DPR October Newsletter
Spooky month is here and there are plenty of DPR treats ahead! If you’re reading on Saturday morning there’s still time to get to Dulwich Parkrun for 9am where our Beginners will be running their first ever 5k and need our support! It’s also parkrun’s 22nd birthday and Dulwich’s 700th event so I hear there will be a lot of cake, what other persuasion do you need to get out of bed!? It’s also the graduation week for our 5k to 5 milers, so come along or stick around for 10am to help them celebrate. Please look out for them on future Tuesday and Sunday club runs, and throughout the rest of the month do come along at 8am and 9am to continue helping with the courses – there’s free breakfast at a local café in week 8, for all helpers on any course!
Sunday marks our next Club Championship! 5 miles in Dulwich Park at 930am – the route is here and is the same as for our Summer League event. We will meet on the grass near the children’s playground for the race briefing at 9.25am. Please bring your own water if you need it and remember to wear Club kit! We will go for coffee afterwards at the park café.
September Achievements
We had mass Club participation this month in two big London races – The Big Half and The Vitality 10,000 (pic above in front of BP) – both fantastic days and a total of 60 DPRs between the two, some people running both! Then a load of people did Half Marathons during the month – Ben F and Alicky in Budapest, Jamie G doing his now regular double at Wimbledon Common and then Battersea, Chris I in Cheltenham, David W in Ipswich and Benjamin L in Ealing. Xavier ran the Battersea 10k, Luke Chapman did the last Friday of the Month 5k at Hyde Park, and Nicole hit the trails at the Eridge 10 miler.
And Zach and Sara took a trip to Warsaw with Zach competing in the 10k and Sara doing a fabulous time for her first ever Marathon (pic above). Well done all!
We celebrated everyone’s achievements at the clubhouse with pizza and medals galore and Ilaria took the shield for the Parkrun Ladder.
Upcoming Races
So no sign of mud yet as we bask in unseasonable sunshine, but cross country season is here – hurrah! The first Surrey League event is at Reigate on 10th October with the women running at 1200, and the men at 1400. Everyone, whatever pace, is welcome, they are free, lovely and friendly events and we always have a fab picnic and probably a pint afterwards. Please wear club kit and let our Captains Alison and Alan know if you are coming along!
On Sunday 18th October at 9am we have our 10 mile club championship at the Cabbage Patch – over 90 of us entered! Look out for final instruction emails nearer the time. Race numbers are collected on the morning of the race. If you have a place but can no longer run or would like a place please see David W’s poll pinned to the top of the General Chat WhatsApp group.
There’s more cross country in November, with the iconic London Cross Country Championships on 7th November at Parliament Hill. We will once again be able to pay for members’ entry to this event – look out for info in the XC WhatsApp Groups. And on 8th November it’s the Beckenham Charity Trail 10K – at 11.02am – a fabulous local run with tea and cake afterwards. On Saturday 14th November it’s our cross country club championship at the second Surrey League event at Morden Park.
We have 22 of us confirmed for our Autumn Away weekend to the South/Sussex Downs and there’s room for more! We are staying at the South Downs YHA from Friday 27th – Sunday 29th November and participating in the multi-distance RunRebel Sussex Downs Trail Runs on Saturday 28th November. The accommodation is in dorms exclusively for DPR use. The plan is to arrive Friday evening (public transport is very easy as Southease train station is only 300m from the hostel) with dinner available at the hostel for those who want it. On Saturday morning, after our hostel breakfast, we travel the short distance to Plumpton Racecourse for the trail runs. On Saturday evening we will have a celebratory dinner out in Lewes. The hostel sits on the South Downs Way so is perfect for a walk on Sunday morning for those who wish to partake. The cost of the accommodation (B&B) is £90. Please email Lucy Ross (lucy.ross@gmail.com) or get in touch via WhatsApp if you’d like to join.
And if you already have your 2027 diary why not start filling it up?! There’s the great Tadworth 10 on Sunday 3rd January 11.30am – a fab race to start the New Year off with pub lunch afterwards. And our Half Marathon Club Championship for 2027 will be Paddock Wood on Sunday 14th March. Enter here with early bird discount until the end of this year.
