Author: Jayne Hatton

by Ashley Robinson

It was another fantastic weekend of parkrunning for Ashford Striders, with members spread across Kent and beyond, achieving strong times, personal bests and even a major milestone.

At the Maidstone River Park Run, Gary Tiley represented the club superbly with a time of 22:00.

The biggest turnout came at Ashford parkrun, where 382 finishers took part. Leading the Striders home was Kevan Strand in 20:19, followed closely by Timothy Corby in 21:03 and Dan Green in 21:34. Linda-Jean Delport also impressed with 23:22, just ahead of Konrad Gryniewicz in 24:04. A steady stream of Striders followed with Chloe Stott finishing in 25:14, Terry (Fred) Sellen in 25:29, Jason Brice in 25:49, Mark Niles in 26:27, Daniel Schwartz in 26:44 and Michael Ruck in 26:55. Carole Thomas crossed in 29:12 with Don Dewar close behind in 29:22, then came Robert Harris in 30:08, Matthew Beasley in 30:21 and Rebecca James in 30:30. Just seconds apart were Adam Booth in 30:41, Luke Marsh in 30:46, Catherine Wall in 30:58 and Ombéline Marone-Hitz in 31:00. Andy Found recorded 31:16, followed by Amanda James in 31:27, Marion Fitzpatrick in 32:39, Lin West in 33:05 and Sara Dewar in 33:43. Further strong finishes came from Pauline Tallett in 34:31, Leigh Freeman in 35:29, Kate Bushell in 35:50 and Clare Nunn in 37:36. Closing out the large Striders contingent were Aimee Donohue in 39:00, Josh Stephens in 39:01, Ross McInnes in 39:26 and Sharon McInnes in 41:34.

Over at Margate parkrun, Frank Remigio produced an excellent run in 18:14, with Jack Farrant also running well in 20:19. Stephen Rumsey finished in 26:34 ahead of Lucie Shrubsole in 27:52 and George Cromwell in 27:53. Victoria Shrubsole and Andrew Cornwell shared the same finishing time of 32:04, while Sharon Gardner recorded 33:15. Katarzyna Janas came through in 34:10, followed by Delia Millen in 35:40. There was cause for celebration for Nige Terry, who set a new personal best with 35:59. He was followed by Richard Randle in 36:14, Helen Rumsey in 39:31 and finally Julie Nicholson who finished strongly in 48:16.

At Prospect parkrun, Neil Wood represented the club with a fine time of 22:32.

Meanwhile at Brooklands parkrun, Nicola Crawley clocked 31:45 and Justine Wearn 32:01, both running consistently well.

The Striders were also in action at Kingdom parkrun, where Lionel Hammond finished in 29:56, just ahead of David Martins in 30:50. Sarah Martins recorded 35:17 and Donna Hammond 35:32, showing great family spirit on the course.

In Northern Ireland, Amanda Watson took on the scenic Hillsborough Forest parkrun, completing the course in 30:42.

At the Thames Path parkrun in Woolwich, Jamie Penfold ran well to post 23:54.

There was also a strong turnout at the Dover Waterfront parkrun. Simon Pharoah ran 22:09, with Justin Burden finishing in 27:07. Special congratulations go to Lee Standen, who not only ran a course PB of 29:03 but also celebrated his 250th parkrun milestone – a brilliant achievement. He was joined by Martin Whittingham in 39:22 and Laura Clark, who completed the course in 53:14.

Finally, at Ingrebourne Hill parkrun, Isabelle Froissart proudly flew the Striders’ flag, crossing the line in 28:59.

From Maidstone to Margate, Ashford to Dover and beyond, it was another weekend that showcased the depth and spirit of the Striders. With personal bests, milestones and plenty of determined performances, the club continues to shine at parkruns far and wide. Congratulations to everyone who took part.

No races were reported for Sunday but shout out to all the members who ran the Charing to Canterbury route today. Looked beautiful but also sounded brutal so congratulations on your achievement.

Please be on the lookout for the chairman’s report on what is happening this coming week but all starts with the JRS Striders relay which is always a great evening.

You would also have noticed that the date for the AGM and Christmas party has been confirmed and will be held on Saturday 15th November at the Ashford Railway Club. Again a great night is had by all every year and we would love to see everyone there.

Until then, keep well, run hard, have fun and as always be proud to be a strider.

