Ashford Striders are a friendly running club based in Ashford, Kent. We offer free taster runs for potential members wishing to see if they want to join. Club membership is charged annually at £25 per person. The club is a not for profit organisation so all monies will be invested back in to the club.
We strive to be an all-inclusive club catering for runners of all abilities, from 5K to ultra runners.
Club running nights are Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. On a Monday and Tuesday we offer Technique sessions and runs from various locations according to the planned session and on a Thursday we offer runs at various paces and these, at present, are at 6.45pm from the Ashford Railway Club in Beaver Road.
Please complete a Free Taster Session Form, or contact us if you are interested in running with us, so we can let you know our upcoming meeting times and places. Please allow at least 24 hours for your request to be processed.
After what has been a beautiful weekend weather wise we’ve seen yet another great round of results from Striders here and over the pond in Paris!
To start with Parkrun a total of 45 Striders attended a Parkrun on 12/04/25, 37 at Ashford and 8 on tour.
Ashford Parkrun
Simon Pharoah was first strider across the line with a time of 18:08, followed by Adam Booth with a time of 21:38, and Dan Green third strider, with a time of 22:21
They were followed by
Terry (fred) Sellen 23:58, First lady Strider was Linda-jean Delport 25:11 followed by Mark Niles 25:44, next up was Chloe Stott in 26:05, Daniel Schwartz 26:17, Carole Thomas 26:28, Josh Stephens 26:45, then Scott Hawkins in 27:07, and hot on his heels was Elle Weekes in 27:08, Michael Ruck 27:19, David Helme 28:54, David Gadsby 28:57, Jason Brice 29:21, Rachel Phillips 29:27, Joe Fowler 29:33, Eloise Pegg 29:43, Harry Lockhart 29:44, Vicky Stevenson 29:45, Catherine Wall 30:50, Tamsin Ritchie 30:58, Peter Broom 31:31, Jayne Hatton 31:40, Don Dewar 31:46, Amanda Watson 31:59, Rebecca James 32:00, James Gray 33:10, Penny Grigg 35:50, Lin West 37:23, Maria Chapman 37:34, Clare Nunn 39:57, Helen Rumsey 40:04, Martin Whittingham 41:42, completing tail walking duties was Paul Diddams on his 100th Parkrun in 53:24 and Pauline Tallett 53:25.
Parkrun Tourism
Harry Scott completed the Dover Waterfront parkrun in 21:42. The week after a marathon that is some achievement!
Lisa Gribbin completed the Levengrove parkrun in 28:14.
Lionel Hammond went solo against his and Donna’s pact and completed the Leybourne Lakes parkrun in 26:37, he was joined by Nicola Crawley and Justine Wearn who tailwalked in 56:30 and 56:31.
Jamie Penfold completed the Squerryes Winery parkrun in 28:00.
Justin Burden completed the Sunny Hill parkrun in 30:09 with Laura Clark coming across the line in 44:26.
Well done park runners and thank you once again to the volunteers – events can’t go ahead without support of the community.
Now Sunday and over the channel to Paris we had a trio of Striders completing the Paris Marathon! As soon as Andrew and Richard figured out the directions to the start line they were ready and raring to go Union Jack shorts and all! Richard Randle stormed across the line in and awesome 4:41:52 sprinting straight to his train home! Following after Richard were Vicky Shrubsole and Andrew Cornwell who crossed the line together in 5:51:34, gaining an awesome PB for both! Bravo l’équipe
Back in Kent and we head over to Canterbury with Micheal Davies at the Canterbury Riverside 10km. Micheal crossed the line in 45:52. Gaining a course PB and an age category award, well done Micheal.
Finally we had the Kent Spring Marathon and Half Marathon. This undulating course is a test for even your seasoned runners so the results I’ve seen today are truly spectacular! I feel privileged to have seen you all run today and I must say you were all looking very strong as you passed us by! First Strider over the line for the Half Marathon was Simon Pharoah in 1:24:01 earning himself a course PB! Next up with a half marathon PB was Steve Rumsey with a brilliant time of 1:53:00, chasing Steve down were Dave Winchester and Chloe Winham, Dave fresh from the Brighton Marathon in a time of 1:54:20 and Chloe with a fantastic PB and first lady strider in 1:54:23! Next up and running together were Harry Lockhart and Eloise Pegg with Harry stepping over that line a fraction quicker with 2:12:26 to Eloise’s 2:12:27! Final tandem pair were Megan Clare and Mat Norman completing their very first half marathon, and what a one to choose, in an awesome Personal Best time of 2:22:20! Well done to everyone on their half marathons today.
Final mention goes to Henrike Grund, not only was she the lone Strider to complete the Kent Spring Marathon with a Personal Best but she managed to knock a huge 15 minutes off of her course PB! Well done Henrike!
Fantastic performances everyone. I’m proud to be an Ashford Strider this weekend. ❤️
Keep putting one foot in front of the other and getting it done.
Good morning you lovely people. How the devil are you? Well it’s the morning after the day before and a few of us are feeling a bit sore and sunburnt. But what a day it was. More of that to come.
As ever we’ll start with parkrun.
A total of 54 Striders attended a Parkrun on Saturday, 43 at Ashford, and 11 on tour.
We’ll start at home in Ashford.
Neil Wood was first strider across the line with a time of 21:39, followed by Dan Green with a time of 22:30, and Terry (fred) Sellen third strider, with a time of 24:10.
