River Thames Half Marathon 2016

Running conditions were good for the River Thames Half Marathon on Sunday October 30th 2016, dry and cool but not cold as the mist lifted from the river at the start by Walton Bridge. The race, organised by Roy Reeder's River Thames Running, featured a field of more than 1700 runners on a course centred around the river at Walton-on-Thames, in Surrey just to the west of London.

The first two miles of the course are on road/pavement in surrounding streets, before joining up with the river path and heading east. Opposite Bushy Park/Hampton Court across the Thames, the course turns back and follows the river bank west for a good five mile stretch before a final loop brings you back to the start/finish.  

So more than half of the route is directly on the river towpath, a mixture of tarmac and gravel, quite narrow in places which can make overtaking a challenge - or on the positive side make it harder to be overtaken. It's a nice stretch of the river, with locks, boats and lots of rowing (the route passes directly in front of Molesey Boat Club). Best of all the course is more or less completely flat, unless you count a couple of bridges.

Seven ran from my club, Kent AC, with Che Compton winning first vet prize with his 11th overall position. At least five of us got good PBs I believe, I was pleased to take more than a minute off mine, finishing in 1.37.10.

Some of the Kent AC runners at the finish

Overall winner was Bedford's James Hoad in 1.10.16, while first woman was Becky Atkinson of Clapham Chasers in  1.20.11. Both set course records, in this the third year of the event (full results here)

It would have been a perfect race but for taking a tumble at the end. I was given it my all on a final dash to the finish when I tripped and landed with a thump on the hard gravel only about ten metres from the line. I got up and finished, but with cuts/grazes to head, shoulder, knee and hand. Nothing too serious, but quite painful and enough blood to be told not to come into the ambulance as I would make too much mess!

Blood, sweat and beer - nice medal doubling up as a bottle opener, I needed a drink after that.

Paddock Wood Half

The start of the race - eventual winner Toby Lambert (right with headband) already in front

(photo from Sussex Sports Photography)

2,061 runners finished the 26th Paddock Wood Half Marathon last month (March 29th), a good race through the Kent countryside on a mostly flat course (other than one hill just after the first mile). The forecast was for heavy rain and strong winds, but it wasn't quite that bad even if it was getting a bit wet and blowy towards the end.

Toby Lambert (Winchester and District AC) won the race in 1:07:09, followed by Tom Collins (Medway and Manchester AC) and Robert Jackaman (Cambridge Harriers), while the unstoppable Clare Elms (Dulwich Runners) was first woman home for the third time, coming in at 1:22:30 ahead of Tina Oldershaw (Paddock Wood AC) and Una English (full results here). I was happy enough to duck beneath 100 minutes.

The finish line

This is Paddock Wood Athletic Club's big annual event, raising funds to keep it going throughout the year as well as for Kent Surrey Sussex Air Ambulance. It's a friendly and well-organised event, with the support of various local community groups such as the Girl Guides helping out with the baggage.

The course starts on an industrial estate in Paddock Wood before heading through country lanes, passing farms and yes oast houses as featured on the rather wonderful medal.

 The oast houses were built to dry hops for the beer trade, and in heading down to this traditional hop-growing area from SE London our Kent AC crew were of course following in the footsteps of all those who went down there from the capital in September up until the 1950s for working 'holidays' harvesting the hops. We didn't sing this traditional ditty which was recorded at a Deptford hop-pickers’ reunion in the 1990s:

'We are the Deptford girls, We are some of the lads

We know our manners, Spend all our tanners

We are respected wherever we go.

We go marching down the Old Kent Road,

Doors and windows open wide.

If you see a copper come, Hit him in the eye and run

We are the Deptford girls'.

 (source: Hilary Hefferman - The Annual Hop: London to Kent, Chalford, 1996)

Hop pickers in Kent, 1948

Running London (8): Croydon Half Marathon

Last weekend around 30,000 people took part in the Berlin Half Marathon, while another 25,000 ran in the World Half Marathon Championships in Copenhagen. But never mind that, on Sunday I headed down to Croydon for the rather more modest Streets Ahead Croydon Half Marathon, completed by 436 runners. Size isn't everything you know... it was a lovely Spring day, and a friendly event with the starter inviting us to enjoy Croydon's 'sunny magnificence'

Organised for the 4th year by local running club Striders of Croydon, the run raised funds for local homeless charity Nightwatch. Kevin Quinn came in first with a time of 1:13:44, while Lisa Harris of Croydon Harriers was first finisher amongst the women runners in 1:26:49.