#Striders #BestClubEver #fun #runfast #training #competition #racing #Run #Running #AshfordStriders #runningfriends  #Race #Goals #StridersSupport #Beginners #Jeffing  #NoOneLeftBehind #Friends

By Andy Found

A total of 65 of you attended a parkrun on Saturday 9-8-25 with 42 at Ashford, and 23 on tour.

I will do the honours list first and congratulations to the following members who all recorded a PB Matt Gilbert (22:15), Scott Hawkins (24:44), Vicky Corby (32:08), Amy Hook (35:11) and Nige Terry (36:39). What have all these people got in common ?? Answer is they all do S&C !! Just saying 😉

Other Ashford Results were…..
Keith Haynes was first strider across the line with a time of 20:11, followed by Kevan Strand with a time of 20:13, and Jack Farrant third strider, with a time of 20:43
They were followed by
Dan Green 21:53, Harry Scott 24:02, Linda-jean Delport 24:54, Don Dewar 26:12, Jamie Bartlett 26:45, Daniel Schwartz 27:30, Jason Sanders 27:38, David Gadsby 29:14, Mark Niles 30:05, David Martins 30:15, Rebecca James 30:28, Jason Brice 30:56, Vicky Stevenson 30:58, Pav Jagoda-souch 30:59, Claire Green 31:01, Catherine Wall 31:11, Amanda James 31:12, Darren Laker 32:33, Sarah Martins 32:47, Michelle Brice 35:37, Eloise Pegg 35:47, Nige Terry 36:39, Jennifer Watts 36:54, Leigh Freeman 40:29, Nadine Lidbury 41:01, Helen Rumsey 41:01, Clare Nunn 41:25, Rick Newman 44:12, Harry Lockhart 44:13, Julie Foster 47:16, Paul Diddams and Pauline Tallett 53:34.

A big thanks also to the Ashford Volunteers who included Jason Caldwell, Sara Dewar, Steve Rumsey and Terry Sellen.

Parkrun Tourism…..

Lionel and Donna Hammond completed the Dartford Heath parkrun in 27:01 and 37:36 respectively whilst Stephen Cleaver completed the Eden Project parkrun in 30:50
Tamsin Ritchie travelled up the A12 and finished the Felixstowe parkrun in 28:59 whilst a trio of Striders were down on the coast at Folkestone. Gary Tiley was first through in 22:23 followed by Elle Weekes in 27:54 and Rachel Tomsett in 33:33.
Lisa Gribbin completed the Levengrove parkrun in 30:50 and Marion Fitzpatrick went round the Maidstone River Park parkrun in 34:28.
Richard Randle and Dee Millen completed the Sittingbourne parkrun in 31:20 and 36:41 whilst a few striders went to South London to the South Norwood event with Justin Burden finishing in 27:09, Lee Standen 30:01, Martin Whittingham 40:08 and Laura Clark in 56:44. Konrad Gryniewicz was also in London and them famous blue shorts went round the Southwark parkrun in 22:47.
Neil Wood completed the Swanley parkrun in 22:25 whilst Simon Pharoah whipped round the Walmer and Deal Seafront parkrun in 17:53 finishing in 4th place. Also at Deal was Isabelle Froissart who finished in 28:22. Further round the coast Penny Grigg completed the Worthing parkrun in 35:51.

Last but certainly not least our Vice Chair Nicola Crawley completed her 250th Parkrun at South Woodham Ferrers in 31:11 with her partner in crime Justine Wearn just behind in 34:12. Congratulations to Nicola on reaching that amazing milestone 🙌

Onto the weekend races then and first up is Matthew Beasley who recorded a Half Marathon PB of 1:49:39 at the Thames Meander race, well done Matthew !!
Three Striders were in action at the Mount Ephraim 10K. Josh Stephens led the way with a 50:41 finish followed by Dave Winchester in 52:31 and Chris Littlejohn in 58:01. Well done all three of you for all getting back under the hour on a tough course in that hot weather.

We also had some Striders in Triathlon Action over the weekend. George Phillips and Harry Lockhart were both at the Dartford Bridge Sprint Triathlon with George completing the three disciplines in 1:31:29 and Harry in 1:31:42. That event consisted of a 750m swim, a 20k bike ride and a 5k run.