They were followed by George Phillips 25:12, Claire Green 26:30, Scott Hawkins 26:52, Mark Niles 27:36, Harry Scott 27:54, Jamie Bartlett 29:38 and David Gadsby 29:49. Then came Catherine Wall 30:52, Tamsin Ritchie 31:10, Rebecca James 31:15, Peter Broom 31:53, Victoria Shrubsole 32:01, Andrew Cornwell 32:02, Amanda Watson 33:20, David Martins 33:21, Richard Randle 33:21, Robert Harris 33:24, Delia Millen 34:40, Katie Fox 34:54, Jason Brice 35:04, David Holland 36:21 and Jennifer Watts 36:34.
We then had Rachel York 37:31, Kevin York 37:32, Aimee Donohue 38:00, Clare Nunn 39:32, Stephen Cartwright 53:20, Nadine Lidbury 53:21, Sharon Gardner 53:22, Rita Cooke 53:24, Justine Wearn completing her 250th parkrun with 53:27, Nicola Crawley 53:28, Sarah Martins 53:29, Ross Mcinnes 54:05, Sharon Mcinnes 54:06, Pauline Tallett 54:07, Daniel Schwartz 56:07 and Julie Nicholson 59:43.
So let’s head out on the road with Parkrun Tourism.
Lisa Gribbin headed to the woods and completed the Bedgebury Pinetum parkrun in 32:30. Down on the coast Simon Pharoah completed the Dover Waterfront parkrun in 22:07 followed by Rick Newman 39:45.
A bit further down the coast in Hastings was Lionel Hammond completing the Hastings parkrun in 26:02 with Donna Hammond completing it in 32:14.
Isabelle Froissart completed the Pegwell Bay parkrun in 30:13 with Rachel Tomsett completed it in 32:42.
On the old tank training grounds in Hampshire Jamie Penfold completed the Hogmoor Inclosure parkrun in 29:53. Up in London Justin Burden completed the Wimbledon Common parkrun in 27:57 followed by Laura Clark in 43:38.
Winning the prize for furthest distance travelled was Maria Chapman completing the Zuiderpark parkrun, Den Haag in 40:14.
So to the weekends races. The sun came out, bibs pinned to tops and the starters gun went off.
Starting overseas on Saturday we had Elle Weekes who completed the Magaluf Half Marathon in 1:55:54. Well done Elle.
And now to Sunday beginning with the London Landmarks Half Marathon.
We had 5 Striders taking part on the streets of the capital. First over the line was Kat Silvester with a PB time of 02:26:54. Then came Ross and Sharon McInnes who also bagged PBs and crossed the line together with a time of 02:28:53 followed by Dee Millen with 02:31:26 (PB). Finally we had Heather Fraser with a superb effort of 03:12:28. Well done you guys.
So now down to the South Coast and sunny Brighton for the 10K.
First over the line were George Cromwell and Lucie Shrubsole (PB) with a time of 59:10. They were followed by Sharon Gardner who crossed the line with 01:03:30 and then Andrew Cornwell and Vicky Shrubsole who crossed together with 01:04:11. Well done.
And finally the Brighton Marathon. As one of those who took part in this, it’s safe to say the conditions were brutal especially in the streets of Hove. The heat made it a tough race but the Striders dug in.
We had 20 runners in the event. First Strider across the line with a time of 03:28:26 and a PB was Frank Remigio. Well done Frank! He was followed by Keith Haynes with a time of 03:33:09.
We had three more runners coming in in under 4 hours all with PBs; Steve Greatorex 03:43:07, Harry Scott 03:48:47 and Dave Winchester with 03:59:28.
First lady home was Emma Konstantinou with a PB of 04:14:16. She was closely followed by Jack Farrant with a time of 04:26:50 which was also a PB. Then came Jamie Penfold with a time of 04:32:29. Harry Lockhart was next with a PB time of 04:44:31.
We then had Jason Brice with 05:01:24, Rob Harris with 05:02:30, Rose Hardy-Barrett with 05:13:57, Thomas Rogers with 05:13:57 (PB), Aimee Donohue with 05:20:01, Josh Stephens with 05:20:01, Stephen Cartwright with 05:28:02 (PB), Michelle Brice with 05:32:00, Rachel Tomsett with 05:37:06, David Helme in 05:38:40 and Dermot Carr for one last time as a Strider with 05:39:02.
Finally we had the terrific trio of Ombéline Marone-Hitz with 06:11:29, Ash Robinson with a PB of 06:31:08 and Lucey Townsend with a PB of 06:34:15.
Fantastic efforts all round. Anybody fancy a run today?
Another great week of running was had, with some lovely sunshine to brighten up the week!
A total of 44 Striders attended a Parkrun on 29/03/25 , 35 at Ashford, and 9 on tour.
ASHFORD PARKRUN
First across the line, with a shiny new PB on his 50th parkrun was Jack Farrant in 20:24. As if smashing marathon training wasn’t enough, we’ll just throw in a 5k PB too – congratulations Jack! Following behind was Dan Green in a time of 22:14, and Josh Stephens with a time of 24:20. Coming next was Thomas Rogers in 24:49, Terry (fred) Sellen with 25:32 and Linda-jean Delport in 26:10.
Mark Niles completed the course in 29:04 and David Gadsby in 29:47. Over to the 30’s club, we have Tamsin Ritchie in 30:25, Catherine Wall in 30:44 and Ross Mcinnes in 30:48 (another ‘taking it easy’ parkrun Ross?😉) Robert Harris completed parkrun in 31:39 and Amanda Watson in 32:26. Victoria Shrubsole just pipped Andrew Cornwell to the line, both finishing in 33:00 and 33:01 – ladies first I’m sure! Chloe Darling finished in 33:22.
Coming next was Jason Brice, including parkrun in his last long slow run before Brighton next week, finishing in 35:07. Victoria Corby was close behind in 35:11. Also marathon training and making sure parkrun isn’t forgotten, was Michelle Brice in 35:21 and Rachel Tomsett in 35:23 – completing parkrun amongst their long runs!
