DPR October Newsletter
Happy Saturday morning! We have a busy weekend ahead… If you’re not on your way already get to Dulwich Park quick, to run with and cheer on our beginners who will be running their first ever parkrun at 9am – there will of course be celebratory cake afterwards! As cross-country season is now here you could then join our Intro to Cross Country session at 1115 at Queen Mary’s Gate in the park – run by our club captains and coaches and everyone welcome – road trainers will be fine!
And of course tomorrow morning is our flagship 5 mile event – and club championship – in Dulwich Park – look forward to seeing lots of you running and volunteering. Thanks so much for your support!
There’s still a few weeks of the beginners’ course left – we really welcome current members’ support – if you can help at all speak to Susan or Di or email beginners@dulwichparkrunners.com (and remember there’s a free breakfast for all who have helped on the last day!)
Next Saturday sees our first cross-country event of the season at Richmond Park with the men racing at 1330 and the women at 1445. It’s free, it’s fun, it’s around five miles, there’s cake afterwards and everyone is welcome! Sign up to the what’s app groups and talk to our cross country captains Alan and Alison for more info!
Race Achievements
Firstly huge congratulations to Harris Leung for a valiant effort in the Thames Path Ultra Challenge on September 14th. He reached a hugely admirable 50kms in spite of an injury – pic above. Tom Poynton ran the Tallinn Half on the 13th, Vivienne Ward-Caddle ran Richmond Half on the 14th and Alison May ran the Ipswich Half on the 21st.
We had two big London races in September – The Big Half and the Vitality 10k. The Big Half saw 22 DPRs joining the throng of runners and we had a lovely time celebrating with them all, both in Greenwich post-race and at the Clubhouse the following Tuesday. Congratulations to Susan on another epic time and age grading which meant she was first in her age category! We had a fantastic 30 people run the Vitality 10k on the 28th while Alan Brown, Laura Griffin and Lucy Ross ran the Eridge 10 mile, Chris Ince did the Wimbledon Craft Half Marathon and Blanche Armstrong was in France for the Paris-Versailles 10 miler. Congratulations to all! Results for our runners in the Big Half and the Vitality 10k will be on the website soon.
We are really keen to celebrate members’ achievements more so do post your medal pics on the what’s app groups and let us know if you get a PB or have something else we should shout you out for!
Upcoming Club Championships
Sunday 19th October 9am – 10 Mile – Cabbage Patch 10 (or any other officially measured 10 Mile race completed between now and 19th October). We have 42 runners signed up for the Cabbage Patch 10 which is a good number considering how quickly it sold out. Look out for final race information e-mails nearer the time. We’ll aim to congregate for a post-race catch up immediately after the race.
Saturday 1st November 9.00am – 5k – Dulwich parkrun. Please make sure you are registered to Dulwich Park Runners under your parkrun profile if you are wanting a result in this race.
Marathon Club Championship – anyone who completes a marathon in the calendar year. Please make sure that you have told Lucy Ross if you are completing a marathon to ensure you are included in the overall results.
Paddock Wood Half Marathon, on Sunday 8th March, will be our 2026 Half Marathon Club Championship. This is a well-timed race for those doing Spring Marathons and was well received by many members this year. Entry is £28 with your EA membership until the end of this year with a slight raise after that so no reason not to get your entries in sooner rather than later. This race did sell out this year.