Andrew Cornwell completed the London Olympic Triathlon T100 in 3:45:16. This event was a 1500m swim, a 40km bike ride and a 10k run. We also had a rather large Striders contingent volunteering at this event at a water station and Andrew says that you were all amazing 🥰

A huge well done to everyone who ran, supported and marshalled this weekend ❤️

by Jamie Penfold

Hello again you lovely people! How the devil are you?

So it’s that time again when we celebrate the achievements of the runners in our club.

As ever we start with the weekend’s parkrun exploits. And before we dive into the results from this weekend’s parkruns, just a personal note. Last week I celebrated my 4th year anniversary since my first parkrun. I’d just moved to Ashford and didn’t know many people. Parkrun was on its second week back following Covid. So I thought why not. From that day in Victoria Park I was hooked and as a result of parkrun I got back into running and it is because of parkrun that I joined Ashford Striders. What stood out that day was the “Wall of Red”. Striders stood out and nit was a no brainer for me to join the club. So I have a lot to thank parkrun for. It’s given me so much.

So onto our parkrun results. A total of 49 Striders attended a parkrun this weekend! And we’ll start at home at Ashford.

Simon Pharoah was first strider across the line with a time of 18:23, followed by Dan Green with a time of 21:51, and Adam Booth third strider, with a time of 21:55.

They were followed by Gary Tiley 22:41, Josh Stephens 26:10, Jason Brice 26:21, Don Dewar 26:38, Jamie Bartlett 27:02, Hazel Turner 27:07, Daniel Schwartz 27:39, Jason Sanders 28:16, Kevan Strand 28:57, David Gadsby 29:11, Carole Thomas 29:38, Joe Fowler 29:42, David Helme 29:46 and David Martins 29:51.

Then came Scott Hawkins 30:45, Catherine Wall 31:25, Vicky Stevenson 31:29, Victoria Shrubsole 32:19, Andrew Cornwell 32:19, Eloise Pegg 32:28, Aimee Donohue 32:29, Rachel Oliver 33:08, Marion Fitzpatrick 33:15, Sara Dewar 33:23, Justine Wearn 33:54, Robert Harris 34:06, Victoria Corby 34:37, Kat Silvester 34:59, Lin West 35:27, Nadine Lidbury 35:28, Sarah Martins 35:40, Pauline Tallett 35:56, Paul Diddams 36:02, Michelle Brice 36:32, Jennifer Watts 37:58, Jamie Weller 38:29 and Julie Nicholson 53:46.

Out and about on the road this weekend and starting down the road at Folkestone where Martin Whittingham completed in 36:32. Not far round the coast was Jamie Penfold completing the new course at Margate parkrun in 23:23.

Justin Burden completed the Mote Park parkrun in 26:51 with Laura Clark in 55:36. Maria Chapman completed the Oxford parkrun in 42:04 and Rachel Tomsett completed the Severn Valley Country parkrun in 35:15. Matthew Beasley completed the Shrewsbury parkrun in 26:06 and finally, clocking in with furthest from home was Nicola Crawley completed the Woodlands Historic Park parkrun in 30:34.

It’s also a good time to give a nod to those who volunteered at parkrun over the weekend. Without the volunteers we have no parkrun.

Now onto the weekend’s races.

We start on Friday night with the Rye Summer Series!

First Strider home was Simon Pharaoh with a stunning time of 17:38. Second over the line was Lionel Hammond with a PB of 24:46. Then coming over the line in quick succession were Donna Hammon with 33:08, Amy Hook with a PB of 33:12 an and Lucey Townsend with 35:21.

Then to Sunday. And we start in Margate with the Margate Superhero 10K where Gary Tiley put in a time worthy of Superman with 48:34.

And then to East London. As we sing at West Ham “Oh East London is wonderful”. And there were some wonderful performances in the shadow of the London Stadium. 6 Striders completed the RunThrough Foundation 10K.

First Strider over the line was Scott Hawkins with a PB time of 49:52. Then, getting a second PB of the weekend was Lionel Hammond with a time of 52:38. Forever blowing bubbles was Hazel Turner with a time of 58:13. Then came Ash Robinson with a time of 1:05:31, Donna Hammond with 1:13:03 and finally Julie Foster with 1:28:56. Massive performances at a massive venue.

And that’s it for the weekend.

by George Phillips

50 Striders made their way to the start line of a Parkrun on Saturday morning. 

Battersea that was the destination for Josh, Aimee, Dave and Jamie. Josh led the way for the Striders with a new PB time of 22:00, shortly followed by Jamie in 24:08, Dave in 32:03 and Aimee in 32:19. 