Maria Chapman in 35:53, Peter Broom in 36:45, Sharni Weller in 37:19 and Lin West in 39:13. Clare Nunn was shortly behind in 39:14, followed by Lee Standen 39:29, Jennifer Watts 39:41 and Julie Foster 40:45. Helen Rumsey is excelling in her I2R and completed the parkrun course in 40:50. Rick Newman, being guided by his daughter finished in 42:34. Last but certainly not least, we have this week’s tail-walker, Julie Nicholson finishing in 1:00:03.
As always, a huge thank you to everyone who took the time to volunteer – Adam Booth, Stephen Cartwright, Don Dewar, Sara Dewar, Julie Foster, Peter Heckel, Simon Jackson, Harry Lockhart, Ombèline Marone-Hitz, Julie Nicholson, Eloise Pegg and Stephen RUMSEY.
PARKRUN TOURISM
Justine and Jason Wearn, accompanied by Nicola Crawley headed down to Dover Waterfront Parkrun. Jason finished first in a time of 22:52, followed by the Justine and Nicola who gave their legs a rest after long runs on Friday and walked the course finishing in 49:41 and 49:42.
Lionel and Donna has an early wake up call to head down to completed Great Yarmouth North Beach Parkrun. Lionel finished in 33:23, with Donna behind in 49:26.
Justin Burden and Laura Clark completed the Gunnersbury Parkrun. Justin finished in 28:07, with Laura behind in 42:09.
Danielle Moss enjoyed a walk around the Maidstone River Parkrun and completed the course in 53:41. Good to see you back Dani!
Dermot Carr completed the Nonsuch parkrun in 31:07 – sadly one of his last runs as a Strider due to moving away! We hope to still see you around at some races soon and will always remember you and your awesome hats!🦑
HOWLETTS RHINO 5k🦏
Runners at Howletts Rhino 5k this morning ran round Howletts Wild Animal Park, and supported The Aspinall Foundation in their vital conservation work. This year’s race edition will be celebrating and supporting the rewilding of three black Rhinos in Tanzania by TAF.
5 fabulous Strider’s took part, taking in all the wonderful wild sights! First over the line in a time of 28:47 was Lionel Hammond. Following behind was Donna Hammond finishing in 35:30. Eloise Pegg and Harry Lockhart were next over the line, with times of 36:28 and 36:29. Last but not least, Lucy Townsend finished in 36:57. Well done everyone!
Aside from park runs and races, there has been a huge amount of you completing your LSR’s! Some of you have reached your longest distances yet and you are doing amazing! Those doing Brighton have their lap of honour very fast approaching. I wish you all the very best, stay positive, remember you’ve trained hard for this, and enjoy! ‘A marathon is hundreds of miles, the finish is just 26.2!’ YOU’VE GOT THIS!!🙌❤️
As you may have already seen, membership renewals are due by 1st April 2025. Please ensure you renew to continue running with us all! Reminder emails are being sent to you all today, please check your spam to ensure it is not missed.
Well done to you all for another week of running! See you all next week!✌️
It is official……. We are in spring. I am sure everyone is looking forward to the lighter nights, and warmer weather……..HOPEFULLY 😊
Firstly apologies for the delay in sending this out.
Saturday saw 51 striders attend a parkrun with Ashford seeing 40 of those.
Simon Pharoah continued his fine running form crossing the line in 18.08 taking the shiny silver medal on the day and gleaming gold for first strider round! Adam Booth second strider with a time of 20:44 and Jack Farrant third strider, with a time of 23:57.
They were followed by Stephen Rumsey 24:56, Neil Wood 25:12, Terry (fred) Sellen 26:08, Ian Mccutcheon 26:12, Claire Green 26:12, Scott Hawkins 27:34, David Helme 29:06, Josh Stephens 29:16, Harry Lockhart 29:17, Ombéline Marone-hitz 29:40, Tamsin Ritchie 30:26, Rachel Tomsett 31:58, Catherine Wall 32:24, Andrew Cornwell 32:33, Victoria Shrubsole 32:34, Michelle Brice 33:10, Ross Mcinnes 33:25, Richard Randle 33:33, Angela Craffey 33:40, Robert Harris 34:11, Delia Millen 34:22, Sharni Weller 34:31, Eloise Pegg 34:50, Aimee Donohue 34:50, Lin West 35:05, Sharon Mcinnes 36:40, Victoria Corby 37:18, Rachel York 38:16, Kevin York 38:17, Don Dewar 40:11, Rick Newman 40:11, Helen Rumsey 41:39, Pauline Tallett 52:54, Paul Diddams 52:55.
Big Shout out as always to the volunteers as without you we all know that the Parkruns can not go ahead. You all rock!!!
Tourism time and we start at the Amsterdamse Bos Parkrun where Peter Lane completed in 26.31.
Harry Scott completed the Cyclopark Parkrun in 27.02 while out doing a LSR run.
Dover Waterfront Parkrun saw 4 Striders come through the finish line with Justin Burden 29.29, Lisa Gribbin 32.40, Martin Whittingham 37.28 and Laura Clark 42.13.
Justine Wearn was the sole Strider down the road in Folkestone, completing the course in 52:11,
Lionel & Donna Hammond completed the Lullingstone parkrun in 28:39 and 37.16 respectively while David & Sarah Martins completed the River Valley parkrun in 31:11 and 34.38
Nicola Crawley completed the Seaford Beach parkrun in 29:15
Jamie Penfold completed the Swanley parkrun in 28:58
Maria Chapman completed the Whitstable parkrun in 36:44,
Vallette Half Marathon
Jason Caldwell took a trip to Malta to complete in Maltas most scenic race. However Jason didn’t have time to take in the sights and beautiful scenery as he stormed round the course in a half marathon PB of 1hr 41min 24secs. Simply incredible achievement. The accolades do not end there either as Jason finished 2nd in his age category aswell to top off what I am sure was an incredible day!!!
