Author: Sarah Kenyon

It is exciting to be getting back to our training venues at SV and MP and training together! Please do not just turn up on training nights at either Medway Park or Sutton Valence. Coaches will be advising their training groups on their return rules and procedures.

All athletes should have renewed their memberships and should not be training without a renewed membership. If there are any problems with this, please do get in contact.

Please see guidance from England Athletics here

It is important you still follow social distancing guidelines as advised by Public Health England. Information here

If you would like to return to training and are not part of a training group, you will need to register your name first. Please contact sarah.kenyon@hotmail.co.uk and she will advise you further.

We wish you all the very best as you return to your training and competition.

The full update from England Athletics can be found here https://www.englandathletics.org/athletics-and-running/news/guidance-update-2021/

With guidelines for a return to training being 29th March. Further details will be confirmed.

I hope you and your families are keeping safe and well during this lockdown.

Thank you to you all for continuing to renew your membership in 2020 which obviously supports the Club to continue in what has been a difficult year for all.

As mentioned in previous correspondence, this year we are introducing a new membership system, ‘Membermojo’. The Committee have made the decision to delay renewal membership fees for 2021 allowing for an additional 3 months to the current 2020/21 membership. Membership renewals will now be due 1st April 2021. Going forward the membership year will continue to run from 1st April until 31st March.

Unfortunately, with another lockdown in December, once again, training had to stop at Medway Park and Sutton Valence along with group training and competition planned for the early part of the year, cancelled. We have therefore also decided to reduce the renewal membership fee due on the 1st April 2021. Fees will be confirmed soon.

Membermojo will send out an automatic reminder approximately one month before your membership is due. You will be able to complete a renewal form on line along with BACs payment. Hopefully there will not be too many teething problems!

A BIG thank you to all our coaches that have continued to offer one to one training (where possible), training schedules, support and motivation. Similarly, to parents that have helped and supported their children during this time. It’s not been easy but there does now seem to be some light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully it will not be long until schools reopen, followed by tracks and group training along with competition restarting!  The KCAA has a provisional track and field timetable on their website and other leagues are likely to be offering some type of Club competition. No doubt we will hear more in due course.

I know some athletes have been taking part in virtual competition to keep motivated which can help keep up motivation. Steve Fury has also helped arrange some virtual competition for younger athletes with a few other local Clubs. It was good to hear from Steve Munday that Conor Murphy, currently located in South Carolina in the US, has been competing (how jealous are we) with a recent season’s 400m best of 49.80s with more to come I’m sure. Well done Conor!

Continue to keep motivated, safe and well during this time.

https://www.englandathletics.org/athletics-and-running/news/guidance-update-2021/?fbclid=IwAR0dsbkWCFaa3w5zaDfDn9VE_9QEHr9ThnyS6kzi02UINnISn7CJ_zbAKFw

Please find here the latest guidance from England Athletics following on from the latest announcement from the UK Government on Saturday.

Your coaches will keep you informed for when we are able to resume training at both Medway Park and Sutton Valence or alternative training provision following EA and Government guidelines.

Take care and wishing you and your families well during the Christmas period.

The Folkestone Coastal 10k lends itself to fast times and this year was no exception, Medway & Maidstone AC athletes came away with no less than 7 PBs, a second place overall, the men’s team win and 4 age category wins.

Ben Tyler was 2nd overall, crossing the line in 32:09 for a 29 seconds PB; he was followed home by Chris Rampling in 5th place, his 33:59 beating his previous PB by 54 seconds; Daniel St Martin was next home in 10th place, his time of 35:59 representing a 17 seconds PB; he was chased home by Daniel Longhurst in 12th place, his 36:06 finish time was a 31 seconds PB; Alun Rodgers was next across the line in 21st place overall and first in the M50 category, his time of 38:43 improved his PB set in 2011 by 51 seconds; Steve McGlynn was next home in 33rd place, his time of 40:23 was just 3 seconds outside of his PB; Bob Fursey completed the M&M men’s entry in 69th place, his finishing time of 44:38 earned him the win in the M55 category.

There were two M&M ladies competing, Taryne McPherson had an excellent race finishing 6th overall, her 42:02 winning the F40 category and further improving her PB set 3 weeks previously by 71 seconds; Vera Hunter, who is currently transferring to the club, marked her 10k debut with a strong run to finish 7th, her 42:11 took the F35 category win.