Bexley saw Isabelle Froissant finish with a time of 31:47. 

Destination Dover for the Dewars who were joined by Hazel Turner and Terry Sellen. Hazel was first to cross the line in 26:55, shortly followed by Don in 27:13. Sara and Terry cross the line together in 34:16. 

Dulwich for Jason and Justine finishing in 33:14 and 33:21 respectively.

4 Striders headed to Folkestone. David Martins 28:38, Mathew Norman 30:15, Sarah Martins 32:11 and Ned in 36:46. 

Maria Chapman was the sole Strider down in Hastings with a time of 34:04. 

Simon opted for Highbury Fields in London finishing in the fastest Strider time of the week in 18:20 and finishing in 5th place out of 637 runners. 

Lin West headed to the lovely island of Jersey and crossed the line in 35:40. 

Leybourne Lakes saw Pauline Tallett and Paul Diddams both finishing in 35:14. 

For the second week in a row Nicola Crawley takes the title of ‘furthest away from Ashford’. Still down under enjoying the Rugby she took on Maribyrnong parkrun running in 29:37. 

Maidstone’s Mote Park saw Dan Green finishing in 22:42

Amanda Watson headed for Raphael parkrun finishing with a time of 30:23. 

Down in Tewkesbury, Rachel Tomsett crossed the line in 33:21. 

Finally 30 Striders headed down to Walmer and Deal parkrun in the hunt for PBs as part of the Speedy Striders series. 

The first cross the line (in 2nd place overall) was Frank Remigio in 18:30. Next was Harry Lockhart with his 3rd fastest 5k time in 22:51. Gary Tiley continues his excellent form with a time of 23:06. Matthew Gilbert PB time of 23:14. Scott Hawkins with a time of 24:33. Steve Rumsey in 25:12 with Danie Schwartz in 26:01. Next up was Lionel Hammond with a course PB of 26:17. First Strider lady down in Deal was Eloise Pegg, first in her age group with a time of 26:32. George Phillips was next over the line just under the 27 minute mark in 26:56. Justin Burden in 27:06. 

Rebecca James PB with a time of 27:37. Another brilliant PB came from Megan Clare who broke the 28 minute barrier in 27:58 with the pacing help of Elle Weekes. Chairman Found was next into the finish in 28:08. Lee Standen was just 20 seconds behind in 28:28. Ross McInnes crossed the line in 29:26. Andrew Cornwell also under the 30 minute mark in 29:58. Jayne Hatton in 30:15, Amanda James over the line in 31:48. Donna Hammond with a time of 32:27. Dave Warner completed the course in 33:15. Sharon McInnes also set a course PB in 34:01. Kasia Janas also set a huge PB in 34:58. Dee Millen was close behind in 35:28. Nigel Terry in 37:31. Martin Whittinghan finished in 38:19. Helen Rumsey completed her 20th parkrun in 42:14. Vicky Stevenson and Dennis crossed over the line in 48:43. Last but not least were Vicky Shrubsole and Richard Randle who took on the course together in 49:31.

A very quiet weekend for Striders racing this weekend saw only Michael Davies racing the East Peckham 10k. Another fantastic age group award winning time of 45:24! 

#Striders #BestClubEver #fun #runfast #training #competition #racing #Run #Running #AshfordStriders #runningfriends  #Race #Goals #StridersSupport #Beginners #Jeffing  #NoOneLeftBehind #Friends

Another week has passed with plenty of great running from the all famous Ashford Striders!

We managed to escape the great storm that was heading our way on Saturday morning and settled with some rain☔️

A total of 47 Strider’s took part in a Parkrun, 33 in Ashford, 14 on tour:

