Run>Dartford: Dartford Heath 5k 2016

The Run>Dartford website and series of races has been set up with inclusivity in mind. The website is full of helpful information on Dartford's running groups and clubs, and should be a really valuable resource for existing and new runners alike. Although the website is free from any kind of club bias, the whole resource has been put together by various people within Dartford Road Runners.

On the back of the website, there is also a summer race series which features five races in five different Dartford locations. They are all low-key affairs and the total number of runners has been limited to 100. Although it is possible to turn up and enter on the night for these races individually, I decided that I might as well enter the whole series. One last detail - runners have been encouraged to wear neutral colours rather than club vests for the series, which should help to maintain the inclusive feel to the events. So I'll be leaving my Dartford Harriers vest at home for these races.

dartford heath [photo:7t]

The first of the series was a Friday night race on Dartford Heath. This is an area of heathland to the South West of Dartford town centre and over the years has gone through a few changes. The first recorded size of the heath was in c.1797 when it was said to be 500 acres in size - over the years, housing and road developments have reduced the size of the heath down to its current 314 acres.

The heath hosted a ceremony in 1660 where King Charles II made an address. In April 1930 a young woman was murdered on the heath when a man quite randomly jumped from some bushes and stabbed her in the back - he was subsequently caught and sentenced to death. During WW2 anti-aircraft guns were installed on the heath. These days the heath is recognised as an area of outstanding natural beauty and also a valuable habitat for wildlife.

i will be runner 53 for the entire series [photo:7t]

So back to the race. The course was 5 kilometres and was just under two laps around the heath. It's difficult to describe the course in full but it was run mostly on dry dirt paths with the rest of the course covered on grass. The heath is essentially flat but there were a few short, sharp inclines to negotiate on the way round. Another fun, but challenging feature was a series of steps to run down - it was harder than it sounds!

Something that is special with this series is that all of the results are being published, not in order of finishing time, but in order of age-graded finish time percentages. All prizes at the end of the series will also be allocated by age grade. It's a great idea and it certainly makes things a little more interesting. There are no individual race medals on offer, however, anybody that completes a minimum of 4 races will receive a bespoke Run>Dartford medal.

meeting place and finish area [photo:7t]

So, my race. Well. I made a couple of errors. Firstly I ate a banana 10 minutes before the race started and this did not sit well in my belly during the race - I felt tight all around my stomach and really suffered. Secondly, I went out way too hard, which on top of being silly probably made the issue with the banana worse than it would have been otherwise.

I was in fourth place at the end of the first lap, but I had a miserable second lap and was overtaken by at least 10 runners which was not a nice feeling - it's also one that I'm not used to as I don't often make the mistake of going out too hard. After looking at my splits I was disappointed with my 4th kilometre that was massively slower than the others, but after checking some other runners data, they had a similar pattern so I actually don't feel as bad about that as I did.

in action [photo: keith harvey]

On the plus side I did record my best 5k time (20.35) since about this time last year, so that was quite nice. That gave me a 65.83% age grading and I am currently sitting in 14th place in the overall age-grading based points table for the series.

Time: 20.35
Position (based on age grade): 14th
Full results: Dartford Heath 5k 2016
Current points in the table: 65.83 (currently in 14th position)

Joydens Wood 5k Series 2015 - Race 1

The Joydens Wood 5k series is hosted by Dartford Road Runners with the races taking place on the last Wednesdays of May, June and July. The events are run over three different courses within the woods which means that each runner gets to look forward to being reduced to tears in three different ways.

welcome [photo: dani]

I first heard about these races in 2014. However, I only managed to catch the last race of the series. This year I was better prepared and had kept an eye out for the confirmed dates for all three races and noted them in my diary.

Most of the event details and venue history were covered in my post from July 2014 so please have a read if you need more information. I mentioned in that post that there is a great running community in Dartford and I can only reiterate that now - in fact, for me it feels even stronger than it did then.

the official slgr photographer and chief supporter (note the black and orange) [photo: 7t]

I had pre-registered for all three races and had already collected my bib (7) from the Dartford Road Runners chairman a few days earlier, so I arrived with my number pinned on and ready to run. I'd also brought my daughter and wife who took on the roles of official chief supporter and SLGR photographer for the evening [photo album].

We arrived, found a parking space and got ourselves over to the race HQ area with plenty of time to spare. There were plenty of familiar faces around already and everything was gearing up to be a great evening. The race had a limit of 150 runners and it looked like it could be close to a sell out.

always use double knots. always. [photo: dani]

I went and had a little warm-up and was pleased to find that there was absolutely no queue for the toilets (that's because there are no toilets, just lots and lots of trees - this is the woods after all!).