And remember you can claim £20 back for a race that you’ve signed up to that’s taking place before the end of the year – just email a copy of your entry fee receipt and bank details to chair@dulwichparkrunners.co.uk, races@dulwichparkrunners.co.uk and treasurer@dulwichparkrunners.co.uk
Thursday Improvers Sessions
Short speedwork on the track. These sessions are good preparation for the cross country season, and for longer races such as Cabbage Patch 10 in mid October. The sessions are free to any club member who has consistently run over 10 miles a week for the last few months. If you have any questions, would like to join us, or would like general coaching advice, please email Susan at coach@dulwichparkrunners.co.uk
DPR Coaching Surgery
The next surgery is after the Dash in November, in the upstairs room at the Crown and Greyhound. This is for anyone who would like general help with their running, increasing their weekly mileage, or specific help with training for a race. This will be useful for anyone who would like to prepare for the start of a schedule in the New Year for a spring Marathon or Half Marathon. There’ll be a sign up form on the whattsApp nearer the time, so please look out for it. In the meantime if anyone would like coaching advice of any kind please contact the coaches (Susan, Tom, Katia or Zach) at coach@dulwichparkrunners.co.uk
Sunday Runs
Our Sunday runs continue throughout October – we meet each week at 9.30am at Dulwich Park Café. They are a super relaxed way to get some miles in, and are suitable for runners of all speeds, fitness and abilities. We have a rota of 8k – 10k route suggestions, and whatever route we choose each week, shorter or longer versions are also always available – nobody runs on their own. On Sunday October 26 we have our next Sunday Social member-led slot, with Chris Ince designing and leading a 10k route along the River Wandle Trail. More details about this, and each weeks runs are on WhatsApp – so do ensure you’re added to the DPR Sunday Social Run group!
Thank you, Rosemary and Dave Harris, for organising a brilliant Brockley Three Peaks, September members designed/led run, and also to Lucy Ross and Di Suter, who guided our supporting runners all the way to their cheerleading spots – for The Big Half and Vitality 10k – pics below.
Social Corner
Two of our talented members have events in October which you are very welcome to join. Beth has got a book out! An American Cricket Odyssey has taken over 20 years of research, several laptops and a lot of pain, frustration and hard work to complete – it’s about the often moving, often tragi-comic subculture that is cricket in America. The launch is 13th October from 1830 at Leadenhall Waterstones, Whittington Ave EC3V 1PJ (near Bank) and you can buy it here as well as in lots of book shops! And then Darren’s anti-war play The Door is being performed (including by him!) on 29th October at Canvas & Cream in Forest Hill. Get your tickets here!
DPR QUIZ NIGHT – SATURDAY 8 NOVEMBER
Trevor Bailey Sports Club 7.30pm
Looking to exercise your mind as well as your body? You’re in the right running club!
Scientific studies suggest that trivia questions in quizzes can improve memory function, leading to better cognitive performance (…although I can’t remember who said that…).
With our very own Susie as quiz host, tickets include a choice of either Ken’s award-winning Fish & Chips or a delicious veggie curry, a bottle of wine and soft drinks for each table. You can BYO drinks and friends too. This promises to be an unmissable evening. Come with friends in a team or just turn up and join in.
So what are you waiting for? Book your place at the DPR quiz now. Tickets here for £16
Meet a Member
This month’s member is Usman Ahmed! If you fancy being featured in the future let me know.
1. What got you into running/DPR and what do you most enjoy about being a part of DPR?
I did cross-country when I was at school, along with other sports and activities like tennis, football, cricket and martial arts that kids do. Later on, I dipped back into and out of running as an adult, sometimes putting down quite heavy mileage and sometimes less so. I found DPR around this time last year when I came across a flyer for the Intermediate 5k-to-5m course posted on the corkboard in Herne Hill station. I promptly signed up to get some more focussed and structured training than I was doing by myself, and from there I got roped into joining by Mark S. My favourite thing about DPR is the Thursday night speed sessions, coached by Susan – running on a track is tons of fun and the feeling of going all out is such a rush. And I also love the racing opportunities. This summer I went to Tromsø in Norway with David, Will, Beth, Alison, and IB to run in the marathon that takes place there every Summer Solstice, and I would never in a million years have done something like that if it weren’t for the club. (Pic above is Usman at the Arctic Cathedral at around 32km!)
2. What do you most enjoy listening to when you run?
The world! I never listen to music when I run – one of the things I like about running is getting away from distractions, not adding more of them, so I try to leave my phone, watch, and headphones at home whenever I can and just let my thoughts run free (pun intended). Besides, one overhears some absolutely fascinating conversations when running through London’s parks, streets, and paths…
3. What is your next running goal?
I’d love to nip under 1:30 for a Half Marathon. My current PB is 1:32 so it’ll be a challenge but I hope not an impossible one.
4. What is your fave post-run meal?
Chocolate milk and a banana.