ASHFORD PARKRUN

Jason Caldwell was first strider over the line in a time of 21:31, followed by Kevin North 22:14, Harry Scott 22:18 and Dan Green 22:24. All very close together there guys in the 22 minute club! Next we have Harry Lockhart in a time of 24:30, Linda-Jean Delport 25:06, Carole Thomas 26:10 and Terry Sellen 26:57. Following was Don Dewar 26:59, Ian McCutcheon 27:33, Hazel Turner 29:10 and David Martins 29:42. We have a few in the 30 minute club this weekend. Starting off our line up, neck and neck we have Robert Harris 30:10, followed by Pav Jogoda-Souch 30:10. Seconds apart was Adam Booth 30:13, Jason Brice 30:14, Ombeline Marone-Hitz 30:16 and Amanda Watson 30:18! Behind was David Helme in a time of 31:27. Aimee Donahue who welcomed the rain until she noticed her dirty trainers…finished in 33:08. Marion Fitzpatrick completed the course in 33:36, Rachel Oliver in 33:53. Andy Found and Justine Wearn finished together in a time of 35:11, with Jason Wearn just behind in 35:14. Sarah Martins was next finishing in 35:41, Penny Grigg in 36:37. Amy Hook is going from strength to strength achieving another PB with a time of 37:13. Congrats Amy! Jennifer Watts finished in 38:09, Leigh Freeman 38:34, Clare Nunn 39:49. Last but certainly not least was Rick Newman and guide Sara Dewar in times of 44:28 and 44:29.

Thank you as always to our Volunteers: Sara Dewar, Jayne Hatton, Amanda James, Mark Niles and Terry Sellen👏👏

ALBERT MELBOURNE

Taking parkrun tourism to new distances was Nicola Crawley who hunted out a parkrun during her trip to Australia!🇦🇺 Nicola completed the course in a time of 35:00. Enjoy your holiday Nic!

DOVER WATERFRONT PARKRUN

Taking on the flat course along Dover seafront was Simon Pharoah and Maria Chapman. Simon finished in 4th place, in a time of 17:55, whilst Maria finished in 28:34. Well done to you both!

LEYBOURNE LAKES

A solo strider, Lee Gribben headed to Leybourne lakes parkrun and completed in a time of 26:29.

MILFIELD PARKRUN

Completing Milfield Parkrun was Lin West, finishing in a time of 37:40.

WAKEHURST PARKRUN

A group of Striders headed to Wakehurst Parkrun to complete two clockwise laps of possibly the most beautiful botanical gardens in the country along super-wide, resin and tarmac paths surrounding the Elizabethan mansion. First over the line was Justin Burden in a time of 27:00, followed by Daniel Schwartz in 28:26, Lee Standen 31:57, Rachel Tomsett 34:20, Dee Millen 37:24, Martin Whittingham 38:51, Nige Terry 39:28, Richard Randle 39:37 and finally Laura Clark in 48:17. Well done to you all!

WHITSTABLE AND HERNE BAY SUMMER 10K

The Hammonds, who have well and truly caught the racing bug, headed to the coast to take on the coastal 10k. Lionel crossed the line in a time of 55:48 with Donna finishing in 1:10:21. A PB for them both – great running!

SANDWICH 10K

A group of Strider’s headed down to Sandwich to compete the 10k this morning.
First Strider over the line was Kevan Strand, in an impressive time of 42:41, and a shiny new PB! Following was Gary Tiley finishing in 46:09, another PB! Next was Scott Hawkins with a time of 50:19, another PB! Jamie Bartlett was the next Strider with a time of 53:48. First Strider lady was Amanda James with a course PB of 57:51. With a little bit of work to do before catching her mum, Rebecca James crossed the line with a course PB of 58:52. Close behind was Jayne Hatton finishing in 59:13. Last but certainly not least was our Chairman, Andy Found finishing in a time of 1:01:06! A great turn out and a lovely handful of PB’s!! Well done all👏

I would also like to include the amazing achievements of Richard Randle and Andrew Cornwell who both completed the TriBourne Half Iron man today. Brilliant!!!🤩

That concludes another week of running. Congratulations to everyone who has taken that step to keep running. Regardless of whether you are reaching PB’s, or simply just making sure you’re keeping one foot in front of another, you are all awesome!❤️

Have a great week everyone!!

After a mixed weekend weather wise we’ve seen races and runs in the heat and the torrential rain! Our handicap run in the park on Thursday was a particular highlight of my week and I didn’t even run! Everyone there either running or supporting did their absolute best and it really showed what an awesome club we have. 

We started the weekend on Friday evening with the Rye Summer Series Race 2 – 5km and 10km races. A gaggle of striders travelled down to Rye in warm conditions with reports of a head wind on the return leg! First to finish the 5k was Lionel Hammond – fresh from his awesome handicap run on Thursday, he managed a fantastic time of 25:15 a personal best too! Returning to form was Donna Hammond next in with 35:01! Completing the 10km and first over the line for Striders was Dave Winchester in 51:37 setting a trend with his Strider bucket hat ❤️ Stepping up his marathon training Ash Robinson completed the 10k in 1:05:42. Well done everyone. 