The race kicked off at 7.15pm sharp and 126 runners headed off on the same undulating/hilly five kilometre course through the ancient woodland that was used last July. Being in the woods, it's a trail race and is almost entirely stony and/or uneven underfoot. There's even a crazy downhill section on loose gravel which would please the thrill seekers amongst you.

assembling at the start line [photo: dani]

My running club, SLGR, had turned up in fairly good numbers (16 of us, which made us the most well represented club on the night) and I was part of a trio that were so evenly matched that we were in close-sight of each other the whole way around.

In fact I spent the first two kilometres watching one of my team mates ease off into the distance and the next two trying to claw back the lost ground.

the slgr trio [photo: dani]

The inclines were steep and uneven in places - sometimes gravelly, sometimes a little softer, but always tough. However, being able to take part in a race in the serenity of the woods made every agonising step worth it. The final incline, known as 'Mount Misery', which is around 800 metres in length, was just as brutal as it was last year.

The trio of top finishing SLGR runners that I had been part of for the entire race finished within an eleven second window in positions 13, 14 and 15. It's not very often (if ever) that we have three runners in the top 15 so it was a good evening for us. The full results are on-line and can be accessed via this page - Joydens Wood 5k - May 2015 Results.

the slgr trio approaching the finish [photo: dani]

My own performance was a whole minute slower than I had been last July, but I was in much better shape back then so that was no surprise to me. My full GPS readings including kilometre splits and the course profile can be found here - Strava: Joydens Wood 5k - May 2015.

It turned out to be a great evening spent in good company. The Dartford Road Runners were great hosts and they deserve much praise for their efforts. As a club they have also been incredibly supportive to us over at Dartford parkrun where I know that the rest of the core team are also very grateful.

#teamslgr [photo: dani]

The second race is scheduled to take place Wednesday 24 June with the final one set for Wednesday 29 July. It's a great venue for a race so if you're local and available it's definitely worth giving one (or both) a go.

So Let's Go Running

The So Let's Go Running running group was formed to replace the Dartford Sweatshop Running Community run, which ceased to exist when the Dartford branch of Sweatshop was closed down at the end of 2013.

the runners at the first event

I had only been running with Dartford Sweatshop Running Community (SRC) since the summer of 2013 so was still fairly new to the group, but there were others that had been with the group since it started and over the years had formed a really strong running community.

The feeling was that this community could not just be allowed to disappear. So runner and chief editor of the So Let's Go Running magazine, Brian, along with run leaders Dawn and Les, set to work in getting this new group up and running. The group was registered as an official Run England running group and had it's first run on 7 January 2014.

the 'so let's go running' core team

The meeting point for the run is at the Goals football centre / The Leigh Technology College, just off Green Street Green in Dartford (postcode: DA1 1QE). The Goals centre has ample free car and bicycle parking, toilets, changing facilities and a bar area for a bit of post-run socialising. The group meets on Tuesdays at 7pm for a 7.15pm start. It is free to run, but you can contribute by buying a copy of the So Let's Go Running magazine, which features articles and run/race reports written by local runners (a couple of my parkrun blogs have been included in past issues) as well as articles on other subjects such as nutrition and cross training.

You can see the current standard 5k route in the photo below but if you'd like to examine it in more detail, feel free to have a look at my Strava GPS route from the group's second run on 14 Jan 2014 - I didn't run the first as my foot was feeling a bit iffy, but I didn't want to miss it completely so I turned up with my camera and took some photos instead.

The run heads out of the goals centre and turns left onto Green Street Green. Princes Road is then crossed via the pedestrian footbridge. The run then heads east along Princes Road where the runners use the underpasses and footbridge to negotiate the big roundabout. At the end of Princes Road there is a crossing followed by an out-and-back section along Watling Street up to the hospital roundabout and back.

the route

From here the route continues west along Watling Street, past the fire station and cemetery entrance, over the motorway and then swings left along Pilgrims Way. At the end of this road it is a simple case of retracing one's footsteps over the pedestrian footbridge and back along the paths into the Goals centre car park.

For those who do not wish to tackle the full 5k, there is the option to cut out the out-and-back section, which takes just over 1km off of the total distance. The route is pretty well lit throughout, is almost completely flat and has minimal road crossings. There is a 7km route which is an option for those who fancy going a little further - here's my Strava GPS data of the 7km route. I think it looks a bit like a scorpion.

Plus, there is a beginners interval session that uses the run/walk technique to help new runners get started and improve their fitness before progressing to one of the other runs.

post run chatting

Of course, this is not just a group for the ex-Dartford SRC runners. Runners of all abilities are most welcome to come along to run or run/walk with the group. So whether you are a beginner looking for some like-minded people to offer some encouragement or a more established runner just looking for something different, please feel free to come along.

For more information you can reach the group leader, Brian, via the So Let's go running social media channels;

So Let's Go Running on facebook

So Let's Go Running on twitter


stv/7t