There were further licensed open meetings either side of the Bank Holiday weekend in which M&M athletes competed.

At Dagenham on the 23rd August the clubs 800m runners were out in force. Pick of the times was the 2:18.98 pb for Josephine Bassett in the under 15 girls race. In the same age group there was also a big new pb for Abigail Royden of 2:27.33 and a seasons best of 2:41.47 for Lily Crossley. Also in action in the under 13 girls races were Elizabeth Fry (2:42.14), Iris Crossley (2:43.05) and Rose Crossley (2:44.41). Billie Rouse was just outside her pb in the under 17 girls age group with a 2:21.06 clocking.

Sadly, the wind was over the legal limit for some of the 100m races, Rebeccah Akinsanya’s eye catching 13.06 and 13.07, being two of the affected races. Jake Foster was luckier with the wind running a big new legal pb of 12.78 in the under 15 boys races, while dad John was just outside his best with a windy 13.33. Jake was also in pb form in the 300m with a new best of 45.21, where the stand out time from an M&M perspective was the 40.35 seasons best from V45 Mark Rothery. Mark’s daughter Katie was also on form recording a new pb of 46.81 alongside Amy Jukes’ 47.07 pb.  
At Lee Valley on the 29th August in the British Milers Club open meeting, Charlotte Young recorded a swift 2:19.99, while in the under boys age category, there was a new pb of 2:28.01 by Theo Ronchetti. 

Meanwhile at Chelmsford in the SEAA Covid Games, Andre Wright ran a very fast, albeit wind assisted time of 10.67 in the senior men’s 100m, while Harry Osborne was once again under 11 seconds, with a 10.99 legal clocking in the under 20 men’s race. In the ladies races Abi Walters went sub 13 for the first time legally with a time of 12.93, while the wind was just over the limit for Lucy Hope’s 12.92 and Charlotte de la Porte Godden’s 12.94. Also out of luck with the wind were Cameron Isaac (12.82) and Daniel Shoyoye (13.06). The strong winds made the 400m races even more difficult than usual, but there were some very encouraging results. Dylan Purton, in his first ever race over the distance, ran a 52.17 pb in his heat of the under 17 men’s race and then finished third in the final with another new pb of 51.86. Finn Rodgers equalled his pb of 54.29 in Dylan’s heat, while Maddy Sawyer, competing for M&M for the first time and also a debutante over 400m set a pb of 61.35 in her heat and a near identical time of 61.48 in the final.

M&M athletes also saw competitive action at Canterbury on the 29th August. Again the wind ruled out most of the sprint times from standing, but there were nevertheless some very promising performances from the younger age groups. In action over 100m were Jake Foster (12.83), Rebecca Akinsanya (13.29), Grace Akindeji, in her first ever Club race (14.40) and Jasmine Mark (14.21). In the 200m there were useful runs from Sammy Gosling (25.19), Mia Franklin (30.05), Lennon Franklin (30.90) and Annaleise Kerswill (31.48), meanwhile at 300m Amy Jukes was just outside her pb with 47.11, closely followed by Ruby Towler (50.68). In the 400m races there were a number of personal bests: Ben Lineker (58.37), Racheal Anderson (63.17) and Katie Stringer (72.62). 

At 800m the star of the show again was Josephine Barrett, who shaved her pb again with a fine run in the under 15 girls category, clocking 2:17.68 to move her up to 12th in the current UK under 15 rankings and a new club age group record. There were plenty of other fine runs over 800m from Luke Stringer (2:06.15), Ethan Gear (2:08.06), Hayden Gear (2:12.45), Billie Rouse (2:21.64), Emma Ryan (2:23.76), Abigail Royden (2:28.37), Annabel Young (2:30.39), Macey Sawyer (2:33.79), Lily Crossley (2:40.16), Iris Crossley (2:42.76 pb) Rose Crossley (2:42.09 pb), Nia Thomas (2:56.83) and Ciara Harrop (3:06.94). 

Completing the M&M contingent in action on the day was club coach John Foster, competing as a V50 and recording some excellent times in the 100/200 of 13.47 and 27.51.