Saturday was parkrun day.

A total of 51 Striders attended a Parkrun on 05/07/25, 37 at Ashford and 14 on tour.

Keith Haynes was first strider across the line in Ashford with a time of 20:10, followed by Adam Booth in 20:26, and Kevan Strand third strider, with a time of 21:04. 

They were followed by Jack Farrant 21:10, Jason Caldwell 22:11, Harry Scott 22:22, Harry Lockhart 24:42, Michael Ruck 24:51, Linda-jean Delport first lady Strider through in 25:27, Scott Hawkins 25:32, Daniel Schwartz 25:36, Don Dewar 28:16, David Martins 28:37, Joe Fowler 28:43, George Phillips 28:46, Dave Winchester 28:57, David Gadsby 29:27, Mark Niles 29:36, Tom Bullen 29:42, Rachel Tomsett 30:11, Rebecca James 30:14, Matthew Beasley 31:19, Amanda James 31:27, Jayne Hatton 31:42, Catherine Wall celebrating her 100th Parkrun with a 31:48, Luke Marsh 31:53, Lin West 32:58, Jason Brice 33:13, David Helme 34:26, Sara Dewar 34:29, Simon Pharoah 35:44, Helen Rumsey 39:20, Lee Standen 41:08, Julie Foster 43:27, Mark Archer 46:06, Laura Clark 51:40

Parkrun Tourism

Lee Gribbin completed the Basildon parkrun in 27:19, beating his mum Lisa Gribbin who finished in 30:14.

Maria Chapman completed the Canterbury parkrun in 35:51.

Sarah Martins completed the Cirencester parkrun in 38:28.

Neil Wood completed the Crewe parkrun in 22:13.

Claire Green and husband Dan Green completed the Dover Waterfront parkrun in 24:40 and 24:41 respectively.

Eloise Pegg wins the award for furthest parkrun completing the East Coast Park parkrun in Singapore in 28:36! 

Hazel Turner completed the Hastings parkrun in 29:34.

Jamie Penfold completed the Lullingstone parkrun in 26:09.

Nicola Crawley completed the Thurrock parkrun, Orsett Heath in 28:53 along with Justine Wearn who completed in 32:05, 

Isabelle Froissart completed the Uckfield parkrun in 32:26.

Penny Grigg completed the Wormwood Scrubs parkrun in 39:43.

Onto Sunday and the lone Strider at the Cliff Woods 5 mile race was Jamie Bartlett, Jamie crossed the line in an impressive 45:49! Well done Jamie.

A quiet week for races but some busy weekends coming up! If you fancy joining in on the fun check out Spond for some up coming races and get entering – it’s all good fun!

Finally, lots of luck to the relay teams in Canterbury on Tuesday – the final leg and it’s looking like the most popular session yet! There was even mention of some celebratory picky bits afterwards so if you fancy heading over to support this is the week to do it! 

To end with a quote, I’ve chosen this one:

“Our running shoes have magic in them. The power to transform a bad day into a good day; frustration into speed; self-doubt into confidence; chocolate cake into muscle.” —Mina Samuels

By Jamie Penfold

Hello again you lovely people! How the devil are you?? Hopefully not too many sore heads for those who were at the Summer Social or Iron Maiden last night!

Well it’s that time of the week again where we celebrate the achievements of our wonderful club members at events over the week.

We start as per usual with parkrun. A total of 66 Striders attended a Parkrun on Saturday; 34 at Ashford and 32 on tour.

As ever we start at home at Ashford.

Frank Remigio was first strider across the line with a time of 18:12, followed by Kevan Strand with a time of 21:35 and Konrad Gryniewicz with a time of 22:17.

They were followed by Dan Green in 22:35, Harry Scott in 22:57, Linda-Jean Delport in 24:50, Chloe Stott in 25:32, Darren Laker in 26:12, Jamie Bartlett in 28:16, Don Dewar in 28:24 and Jason Sanders in 28:25. A big shout out to Mathew Norman who smashed his target of beating a 30 minute parkrun with a time of 29:07. Well done!!

Scott Hawkins then crossed the line shortly afterwards in 29:09 followed by Carole Thomas 29:13, Rebecca James 29:47, Jason Brice 29:55, David Martins 30:12 and David Gadsby 30:27.

