DPR June Newsletter
There is SO MUCH HAPPENING this month! Before we get into dates for the diary though, let’s reflect on May where we also seemed to fit a zillion things in, with most members of the club apparently jet-setting to do some kind of race in a glamorous non-London location, at the same time as having a load of Dulwich Park Activities too! Above a pic of our amazing 5km championships – read on for the results.
May Races and Achievements
A huge 58 people competed in the 5km club champs and it was fab to be joined by so many recent beginner graduates and newer club members. There were a brilliant 17 PBs with Evie Richards and James Asfa bagging the golds, Sara Bredemear and Carlisle King the silvers, and Charlotte Day and James Hewlett the bronzes. We were also in the park for our 1 mile championships with James A doing the double alongside Charlotte, second spots won by Faheem and Nicole, and Adam and Amber picking up third. Special shout-out to Rosemary who earned a new Club Record and an impressive 81.85% age grading. Full results and club record details are on the website.
May saw a load of marathoners with Nat and Mathilde running in Edinburgh, Tim in Cape Town, Andrea and Frederick in Stockholm, and Chris in Liege at the Beer Lovers Marathon – where he may have been aided by the odd stop. And in a dose of healthy competition, Ib – seeing Lucy R complete 2 marathons within 2 weeks last month – decided to do the same – the Belfast Marathon – which means she has now completed one marathon in each of the four home nations – and the Giant’s Causeway marathon just two weeks later. Apparently she was an impressive 15th – or second to last – whichever way you want to look at it!
Conor, Henry, Sian and one of our newer members, John Catlin, all ran the Hackney Half. Tom Poynton had a busy weekend running two legs of the Green Belt relay on consecutive days covering over 20 miles in total. And Gillian ran the Battersea Chase the Sun 5k as a guide runner to a first timer. Well done all!
Despite it being May, trail runs were en vogue with Alan, Lucy, Helen, Jess and Laura running in races of various elevations at the Keswick Mountain Festival – where there’s also live music, expert talks and very good pints, one to watch out for in future years (pic above). Nicole took park in the trail Fox 20km race, Jenya the Phoenix rosé Half Marathon at Denbies Vineyard, which also sounds like one to bookmark, and Adrian did various fell races across the country. Finally, Chris, Clare, Alan and Lucy also fitted in a Peaks visit with Lucy adding another 55km to what is going to be an impressive total 2026 mileage!
Welcome to all our (many) new May members – Sidumiso Sibanda, Dipa Das, Rebecca Bardsley, Sutapa Bhaduri, Prasansa Stansil, Luke Chapman, Mark Ridgewell, Nicole Sweet, Rani Gandesha, Amy Clarke, Tamzin MacEwan, Bernie Smith, Ellie Clegg, Helen Forsey, Laura McCaughan, Elizabeth Kane, Amber Keatley-Shaikh, Julie Davison, Rebecca Mitchell, and Frederick Johnson.
Onto June....
You know what June means – SUMMER LEAGUE! Four FREE 5 mile or 10km races in parks across London over the summer with picnics afterwards! Put these dates in your diary now – June 14th, June 28th, July 12th (the Dulwich one – pic above of Ib starting us off on a previous outing) and July 26th.
There are also RELAYS! In order to help our coaches organise relay teams it would be fab if you could self-time your 400m . You can do this in Dulwich Park whenever you like (the mile loop is marked every 100mts), or specifically 12.15 on Sunday 7th June (before our next juniors training session) if you’d like the coach to lead a warm up and start you off! Meet inside Rosebery Gate (where the Dash starts). There’s also the opportunity to run on the track on Thursdays so you can warm up with Improvers and then self time. All this will help your Club (coach!) get out the best relay teams on the day. It’s not just about speed, because we get points for age too, so please email your time for 400m and your age on 14th June 2026 to coach@dulwichparkrunners.co.uk.
We have a couple of additional great relay events coming up – on 24th June the Midsummer Relays in Dulwich Park, where we have entered 10 teams with a short wait list. It kicks off at 7pm with a children’s race and the main races at 7.30pm. Please come along to support and if the weather cooperates we’ll have a picnic after in the park – all welcome! And a call out for anyone else for the Dinodash in Crystal Palace on Wednesday 8th July at 730pm – teams of three running about 3.5km each – everyone welcome no matter your pace and it’s all free, with a pub visit afterwards! Get in touch with Lucy R if you’re interested.