“Not” Hastings Half Marathon
With the unfortunate cancellation of the Hastings Half Marathon on Friday it didn’t stop 5 striders going out anyway and getting the distance done. So, I thought it would be nice to mention Dee Millen & Rich Randle (2hrs 45mins 16secs), Eloise Pegg, Harry Lockhart and Chloe Winham who completed the half marathon distance in 2hrs 17 mins.
Another week has passed with everyone out achieving their goals, preparing for half marathons or simply getting out there. Well done to you all and good luck for the upcoming week.
Two weeks to go until Brighton Marathon and London Landmarks Half, followed by Paris and the Kent Spring Half & Marathon and then Manchester and London Marathon.
Exciting times ahead and looking forward to hearing all the success stories after all the great training everyone is doing. #Friends #Run #Running #AshfordStriders #RunningFriends #race #Goals #StridersSupport #Beginners #Jeffing #NoOneLeftBehind #parkrun
The cold weather has returned and everyone has taken cover with no race results submitted this weekend.
Lots are fully into marathon training and the tough miles are upon us, well done to you all – keep up the hard work, the finish line is in sight.
Lots of parkrun achievements to shout about this weekend though!
A total of 46 Striders attended a Parkrun on 15/03/25, 32 at Ashford, and 15 on tour. I shall start at home in Ashford.
Dan Green was first strider across the line with a time of 23:10, followed by Darren Laker with a Ashford PB time of 23:49 well done Darren! Terry (fred) Sellen was third strider, with a time of 26:35 They were followed by Jason Sanders 27:19, Carole Thomas was our First Lady Strider this week in 29:42, Tamsin Ritchie and Sprocket 29:47, David Gadsby 30:25, Victoria Shrubsole with an Ashford parkrun PB of 30:26 – Well done Vicky, Don Dewar 30:27, David Helme 30:42, Dave Warner 31:26, Cara Linin 31:49, Catherine Wall 31:54, Amanda James 31:55, Rebecca James 32:17, Scott Hawkins 32:36, Andrew Cornwell 32:50, Ross Mcinnes 33:34, Sarah Martins 33:41, Michelle Brice 33:49, Jason Brice 33:52, Sharon Mcinnes 34:07, Sharon Gardner and Bailey 34:25, Sharni Weller 35:16, Peter Broom 36:21, Jennifer Watts 36:45, Clare Nunn 40:33, Vicky Stevenson and Dennis 41:15, Helen Rumsey 42:03, Leigh Freeman 42:47, Danielle Moss was our lovely tailwalker coming through the finish in 57:39.
Thanks again to our Ashford volunteers!
Danielle Moss
Stephen Rumsey
Also thank you to those of you that volunteer while you’re touristing! ❤️
Plenty of Striders ventured out and about to complete some Parkrun tourism this weekend too!
Justin Burden completed the Chelmsford Central parkrun in 28:20, he was joined by Lee Standen who crossed the line in 32:53, they were followed by Laura Clark in 42:04.
Lin West completed the Fulbourn Hospital parkrun in 36:36.
Angela Craffey decided she would celebrate her birthday in style at Kingston parkrun she breezed over the line in 33:02, closely followed by Rachel Tomsett in 33:45, Hazel Turner completed trio of party people in 46:51. Happy Birthday Angie!!
Donna and Lionel Hammond completed the Margate parkrun in 32:26 and 32:27 respectively – I imagine that was a beautiful sprint finish between the two of you! Well done!
Jason Wearn decided to head down to check out the Brighton start area ahead of marathon weekend and added Preston Park parkrun to his collection! Jason finished in 26:08, Nicola Crawley had a very active weekend after completing Preston Park in 31:47, Justine Wearn was tailwalker for the day and crossed the line in 50:48.
Elle Weekes proving what a powerhouse she is completed the Walmer and Deal Seafront parkrun as the first lady finisher in 23:21, followed by George Phillips in 24:28, Delia Millen also completed the Walmer and Deal Seafront parkrun in 34:51.
What a fantastic Saturday everyone. Please let me know if any amendments need to be made.
As we go into a new week no matter what you’re training for, just running for fun or if you are new to running altogether, it’s just one foot in front of the other and you just keep going! Well done everyone ❤️ Have a great week!
Hello Striders! I hope that you’ve all had a great week, and that training is going well!
We’ve had two big local races today, and the sun came out to spectate at them both, big time! I mean, as a famous comedian once said, ‘I like it warm, but that was too warm!’ It was actually a beautiful day but some of us weren’t prepared for warm weather running so those races were tough!
Before we get to today’s race results, we’ll check in with Parkrun and as usual, start at home. It was a beautiful day, spirits were high and runners were there in their droves! A total of 58 Striders attended a Parkrun, 46 at Ashford, and 12 on tour.