Jayne Hatton was next over in 31:40 then Andy Found 32:08, Russ Berliner 32:10, Eloise Pegg 33:29, Amanda James 33:41, Sara Dewar 35:20, Rachel Oliver 35:58, Sarah Martins 36:38, Penny Grigg 37:45, Heather Fraser 38:14, Kate Bushell 38:30, Amy Hook, completing her first parkrun for 2 years, 40:30 and Nadine Lidbury with Justine Wearn on 52:19.

Well done everyone!

And also a big thank you to the volunteers, without whom we wouldn’t have parkrun. Ashford came close to being cancelled owing to a shortage of volunteers this week so if you can volunteer please do pop your name to the Ashford team.

So onto the tourism.

“If you go down to the woods today you’re in for a big surprise.
If you go down to the woods today you better go dressed in Red.
For today’s the day the Striders descend on Bedgebury!”

Poetry was never my strong point so let’s carry on with the weekends exploits! Bedgebury Pinetum celebrated it’s Centenary this week and there was a bumper turn out of over 500 park runners at Bedgebury Pinetum parkrun with a wave of Striders to boot.

Stephen Rumsey was the first Strider home like a speedy spruce in 25:55 followed by Michael Ruck 26:05, Lee Gribbin in 27:06, Justin Burden in 27:32, Lionel Hammond in 27:50, Jack Farrant in 28:27 and Lee Standen in 31:56.

Richard Randle was next like a lively larch in 33:13 followed by Victoria Shrubsole in 34:38, Lucie Shrubsole in 34:42, Andrew Cornwell in 34:48, Lisa Gribbin in 36:11 and Donna Hammond in 36:13.

Finally like brisk birches were Delia Millen in 36:59, Aimee Donohue in 39:17, Josh Stephens in 39:18, Helen Rumsey in 41:28, Julie Foster in 45:03 and Laura Clark in 48:15. Well done to everyone who made it to the Pinetum. A stunning parkrun!

Another stunning parkrun is Squerryes Winery parkrun and representing us were Nicola Crawley (33:07) and Maria Chapman (34:53). I recommend the cafe there! Cracking croissants and coffee there…..as well as wine!!!

Down be the seaside was Simon Pharoah completing the Folkestone parkrun in 18:00 and Tamsin Ritchie in 29:36.

A bit further up the coast was Adrian Green completing the Pegwell Bay parkrun in 33:48 and inland was Amanda Watson completing the Tonbridge parkrun in 30:31.

Going a bit further afield now. At Castle Park parkrun in the shadows of Stansted Airport was Isabelle Froissart completing in 31:20.

Just a bit further up the M11 were Adam Booth and Ombéline Marone-hitz completing the Milton Country parkrun in 33:31 and 33:32 respectively.

George Cromwell conquered the sand at the Hogmoor Inclosure parkrun in 27:56. A great time at a tough venue!

And finally I’ve left these guys to last as they win the prize for the most stressful journey to a parkrun this weekend. Thanks to delays by the airline, they finally took off at 08:50 heading to Jersey and got to the parkrun at 09:40 where the team kindly allowed them to complete the event. Their official times are way out from the time they actually took to complete the course but a huge well done to Rachel Tomsett, Angela Craffey and Hazel Turner for making the day trip to Jersey and getting this event under your belts.

Onto the races over the last few days and it’s been a bit of a quiet one but here it goes.

Last weekend Ashford celebrated its Pride Festival and on Monday the celebrations were concluded with the Ashford Pride 5k. A great little race with possibly the most colourful medal going.

First Strider across the line with a time of 23:26 was Jamie Penfold who was closely followed by Terry Sellen who crossed in 23:51 (and was first in his age category). We then had Stephen Rumsey finish in a time of 25:02 and then Helen Rumsey in a time of 41:20.

On Tuesday the East Kent Road Relays latest event took place at Minnis Bay. A deceptive course with a killer hill and a strong headwind back to the handover area. As ever we took a great squad along!

Senior Male Team A
Kevin North 00:15:52
Jason Caldwell 00:15:33
Jack Farrant 00:15:09
Frank Remigo 00:13:03

Male V40 Team A
Jamie Penfold 00:17:17
Matt Dewit 00:18:19
Andrew Cornwell 00:22:24
Andy Found 00:19:41

Senior Female Team A
Lucie Shrubsole. 00:19:36
Carole Thomas 00:17:53
Elle Weekes 00:17:48

Senior Female Team B
Rebecca James 00:20:18
Vicky Stevenson 00:20:44
Emma Konstantinou 00:18:39

Female V45 Team
Sharon Gardner 00:22:25
Vicky Shrubsole 00:24:10
Nicola Crawley 00:21:09

Well done everyone!!