Coaching
On Wednesday 7th October Ronnie, who is a pharmacist and sub 3 hour marathon runner will be sharing his wisdom on nutrition at the Crown and Greyhound at 730pm. Our next coaching surgery will be after the Dash in November. Look out for sign up on the app nearer the time, or contact the coaches and run leaders on coach@dulwichparkrunners.co.uk.
And remember as well as our Tuesday Social Runs, we also get together on Thursdays. Anyone running over 10 miles a week is welcome to join the Thursday Improvers group. Please email coach@dulwichparkrunners.co.uk beforehand for full information and if you need help increasing your mileage so you can join us, also get in touch. In October we continue our work on the track with endurance speed, so great for slightly longer runs, including the Cabbage Patch 10.
If you have any questions, 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 Runs
As well as Tuesdays and Thursdays, DPR also runs on Sundays! Our Sunday Social Runs are a brilliant, relaxed opportunity to get some miles in and run with other club members. We meet every week at 9.30am at Dulwich Park Café, with an invitation to join for coffee afterwards. 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 & levels of fitness are catered for & equally welcome – we always have at a least a couple of people who will very happily run / jog / trot as gently, or as speedily, as required – nobody runs on their own!
Thank you to Mark for leading our DPR Big Half Cheerleading Group all the way to Greenwich, and to Oghene for her September DRP Members designed route Catford to the Creek – a great variation on an old favourite DPR route!
On Sunday October 11th Lucy Ross takes us on our next members designed adventure. Lucy writes:
“Have you ever wondered how much a DPR Sunday run group weigh or how long it might take said group to get to the centre of one of London’s largest mazes? Where could you have ridden on an underground pneumatic railway, witnessed many an FA Cup final or motor racing over the years and even whizzed down a ski slope?
A visit to the newly restored Crystal Palace Park via Dulwich/Sydenham Woods and Sydenham Wells Park will help us answer all these questions and more. Undoubtedly we will also see dinosaurs.
We’ll start at DP Café as usual at 9.30am, and head up into the Woods. The run is 5 miles long and will finish at the lower end of Crystal Park where we can get refreshments. From here there are multiple transport options/routes back to wherever you may wish to go. Don’t miss the fun!”
Meet a Member
Today we meet Peggy Cosgrove!
Why do you run?
I run for my mental and physical health. I run to make lists. I run to escape lists and clear my head from everything. I run to listen to people’s stories and share mine. I run to listen to podcasts and novels. I run to listen to the sound of footsteps and my breath and nothing else. I run to be with people and I also love running to be on my own away from everyone. Even at a slow pace I run for the feeling at the end!
Tell us about your running journey and how you joined DPR
When I reached 40, I realised I need to take my fitness seriously so I started couch to 5k. When I saw the leaflet for the beginners I thought I’ve got nothing to lose so I signed up. It was hard, but such a joy – and I loved how I felt AFTER every run. Being part of a group was great and I was really supported to do something new that was never in reach before, so that was exciting. Never thought I’d stick with it afterwards though… This was in 2019 and COVID was about to hit…. Running was what got me through lockdown!
What is your favourite thing about DPR?
This is the easiest question to answer. The people! From Di and Susan and everyone in my beginners group to everyone I run and have coffee after these days – such lovely, gracious, generous, funny people who I now call my close friends. They also happen to be the best counsellors and amazing story tellers making the kilometres pass so much easier!
What is your favourite running tune?
I love Hamilton and when I need inspiration on a long run I play if from beginning to end. And when I need a boost, I put Shake it Off on – I am a mid-life Swiftie much to my kids dismay!!
What is your next running target?
I did my first half marathon last year (it was my goal before I reached 50). I am looking forward to Cabbage Patch and Paddock Wood – my target is always to finish with a smile on my face. PBs matter very little if you have hated the run. (Ed: we need a t shirt with this on!)
When you’re not running what are you doing?
My life is very busy, as I’m working in advertising, managing social calendar as well as laundry for my two teens, seeing friends and travel to see my family in Athens. In short it never ends! Running is where I usually stop thinking about the next thing I have to do and concentrate on how I’m going to manage to complete a distance!!
What is your favourite post race snack?
Pastries. I am regularly running to a bakery. I cannot think of a more satisfying thing than the first bite of a pastry when you’ve run to it.