Adam Booth was first strider across the line with a time of 20:32, followed by Neil Wood with a Personal Best time of 22:06, and then Dan Green, third strider, with a time of 23:13 They were followed by – Jamie Penfold 23:18, Terry Sellen 23:47, Harry Scott 25:08, Kevan Strand 26:15, Jack Farrant 26:26 (great finish number!), Elle Weekes 26:31, Jason Sanders 27:03, Carole Thomas 28:47, Linda-jean Delport 28:49, David Gadsby 28:59, Lisa Gribbin 29:03, David Martins 29:34, Vicky Stevenson 29:48. Mathew Norman was next with 30:35, Amanda Watson, getting stronger every week, came in with 30:47, David Helme 31:40, Scott Hawkins 32:10, Rebecca James 32:17, and Nicola Crawley 33:40. Rob Harris got another great finish number with 33:55! Michelle Brice and Justine Wearn chased the finish funnel coming in at 34:06 and 34:07 respectively!, Rachel Oliver was next, with my 3rd favourite finish time of the report – 34:43, then was Dee Millen 35:19, Ross Mcinnes 36:29, Jason Brice, on his 99th Parkrun, came in at 36:34, Heather Fraser 37:49, Richard Randle 37:51, Kate Bushell 37:52, and Mark Niles 37:56. Another Strider on their 99th Parkrun is Pauline Tallett, who finished in a time of 38:34, then Lin West 38:45, Kevin York 40:26, and Rachel York 40:31. Helen Rumsey earned a lovely PB with 41:48, and was followed by Sharni Weller 42:10, Holly Forrest 42:31, Rick Newman 45:48, Leigh Freeman 46:18, and finally, Tamsin Ritchie at 49:07!
Among the volunteers were Peter Broom, Sara Dewar, Don Dewar, Peter Heckel, Simon Jackson and Stephen Rumsey – thank you for your time and effort, you are very much appreciated!
Parkrun Tourism
Catton parkrun – Julie Foster was in Norfolk for the Catton Parkrun and ran the course in 39:02
Crystal Palace parkrun – Danielle Moss tailwalked at Crystal Palace and completed in 53:49
Dover Waterfront Parkrun – Simon Pharoah absolutely smashed the Parkrun yesterday, coming in with a PB of 17:38, and a first place position!
Folkestone Parkrun – Rachel Tomsett was in Folkestone, and in a day of lovely finish numbers, came in at 31:31!
Hackney Marshes Parkrun – Daniel Schwartz completed this parkrun on 25:22
Lordship Recreation Ground Parkrun – Justin Burden and Laura Clark visited this parkrun and getting stronger each week, came in with times of 26:33 and 41:55 respectively.
Victoria Dock Parkrun – Darren Laker completed the course in 23:38.
Whitley Bay – Eloise Pegg was in the North East and completed the Whitley Bay parkrun in 26:54
Whitstable Parkrun – Lionel and Donna Hammond were in Whitstable for their parkrun and they came in with times of 27:23 and 32:29 respectively.
Willoughby Parkrun – Last but not least, the prize for furthest travelled this week goes to Joe Fowler, except there’s no prize because he’s in Australia and didn’t invite any of us!! Willoughby Parkrun is just north of Sydney and Joe completed their parkrun in 27:40!
Now onto today’s races, there were two of note, Paddock Wood half and the Lydd Marathon and 20 Mile. Lydd is notorious for being a test of the mind as well as the limbs so massive well done to all of you who took part, there were PB’s galore so you definitely conquered any mind monkeys that may have tried to make an appearance!
In the 20 Mile version of the race, Simon Pharoah was first Strider over the line with an amazing time of 2:12:34(PB), he was followed by Konrad Gryniewicz with 2:47:58(PB), Harry Scott with 2:49:50(PB), Steve Greatorex with 2:53:12(PB), Dave Winchester 3:06:58(PB), and Gayle Bailey, first lady Strider with 3:16:00(PB) on the nose! Next was Emma Konstantinou with 3:16:24(PB), Jamie Penfold 3:23:16(PB), Steve Cartwright, 3:27:40(PB), Jason Brice 3:36:28(PB), Chloe Darling 3:40:44, Jason Sanders 3:53:43, David Helme 4:00:53, Michelle Brice 4:02:19(PB), Rachel Tomsett 4:02:28 (Course PB), and then Ash Robinson, making an amazing come back, came in at 4:30:32(PB)!
Completing the Lydd half were Aimee Donohue, she was first Strider over with a course PB of 2:13:18, next was Peter Broom 2:13:24(PB) and then Angie Craffey with 2:35:43!
Over to Paddock Wood for the Half Marathon, this course is a beautiful countryside route, the on course support from local residents and groups was lovely, and the sunshine was beautiful…but hot, and I for one wasn’t ready for a hot run!
We saw some amazing performances as always, and first over the line for Striders was Frank Remigio with 1:21:42(PB), followed by Adam Booth 1:36:54, Eleanor Weekes 1:53:03, Henrike Grund 1:56:44(PB), Richard Randle 2:06:32, Nicola Crawley gained a course PB in 2:11:29, Ned Golding, smashing her training plan, came in with 2:12:29, George Cromwell 2:14:02, Jayne Hatton got a course PB with 2:16:19, Amanda James completed her very first half marathon in a brilliant time of 2:19:24 with Andy Found at 2:19:34, Lucie Shrubsole was next in at 2:24:34, crossing the line with Amanda Watson who earned a course PB in 2:24:44, Sharon Gardner crossed in 2:27:14, Jamie Weller, smashing the marathon training, got a PB at 2:32:36. Next over was Maria Chapman in 2:35:59, Justine Wearn with a season best time of 2:36:08, Jason Wearn 2:36:12, Andrew Cornwell 2:46:54 and finally and with a course PB, was Vicky Shrubsole with 2:46:55!
Massive thank you to volunteers at all races – you’re ace! 👏🏻👏🏻
I think that rounds up the official achievements for the week, although I’m seeing some massive achievements all-round from the posts on Spond and Facebook; beginners, runners on training plans, runners completing parkruns and getting stronger each week, it’s genuinely lovely to see! Keep being great people, and keep sharing your wins, whether they’re race PB’s or that you’ve conquered that hill that always used to beat you, it’s all great to see!
