 2 December, with a last chance to accumulate points for the Tom Hogshead and Stratford Cups. If you haven't run the handicap before, all standards are welcome and there's no need to enter in advance - 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. The third Start Fitness Metropolitan cross country league race of the season is also on Saturday. This fixture will be at Hillingdon House Farm, Uxbridge with a course that’s described as playing fields, an old ski slope hill and soft and wild grassy terrain in a semi-wooded section – plus there will be a stream crossing for the senior races and maybe the juniors as well. In the evening it is the Serpentine Christmas party at the Grand Connaught Rooms (tickets have now sold out). On Sunday 3 December are the Perivale 5-mile, the London Fields Christmas Cracker duathlon for juniors and a Lee Valley open indoor track & field meeting.
The SEAA Vets cross country championships and the SEAA senior women's & juniors' Intercounties cross country championships are both being held on Saturday 9 December at Horspath Sports Ground, Oxford. The Milton Keynes winter half marathon on Sunday 10 December offers one of the last chances for a half marathon before the end of the year.
On Monday 11 December there'll be the last committee meeting of the year. If you would like to raise an issue or agenda item with a member of the committee prior to this, please contact us.
On Saturday 16 December a few Serpie athletes may well be trying their luck at the Southern Multi-Event Indoor Championships at Lee Valley. Then on Sunday 17 December, there's the Sunday League cross country race at Willian, near Letchworth in Hertfordshire; while on the same day, the Portsmouth Coastal Waterside marathon offers one of the last chances to run a 26.2 mile event this year.
Over the Christmas and New Year period there will be some changes to the regular Serpie training sessions. A full timetable showing changes will be published on the Serpie website shortly. For those wanting to run off a bit of Christmas pud, there's the Witham Boxing Day 5k on Sunday 26 December. The last Harbour Club Last Friday of the Month 5k of 2017 will be on Friday 29 December; and track & field athletes have a final indoor PB opportunity at an Enfield & Haringey open indoor track & field meeting on Saturday 30 December. The popular and hilly Year End Buntingford 10 will be on Sunday 31 December.
Looking forward to early January:
- The Start Fitness New Year’s Day 10k & 3k will be on Monday 1 January in Hyde Park
- the January club handicap will be on Saturday 6 January
- various county cross country championships will be on Saturday 6 January (for venues see the Serpie planner)
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:
Handicap - Saturday 2 December 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!
Harbour Club Last Friday of the Month 5k - Friday 29 December 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.
Start Fitness New Year's Day 10k & 3k - Monday 1 January 2018 in Hyde Park
We will have around 650 runners at the New Year's Day 10k and 3k and to put a great event on for them, we need lots of you to help. If you can spare some time to start 2018 off in Hyde Park with your fellow club members, please sign up here.
Best wishes,
Eda Korkmaz
communications@serpentine.org.uk
Submitted: 27 November 2017