Whilst we will provide more information ahead of each race, you may be interested to know that:

Race distances – men and women will both race between 7 and 8k at each of the five races, on the same course, in separate races.  This will be reviewed next year, based on turnout, so it would be great to see more people, particularly women, take part.

Race times – have shifted to accommodate for the change in race distance apart for the Senior Men’s race:

U11: Female: 12:25 / Male: 12:30

U13: Female: 12:40 / Male: 12:45

U17: Female: 13:00/ Male: 13:05

Senior: Female: 13:30/ Male: 14:35

Age categories: Male and Female veteran categories have been equalised at V40 – there will be no V35.

Fixtures: the 2019/20 fixture list has been provisionally set and offer variety and excitement – pencil the dates in your diaries now!

12th October: Claybury

9th November: Welwyn

7th December: Uxbridge

11th January : Alexandra Palace

8th February: Trent Park

Volunteers – from next season every club must provide at least two volunteers for each race.  More female stewards are needed for the female junior races where there have been particular shortages, to the extent that it has been touch and go whether some races could go ahead.  Any parents or guardians able to help in the finish area or on the course (and or for senior runners to help out before they race) would be very much welcomed.  We will put out a call for volunteers ahead of the first race in October.

The Met League extended personal thanks to Daisy Gladstone and her army of Serpie volunteers for all their hard work and without whom it might not have been possible for some of the races to go ahead.

Divisions: In an attempt to manage the size of Division 3, Divisions 1 and 2 will now be of 12 teams each, so that the bottom two clubs from Divisions 1 and 2 will NOT be relegated. The top 2 teams from Division 2 will be promoted and the top 4 from Division 3 will be promoted. This means our women B team should avoid relegation. C teams will be required to be complete teams in order to score. There will be an update coming through at some point to say that C teams won’t be allowed into Division 1 (although the discussion on this seemed to only extend to men’s teams).

Tom Poynton

running@serpentine.org.uk