As the chill of winter begins to fade and the earth stirs with the promise of new life, March 1st marked the official start of spring and the vibrant celebration of Dydd Gwyl Dewi Hapus, or Saint David’s Day. The sight of daffodils blooming in fields, gardens, and along roadsides, a bright and cheerful reminder that winter’s grasp is finally loosening and evening begin to get lighter. Hurrah I hear you all shout!!
It was another Super Saturday of Parkrun participation from Ashford Striders, who had a spring in their step, with impressive performances at both the Ashford event and various tourism locations. Whether battling fog, rain, or chasing the sun, the Striders demonstrated their commitment to fitness, fun, and camaraderie. Great job to all those who participated!
On Saturday, 1st March 2025, Ashford Striders turned out in full force for another fantastic weekend of Parkrun. With a total of 48 Striders taking part across various locations, it was a day of impressive performances and some great Parkrun tourism!
Ashford Parkrun Highlights:
At Ashford Parkrun, 32 Striders took to the course, with Simon Pharoah leading the pack, crossing the line in an impressive 18:02. Keith Haynes followed closely behind with a time of 20:10, and Adam Booth claimed third place for the Striders with a time of 21:39.
They were followed by
Konrad Gryniewicz 22:14, Dan Green 23:21, Linda-jean Delport 23:35, Jack Farrant 24:31, Daniel Schwartz 26:25, Jason Sanders 26:51, Kevan Strand 28:29, Amanda Watson 30:04, David Gadsby 30:12, Joe Fowler 30:54, Dave Warner 31:09, Ross McInnes 31:33, Rebecca James 31:43, Catherine Wall 32:03, Nadine Lidbury 32:53, Kevin York 34:28, Mark Niles 34:34, Jason Brice 34:36, Rachel Oliver 37:33, Lin West 37:41, Jennifer Watts 38:32, Lee Standen 38:32, Julie Foster 39:21,Rita Cooke 41:46, Helen Rumsey 43:57.
A huge amount of gratitude to those who volunteer to ensure that Park Run happens. A shout out this week to Jason Caldwell, Don Dewer, Sara Dewer, Robert Harris, Peter Heckel, Sharon McInnes, Mathew Norman, Stephen Rumsey, Terry (Fred) Sellen and Hazel Turner. It’s fantastic to see so many Striders out enjoying the run and achieving personal milestones!
Parkrun Tourism:
While the Ashford event had a strong showing, many Striders ventured out to explore other Parkrun locations, and here are some of their adventures:
Peter Broom completed the Cyclopark Parkrun in 29:19 and Pauline Tallett tackled the Eastbourne Parkrun in 44:22.
Elle Weekes along with Dora the Explora and Tamsin Ritchie with Sprocket took on the Folkestone Parkrun, with times of 25:11 and 27:40, respectively. Emma Matthews also visited Folkestone, finishing in 38:46.
‘Konnichiwa’ from Lisa Gribbin as she took her Parkrun experience international, completing the Futakotamagawa Parkrun in 41:11 in Japan. ‘Otsukare!’
We also had some Striders enjoy their own brand of mischief while on tour. Nicola Crawley and Justine Wearn were spotted at Peckham Rye Parkrun, completing the course in 31:17 and 33:07, respectively.
This week, the weather was as varied as the locations our Striders visited, with some enjoying sunshine while others faced foggy conditions. Here’s a quick weather recap:
Lionel Hammond and Donna Hammond enjoyed blue skies at Pegwell Bay Parkrun, finishing in 28:15 and 31:54, respectively. Over in sunny Southsea, Justin Burden crossed the line in 26:49, while Laura Clark completed the course in 58:16.
Despite foggy conditions in Shorne Woods, Rachel Tomsett finished in 33:38, and she even bumped into fellow Strider Martin Whittingham, who completed the run in 38:43.
In foggy Minster, Richard Randle completed The Leas Parkrun in 27:27, with Delia Millen following shortly after in 33:40.
It’s great to see how the Striders make the best of the conditions, whether rain, fog, or sunshine! Many Striders were out in full preparation for their marathon training this weekend enduring their Long Slow Runs! One Strider who has ticked that off their list is Lisa Gribbin. Lisa completed the Tokyo Marathon in 4:52:30. A huge well-done Lisa from all Striders!
Well, what another wonderful weekend for Ashford Striders, with amazing performances at both Ashford Parkrun and a host of other locations. Whether pushing for personal bests or exploring new courses, our Striders continue to show dedication, enthusiasm, and a sense of fun. We can’t wait to see what next week brings!
I will end on this for all us runners whether you are at the start of your running journey or a seasoned runner. ‘The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start’ and ‘Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up!’
With marathon training season now in full swing and lots of races being put on for people to test their fitness it was a busy weekend. As always it started with Parkrun with the Ashford event being added on or plonked in the middle of a lot of peoples longer runs.
You may find this difficult to believe but Simon Pharoah was first Strider across the line and in a blistering time of 18:15. He was followed by Dan Green with a time of 23:34 and Jason Caldwell completing the Strider podium as third Strider in 24:04.
Terry Sellen 24:10 was next through and then First Lady Strider was Linda-jean Delport in 24:53. Stephen Rumsey 24:56, Darren Laker 26:57 and Kevan Strand 27:30 were the next trio to complete followed by Justin Burden 27:41 and Jason Sanders 27:48. Harry Scott completed in 28:21 followed by Robert Harris 28:36 and then completing the sub 30 gang was David Gadsby in 29:41.
