Serpentine RC - What’s Happening in November 2021

Hello Serpies – Well done to everyone who ran a marathon in October. We had some great performances in London (congratulations to our bronze prize-winning men's team) and elsewhere.  As the road running season starts to conclude, we are excited to present other running opportunities. The cross country season continues in November; also those who are into trail running would be delighted about a trip in the Chilterns. Meanwhile, Handicap, club runs, training sessions, and the Last Friday 5k continue as normal. Here is a list of what’s happening in November.

Cross Country – Continues in November

The 2021-22 cross country season started in October, after a year of pause. The races in November are:

Saturday 13th November 2021 – Met league - (Location: Welwyn Garden City) (Hosted by Herts Phoenix).  No pre entry is required however, to support with number distribution, if this fixture is your first Met League of the season complete this form  

Saturday 20th November 2021 – London Cross Country Championships - (Location: Parliament Hill, Hampstead Heath).  Pre-entry for this event is required and there is eligibility criteria for entry (see information within the google form).   The club will pay for your entry but please only enter if you are sure you can compete on this date.  The deadline to complete the form is 04/11/21.

We also support the London Cross Country Champs/London Youth Games by providing marshalls, with options to marshall 10.00am until about 3.30pm to cover all ten races (a packed lunch is usually provided) or for the morning (10.00am until 1.30pm) or afternoon 1(2.30pm until 3.30pm) shifts.   Contact Malcolm French if you would like to help out.

Saturday 27th November 2021 - The Fraternity and Sorority Cup (Location: Trent Park, Cockfosters).  For this event there is no prior sign-up required and is free for the club; however, we’d love to gauge interest of who will be attending, so please complete the form

If you have any questions about any of the above events, please email Sophie Flanagan (sophieserpiexc@gmail.com or Glenn Hughes (glenn.hughes@gmail.com).

Please note that for the above races, you are required to be registered with England Athletics. Please check Serpiebase to see if you have bought or renewed your licence for 2021-22.

Trail Run – Running in Tring in the Chilterns!

Anyone fancy getting out of London and exploring the Chiltern Hills? We now have an opportunity to leave the tarmac behind and run on paths and bridleways, through woods and forests. We are arranging a trail run in Tring in the Chilterns on Sunday 7th November. The distance is roughly 22km, and we will aim to end in a lovely country pub. Having generated some momentum at the back of our summer Capital Ring adventure, this is a test trail run to see how much interest there is for a formalised our trail running programme.

Please put your name down in this link if you want to join this time. Any questions? Please contact Lindsey Chiswick who is our trail run organiser.

The Serpentine Handicap – Every First Saturday of the Month

The next Handicap race will be held on Saturday 6th November, as usual near the Hyde Park Boat House. For those who haven’t run this before, the race is over two laps of the Serpentine lake (almost 7km) in Hyde Park, with slower runners starting earlier than faster runners, so everyone has a chance to win. It is a lot of fun chasing one another, and everyone ends up in the Serpentine café for the rest of the morning.

No advance registration is required – registrations are taken on the day, starting from 8:30am until 8:55am, with the first runner starting soon after. See this link for more details if you want to come and run. Taking a morning off running but still want to come to be part of the magic? Please let the handicappers know that you can volunteers as well.

Club Runs – every Wednesday and Saturday

Our Club Runs continue every Wednesday evening and Saturday morning, come rain or shine! For more details please follow this link. We continue to run our two-parks and three-parks routes. All members are welcome; non-members can also join for a couple of runs to try out the club before joining.

For the time being, we will continue with the current sign-up system, so you can be placed in groups running the same route and similar pace. Please follow these links to: 

  • Sign up for Saturday morning before noon on Friday. Run starts from Hyde Park Bandstand (except 6th November – you’re encouraged to run the handicap instead!);
  • Sign up for Wednesday evening before 9pm on Tuesday. Run starts from the Seymour Centre or join us at Hyde Park Speaker’s Corner.

These links are also available on the front page of our website. Our club run team will then email everyone before the runs to inform you of your groups and start times.  Haven’t run before and don’t know your pace?  Not to worry – choose the 10-12 min/mile pace or “Run & Talk (Beginners)”, or get in touch with our club run rep Catharine and she will help you.