The race finished at the event centre at Sandilands Sports and Social Club, home of Striders of Croydon. Easy to take these places for granted, but I've come to appreciate these little green oases where people have held on to sporting facilities rather than sell them off to developers to build on.

The route headed through the flowery suburbs in the area of Sandilands station, with their mock tudor houses and magnolia trees, and then round the perimeter of Lloyd Park (home of Lloyd parkrun) and the edge of the woods on Addington Hillls. Quite challenging in parts, but with a very welcome long downhill stretch on Shirley Road.

Just like in Berlin, the course negotiates tram lines. Unlike in Berlin, there are also farm buildings. Certainly within the boundaries of Greater London and the London Borough of Croydon - but were we really in London? In So... F*ckin Croydon, a nice essay celebrating Croydon's counter-cultural history, Les Back writes:

'Traditionally a Londoner - a true cockney - was someone born within the sound of Bow Bells.  Perhaps, the cockneys of the informational age - the age of urban light - are those born in sight of Canary Wharf.  The glow of the Capital's cityscape is clearly discernible from the Surrey hills, yet Croydon is situated at a junction point within the magnetic field of London's geography... The boundaries of metropolitan inclusion and expulsion oscillate around Croydon's identity. Artistically this ambivalence is productive.From one alignment of forces Croydon is expelled by the inner London authentics and cod cockneys who - like Lydon and Bowie - want to confine it to a satellite colony, a kind of urban Alcatraz for the stylistically flawed.  This is countered by the desire in others that Croydon be drawn whole-heartedly into the Capital and South London proper.  Then, there are those suburbanites who look the other way into the green heart of the North Downs. They want to cultivate success and embrace the appearance of affluence through “the illusion of country living”'.

So that's yes and no... Must admit in my tired state when I first got there I caught sight of these fine beasts in the corner of my eye and thought they were ponies!

The route of Croydon Half Marathon

Previously in the Running London series:

Nunhead Cemetery

Hilly Fields

Southwark Park

Richmond Park

Hackney Marshes

Dulwich Park

Burgess Park

South London Running News: Spring 2014

The sun has shone and the ground's drying out, and even the most fair weather of runners are showing their faces and indeed their legs.

Sidcup 10

I took part in Kent Athletic Club's Sidcup 10 Mile Road Race a couple of weeks ago (Sunday 9th March) and it felt like the first run of the summer, I was pouring water over my head after the first lap. More than 300 people took part in a well organised run, starting off at Sidcup Leisure Centre and finishing three laps later in the grounds of Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School. Mark Steinle (Blackheath & Bromley) came in first for the men with a time of 55:11, while Tina Oldershaw (Paddock Wood AC) was the women's winner in 62:05.

Lewisham-based Kent Athletics Club have had a busy winter, winning the Surrey Cross Country League for the second year in a row. Not to mention the club's Conrad Williams winning a silver medal in the 4 x 400m relay at the World Indoor Championship in Sopot earlier this month.

Parkrun

Parkrun continues to expand locally as everywhere else. On 8th March, more than 1400 runners were out for a 5k Saturday morning run across nine South East(ish) London runs, compared to 969 in the same area on the same weekend last year. At my home parkrun, Hilly Fields in Lewisham, slippery conditions on the muddiest part of the course necessitated a change of route during the latter part of the winter, but it's now back to normal.

Parkrun participants in 9 South London events,
second weekend in March, 2013 and 2014

10ks

Nearly 700 people finished the 'Wrap up and run' 10k in Crystal Palace last week (16th March) in aid of Age UK. Patrick Brown of East London Runners was the fastest man (35:52), while Sarah Watson of Kent AC was the fastest woman (39:59).

With the encouragement of Southwark Council, London City Runners are establishing a London City Athletics Club that will include a youth athletics section. Their inaugural event is a 10k run in Southwark Park on March 30th - with plans in place too to refurbish the athletics track in the park. On Saturday 5 July the park will also see the Southwark Park 150th anniversary 10k Run, organised by PB Race Events.

PB Race Events are also organising the 'Run for Diabetes 10k' in Greenwich Park on Saturday 14th June, while on 19th October there's another Greenwich Park 5k/10k organised by Run Through.

New Eltham Joggers are organising the Eltham Park 5 on Sunday June 8th, a 5 mile run through Eltham Parks and Shepherdleas Wood. There's also a 3.5 km run, and a 1 mile family fun run on the same day.

Croydon Half

Next big run for me is the Croydon Half Marathon on 30th March,organised by Striders of Croydon - I think there's still some places left.

(all photos from Sidcup 10 2014)

See previously: South London Running News Summer 2013