Nicola Crawley finished off her 16 mile run with a 30:16 finish followed by Tamsin Ritchie in 30:31. Ombéline Marone-Hitz 31:37, Catherine Wall 31:39 and Adam Booth 31:51 came through next followed by the trio of Jason Brice 32:38, Elle Weekes 32:57 and Vicky Stevenson 32:58. Sharon Gardner 33:38 was next through followed by Andrew Cornwell 34:22 and Amanda Watson 34:29. Don Dewar made his comeback after surgery with 36:20 just ahead of Justine Wearn 36:34 and Jason Wearn 36:39. Maria Chapman 37:23, Victoria Corby 37:41, Pauline Tallett 39:21 and Lin West 39:49 all came through next and then our only PBer of the weekend was Helen Rumsey in 43:40…Congrats Helen !! Laura Clark 45:37, Heather Fraser 46:36 and Julie Nicholson 57:35 completed our runners line up with Tailwalkers Sally Davidson-daniel 1:02:18, Rachel Tomsett 1:02:19 and Peter Broom 1:02:24 following on behind.
A big thanks to our Ashford volunteers who this week included Peter Broom, Jason Caldwell, Justin Burden, Laura Clark, Isabelle Froissart, Peter Heckel, Ross McInnes, Sharon McInnes, Terry Seller and Hazel Turner.
Meanwhile out and about…..
Jamie Penfold completed the Dartford parkrun in 28:26 whilst Lisa Gribbin completed the Erskine Waterfront event in Bonny Scotland in 28:55. David Martins and wife Sarah chose the Itchen Valley Country parkrun with David finishing in 31:40 and Sarah in 37:14. A few Striders were just up the road at Mote Park with David Helme completing in 31:06, Angela Craffey 35:25 and Martin Whittingham in 39:29. Harry Lockhart chose a rather muddy Royal Tunbridge Wells parkrun and finished in 39:40 with Eloise Pegg close behind in 39:41. Finally we had Richard Randle and Dee Millen at Whitstable with Richard finishing in 30:47 and Dee in 34:37.
Five big race events today and 22 Striders split between them and eight PBs achieved……
Over in Sunny Seville in Spain we had Adrian Green running the Seville Marathon. Huge congratulations to him as once again he got a brilliant Good For Age time and a marathon PB of 3:18:10 🥇 🙌. Fantastic result for him and only 9 weeks to recover before he takes on London !!
The London Winter runs at the Olympic Stadium consisted of a 10K and a Half Marathon.
Frank Remigio completed the 10K in a super fast time of 37:04 and of course netted a new PB. Congrats Frank 👏!!
Kay Hunt also bagged a new PB in a great time of 54:32, great running Kay 💪!! She was just ahead of Adam Thomas in 54:32. Sharon Gardner completed the 6.21 miles in 1:02:49 and Vicky Shrubsole and Andrew Cornwell finished in 1:09:15. Well done to you all 😘
The Half Marathon event saw Jamie Penfold take pole Strider position with a new PB time of 1:52:18, well done JP 💥!! And he was followed in by Elle Weekes with a great time of 1:56:33. Jason Brice continues to go from strength to strength as he just missed out on a sub 2 but still PB’d with 2:00:05, great run Jason 👌!! Dermott Carr wasn’t far behind with a time of 2:12:59 and he was followed in by David Helme with 2:26:46. Angie Craffey was next with 2:30:57 just ahead of Michelle Brice in 2:31:00 and Rachel Tomsett in 2:32:14. Great running all of you 😘!!
Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon has some slight undulations apparently but they didn’t stop Dave Winchester bagging himself a new PB time of 1:46:57. Well done Dave 🙌 and now stop moaning about hill training please 🙄.
Eloise Pegg also ran a PB time of 2:08:49. Great running Eloise 🙌 and she was accompanied over the line by Harry Lockhart in exactly the same time.
Hazel Winchester ran a great time of 2:09:56 with Scott Hawkins finishing in 2:18:24 and Mike Mason in 2:29:58. Well done to all of you 😘!!
Finally down on the south coast we had Jack Farrant and Martin Whittingham competing in the Eastbourne Half Marathon. Jack smashed his HM PB with a time of 1:46:36 👏 and Martin completed in 3:04:00. Great effort guys 😘!!
Don’t forget to get yourselves on Spond and signed up for the runs, techs and S&C. You never know, the next PB may be yours !!
Love was in the air this week, with plenty of Striders hitting the streets of Ashford in their brightest red shirts to celebrate Valentines day. A quiet week for parkrun and races this weekend but with marathon training in full flow plenty of Striders were out and about!
35 Striders attended a Parkrun on Saturday, 21 at Ashford, and 14 on tour.
Staying local in Ashford, Keith Haynes was first strider across the line with a time of 20:24, followed by Adrian Green with a time of 20:49, and Dan Green third strider, with a time of 23:24
They were followed by
Harry ‘Strava’ Scott 23:56, Daniel Schwartz 25:13, Jack Farrant 25:23, Linda-jean Delport 27:41, Kevan Strand 28:21, Stephen Rumsey 28:39, Scott Hawkins 28:53, David Martins 33:11, Sarah Martins 33:15, Justine Wearn 33:55, Jason Wearn 34:00, Kevin York 34:27, Jennifer Watts 36:06, Pauline Tallett 39:21, Peter Broom 40:04, Lisa Gribbin 41:57, Helen Rumsey 44:58, Rachel Tomsett 52:04,
As ever, parkrun can’t go ahead each week without the volunteers, we are very fortunate to have so many of the Striders giving up their time each week. So a big thank you to Simon Jackson, Isabelle Froissant, Peter Heckel, and Mark Niles.
Parkrun Tourism A few Striders found themselves a little further from Ashford this week;
The bright lights of Birmingham attracted Harry Lockhart to complete the Brueton parkrun in 22:32 which was also a new PB!
Nicola Crawley was on holiday in Wales, and no holiday is complete without doing the local parkrun. She took on Colby parkrun in 30:17.
3 Striders headed to Cyclopark parkrun just outside of Gravesend, Martin Whittingham finished in 38:01, followed by Justin Burden in 50:08 and Laura Clark in 50:19.