From Wed 3rd Nov we will re-open the bag room at the Seymour Leisure Centre for the Wednesday runs, so that we can operate a bag drop. We will rely on volunteers to make this work, so please email me if you’re interested in volunteering (once every few weeks, or as often as you’d like).

We continue to be allowed to use the changing room lockers in Seymour to drop our bags – all you need are a good padlock and your Serpentine membership card to show at the reception.


Richmond Park – every Sunday morning

Serpentine’s weekly Sunday morning run continues in November. We set off from Pembroke Lodge in Richmond Park at 9:00am – please come on time. Most people do 1-lap (7.2 miles), although as marathon training ramps up a few will be doing multiple laps. We always have a variety of abilities, so you won’t be on your own. We pay particular attention to newcomers and are a friendly bunch. After the run, we grab a coffee together at the Pembroke Lodge café. There is parking in front of the Pembroke Lodge. If you are coming by public transport it is a bit of a walk, mostly uphill, from Richmond Station.

If you’re coming for the first time, or if you have any questions, please let our organiser Kevin Murray know on Sunday@serpentine.org.uk.

Running Training

We have the following run training sessions across different London locations, so you can take advantage of the ones near you, but of course everyone is welcome to attend any session. Also please remember to register your place in any session prior to attending.

  • Monday Paddington Track: This foundation track session is for those whose 10k time is about 48 minutes or more – a great workout to raise your pace to the next level. Details and booking via this link on the Serpie website.
  • Tuesday Intervals: Evening interval sessions at Bermondsey Spa Gardens.  For details and sign-up please follow this link on the website. Any questions: bermondsey@serpentine.org.uk.
  • Tuesday Paddington Track: Our Endurance coach Gavin Edmonds is coaching this session at Paddington Recreation Ground Track in Maida Vale. It is suitable for everyone who is able to run 30 miles or more (over 3 runs or more) per week. Details and booking via this link on the Serpie website.
  • Thursday Primrose Hill: Evening hill sessions at Primrose Hill – please see this link. The sessions are suitable for all levels to improve strength, fitness and endurance.  Any questions please find details and contact information via the above link.
  • Saturday Greenwich Hills: Please see session and booking details via this link on the Serpie website.
  • Saturday Hampstead Heath Hills: Please see session and booking details via via this link.

Swimming Sessions

We continue to have these two Serpie coached swim sessions. To sign up, please email our trialthon rep Anne Bennett indicating which session you would prefer. Please note this operates in a first-come-first-serve basis.

  • Orchard Lisle Pool, Guy’s Hospital, London Bridge - Monday evenings, 8-9pm. Cost: £90 for a block of 10 sessions
  • Pancras Square Leisure Centre, St Pancras - Wednesday evenings, 8-9pm. Cost: £90 for a block of 12 sessions

The Last Friday of the Month 5k

The next Last Friday of the Month 5k race will be on Friday 26th November. The race starts at 12:30pm also near the Hyde Park Boat House. For race details, including how to register, please click here. Please note that registration normally closes before race day, and you will NOT be able to run without signing up in advance. If you want to volunteer to marshal please contact the race organiser.

Meal of the Month

Our meal of the month is back in November!  On Wednesday the 17th of November at 8pm (after the usual club run) members are invited at Massis Grill and Bar from 8pm.  Please complete the form here to confirm your participation.  Please watch out for event's communication from Monica in the coming days.  

And finally…

  • Already looking ahead to 2022 – we have started to organise the 2022 New Year’s Day 10k. The race licences have been arranged, the marquee is booked, the course has been measured. All we now want is YOU! This is a race that Serpentine RC organises and our members do not enter the race; instead we volunteer to put on a good show for the London running community. So if you want to start the new year by doing something positive while having fun with other members, please register your interest to volunteer via this link on our website. Any questions? Please email our new race organiser Carlos Arrebola.
  • We are doing a sale for the triathlon kit this month. For £10 only, you can get your own Serpie cycling jersey, jacket, gilet, and also triathlon top and shorts. If you want a tri-suit instead, it is only £20. If you want any of the tri kit, or any other Serpie kit, please contact our kit rep Marina to arrange a time (mostly Saturday morning) to come down to Seymour Centre – you need an appointment in advance.

Enjoy November with us!

Hans Ho

Participation Representative

Submitted: 9 November 2021

Back