Special Announcement - change of start/end location Tuesday 23rd June
As many of you will know at this year’s AGM, DPR decided to commence meaningful talks on the feasibility of the nearby Streatham and Marlborough Cricket Club becoming the new DPR club house (pic above). These talks have begun but are very much in exploration phase. However, as there will be a large Scouts event in Trevor Bailey on the 23rd June, and in order to give members the chance to explore, we intend to start and end both the 630pm and 730pm social runs from the new cricket club pavilion (SE21 7EX). The bar will be open after we run, so do feel free to stick around, buy a drink and have an explore. Note, like Trevor Bailey, this will be a shared space during cricket season. If you have any comments or queries either before or after the visit, do contact Ib and David W in confidence at chair@dulwichparkrunners.co.uk
Juniors
If you’ve got kids who are keen to start running our coaches are holding a training sessions for parents, to which their children are invited, Sunday 7th June at 1pm. The main target is the Summer League races and relays (we get extra points for younger members!), and junior parkruns, but there’s also other races DPR are involved with where kids can be part of the team. Any questions on the junior coaching offer on the Junior What’s App channel or by email to coach@dulwichparkrunners.co.uk
Improvers
Remember that as well as our social Tuesday runs our coaches run free Thursday Improvers Sessions if you’ve been running more than 10 miles per week over the last couple of months. For June we are on the track, working on shorter distance speed. There will be sessions at a mix of miles and speed – those on a lower weekly mileage will be increasing distance and those on a higher weekly mileage will be working on their pace. All the sessions are good for anyone looking for increased speed over any distance, and for encouraging an extra run in a week. Think of them as preparation for the Summer League races and relays! If you have any questions, would like to join us, or would like general coaching advice from any of the Coaches or Run Leaders, please email Susan, Tom, Katia or Zach at coach@dulwichparkrunners.co.uk
Sunday Social Runs
Our Sunday Social runs continue throughout the summer months and are a great way to get some miles in and to meet and run with other members of the club. We meet each week at 930am at Dulwich Park Café with an invitation for coffee after. We have a rota of 8k – 10k route suggestions, and whatever route we choose each week, shorter or longer versions are also available. All speeds and levels of fitness are catered for and equally welcome – we always have at a least a couple of people who will very happily run / jog / trot as gently as required – nobody runs on their own!
We even got out of London for our May members-designed run – massive thanks to David M who took us on a gorgeous route through the (much needed) shade of Petts Wood in Kent – pics above. On Sunday June 7th Rosemary and Dave Harris will lead our next member-designed run, From Oaks to Docks. They write “Starting at Honor Oak Park station, we’ll head out on a relaxed, quiet route through Brockley and New Cross Gate, making our way to Deptford Park before following the waterside paths around Greenland Dock to Stave Hill for some of the best panoramic views of the Docklands skyline, before finishing at Canada Water – with the usual well-earned coffee and cake invitation afterwards…” More details about this and all Sunday runs, are published each week on What’s App – so check you’re added to the DPR Sunday Social Run group!
SOCIALS!
Lots of chances this month to get to know your running friends socially! On the 16th June come along to the Trevor Bailey clubhouse for 730pm for our annual DPR fun summer games and races. We promise you’ll discover new skills you didn’t know you had! Bring summer snacks to share and we’ll provide cold drinks. And on the 17th June we have booked an area at The Florence in Herne Hill to watch England vs Croatia in the World Cup. And then on 27th June there is a disco night at the famous and ever-popular Rivoli Ballroom, tickets here.
Meet a Member
This month we meet Sarah McPoland, a relatively new member but already impressing with her attendance at club events!
Tell us about your running journey and how you joined DPR
I always preferred sprinting as growing up in Cumbria, distance running equalled compulsory cross country, the infernal Furness Abbey hill, bleak winter weather and well-meaning teachers chirping words of encouragement from each turnstile whilst sipping coffee from a flask.
Fast forward to summer 2024 and a marathoner friend suggested embarking on some short local runs. Despite following a gradual plan, a past injury from a very brief and ill-informed venture into athletics swiftly returned.
In search of advice and incentive to continue, I explored local running sessions for beginners, completed the DPR course last September and became a member of the club in November.
Favourite thing about DPR
The club is such an inclusive community and members are so invested in celebrating each individual’s achievements – from epic marathon times to parkrun personal bests, every success is acknowledged.
Favourite running tune
Spotify’s “Best of Chvrches” playlist (which perhaps coincidentally includes the songs “Recover” and “Lungs”) has been the soundtrack of several recent parkruns. The tunes are catchy and the beat supports with pacing (so my enthusiastic inner sprinter remains firmly in check)!
Next running target
To continue to improve my stamina and endurance and to complete my first official event – The Big Half in September.
When you’re not running what are you doing?
Until recently, flat renovations but having completed the final project (a kitchen refit) in November, far less DIY thankfully.
As a side note, I can highly recommend the DPR course for anyone considering a similar project as the bi-weekly running homework serves as a very welcome escape from the inevitable domestic chaos involved!
When out of Lycra (photo attached for evidence), I enjoy the theatre, live music, exploring local art fairs or vintage markets and train travel too apparently!