A smaller group of Striders headed down to Dover in the search of a PB, the cold weather meant it was always going to be a struggle! George Phillips in 24:30, Richard Randle in 27:52 setting a new course PB. Dave Warner sprinted over the line in 29:07 setting a new parkrun PB! Performance of the day went to Sharon Mcinnes completing in 29:49, breaking the 30 minute barrier for the first time and getting a new PB by almost 2 minutes! Ross Mcinnes was flying at the start of run closely following Richard, but his lungs had other plans with a mile or so to go finishing in 32:14 and setting a fastest time so far for 2025, Dee Millen crossed the line in 33:18 and Isobel Phillips provided some much needed support!
Robert Harris slid his way through the mud at Henlow Bridge Lakes parkrun in 31:59,
Maria Chapman completed the Maidstone River Park parkrun in 39:06,
Terry Sellen found himself in unfamiliar territory away from Ashfords Victoria park completing the Woodbank parkrun in 25:29,
This weekend just saw one race being taken on by the Striders, the infamous Headcorn Half Marathon!
Finishing in overall 4th place and first in his age category meant the second weekend in a row bringing home a trophy for Simon Pharoah crossing the line in 1:19:33.
Simon was closely followed by Kevan Strand in another PB time of 1:32:20 and Harry Scott in 1:38:18 in yet another PB time.
Darren Laker continued with his successes breaking the 2 hour barrier with plenty of time to spare in 1:57:22. Stephen Cartwright arrived through the finish line in 2:03:23 adding another shiny new personal best time. It wasn’t long to wait before the next Strider made their way across the line, with Richard Randle finishing in 2:05:38. Rob Harris continued on his quest for 40 half marathons this year, with Headcorn being number 6 in 2025, he finished in a time of 2:07:51.
Lucie Shrubsole and George Cromwell both achieved new PBs with a time of 2:13:15!
Vicky and Andy also crossed the line together with a course best and seasons best time of 2:33:53. Rounding off the PBs with a course best of 2:38:32 was Dee Millen!
Next week there are some more races featuring the mighty Ashford Striders as well as our usual mix of tech sessions, evening runs, Strength and Conditioning (which is on Wednesday this week), Dog walk and LSR’s for everyone to get involved with!
Hello again you lovely people! How the devil are you?? Well I write this report with some truly amazing 90s bangers playing in the background! These may or may not have influenced my writing today.
Confidence is a preference for the habitual voyeur of what is know as….parkrun!!!! We start as ever with the usual Saturday Parklife of parkrun!
A total of 36 Striders attended a parkrun on Saturday , 19 at Ashford, and 17 on tour.
Everyday is a Winding Road, but we start at home in Ashford. Simon Pharaoh was first strider across the line proving he’s no Wannabe with another stunning time coming in at 18:08 (PB). Second Strider and first lady home was Linda-jean Delport with a time of 22:16. She’s Electric. Terry (fred) Sellen was next with a time of 23:22 proving he’s no Lucky Man.
Next to MMMBop their way around Victoria Park were Kevan Strand 23:39, Stephen Rumsey 25:38, Robert Harris 25:55, Jason Sanders 27:45, David Gadsby 29:30 and Joe Fowler 29:31.
It’s All Coming Back to Me Now as I get to our next batch of Striders home who were Dave Warner 30:52, Sharon Gardner 30:59, Victoria Shrubsole 32:03, Andrew Cornwell 32:03, Michelle Brice 33:54, Rachel Tomsett 33:55, Delia Millen 34:38, Jason Brice 34:59, Pauline Tallett 38:32 and Maria Chapman 38:38. Praise You!
So now onto the tourist trail starting down the road at Folkestone. Our Shiny Happy People on the coast were Chloe Winham in 26:16 followed by Nicola Crawley in 29:49 and Justine Wearn in 35:32.
Livin’ la Vida Loca at Maidstone River Park were Eloise Pegg (31:36) and Harry Lockhart (31:37).
There was a contingent of Striders heading within the M25. Going back to Romford to Raphael parkrun was Peter Broom in 30:06, Lisa Gribbin in 30:21, Laura Clark in 43:11 and Justin Burden in 56:47.
Down the road from Raphael was Tamsin Ritchie who did a 26:48 at Ingrebourne Hill. Whoomp! There it is!
Ready or Not it’s Martin Whittingham who completed the Hoblingwell parkrun in 43:50.
And in the centre of London at Battersea parkrun were Jamie Penfold coughing his way round like a Zombie in 25:06, Dermot Carr in 29:35 and Angela Craffey in 32:34.
Next to a Country House, Harry Scott completed the Rutland Water parkrun in 33:04.
And finally choosing to Jump Around in Dublin were Aimee Donohue completing the St Anne’s parkrun in 31:29 with Josh Stephens close behind in 31:30.
As ever a big shout out to those of you who volunteered at parkrun this weekend.
Now for the race results Girls and Boys.
And we start on Saturday again back at Battersea Park for the Swiftie Run where Angie Craffey completed the 5K race in 34:22.
Now for Sunday and the Dymchurch 10k.
Ain’t No Doubt who was the first Strider back…Simon Pharaoh smashed this one winning the race with a time of 36:09 which was also a PB. Superb effort Simon!
Next to cross the line was Joe Fowler also with a PB with a time of 55:45. Next up like a Runaway Train was Lionel Hammond with 57:04. And to conclude the Striders Spicing up their Lives on a blustery morning on the coast were Donna Hammond with 1:11:43 and Lucey Townsend with 1:12:08 which was also a PB.
Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm. Some great performances from everyone this weekend. All I Wanna Do now is have a Champagne Supernova to celebrate everyone’s achievements!