Then we have Out of the Blue Battle which took place at Ashburnham Place in East Sussex. Complete the 5k course in 37:53 was Donna Hammond and completing the 10k course in 1:01:17 was Lionel Hammond. Outstanding efforts guys! Well done.

We finish the report with two machines who completed two tough events in recent days.

First of all Harry Scott who completed the JLL Property Duathlon in a PB time of 1:25:33. Absolutely superb time!

And finally Matthew Beasley who completed the Peak District Ultra Challenge. Now this is something special! 73km in a pb time of 11hrs 58 minutes and 50 seconds. Which makes my 8.5mile plod along the seafront today look measly. Full respect to you Matthew. Astonishing effort!

And that rounds of our report for this week. As ever if my autocorrect has changed names or I’ve missed anything let me know.

Well done everyone. You should be so proud of your achievements this week. Shout your times from the rooftops and celebrate each others.

By Stephen Cartwright

On Saturday 50 Striders took on the challenge of Parkrun on the hottest day of the year so far!

34 runners braved the furnace at Ashford, while 16 went on tour.

Vicky Stevenson lit up the course with her incredible 250th Parkrun and let’s raise a cheer for Elle Weekes, who marked her 50th Parkrun in style!

A big shout out to this week’s volunteers of Jason Caldwell, Mark Niles, Terry (fred) Sellen, Hazel Turner, Lin West and Mat Norman who was the awesome run director. 

While others were chasing PBs on the Parkrun circuit, a fearless crew of Striders took on a different kind of challenge – The Cliff Top Challenge a sun-drenched 10-mile run from Dover to Deal!

Nicola Crawley, Nadine Golding, Mandy Watson, Sharon Gardner, Andrew Cornwell, and Victoria Shrubsole laced up and set off on a journey that was less about speed and more about sunshine, scenery, and sweet treats.

Strategic lolly stops were made, sunshine selfies were snapped and after 2 hours and 30 minutes, they arrived in Deal.

Two other Striders were winding through ancient paths, rolling hills, and breathtaking countryside, for the Pilgrims Way Challenge which is no ordinary trek. It’s a test of endurance, mindset, and sheer willpower — and this year, the course stretched beyond the advertised 55 km.

Rachel Tomsett led the charge with a phenomenal finish time of 11 hours, 48 minutes, setting a strong pace across the rugged terrain. Chloe Darling, with unwavering determination and a steady stride, completed the challenge in 12 hours, 29 minutes, and 28 seconds.

#fun #runfast #training #competition #racing #Run #Running #AshfordStriders #runningfriends  #race #Goals #StridersSupport #Beginners #Jeffing  #NoOneLeftBehind #Friends

by Andy Found

The Striders week of events kicked off on Tuesday evening with the third of the East Kent Summer Relays. This one was hosted by A&D and held at Victoria Park. Striders had seven teams Male and Female involved and everyone did themselves proud amongst a field of extremely strong runners from six different running clubs. The course was 2.06 miles long and Strider results were as follows…

Senior Mens ‘A’

Josh Stephens 14:18

Jack Farrant 12:51

Frank Remigio 11:20

Simon Pharoah 11:27

Senior Mens ‘B’

Pav Jagoda-Souch 16:18

Scott Hawkins 15:12

Matthew Gilbert 14:12

Konrad Gryniewicz 13:49

Vet 40 Men

Andy Found 16:34

Adam Thomas 14:22

Keith Haynes 13:00

Jason Caldwell 13:32

Vet 50 Men

Andrew Cornwell 19:25

Richard Randle 18:59

Phil Lowe 16:16

Senior Ladies ‘A’

Jayne Hatton 17:04

Vicky Stevenson 17:56

Elle Weekes 15:16

Senior Ladies ‘B’

Rebecca James 17:26

Lucie Shrubsole 16:40

Megan Clare 18:48

Vet 45 Ladies

Sharon Gardner 18:59

Vicky Shrubsole 17:59

Carole Thomas 15:20

A massive shoutout to Jason Caldwell who coordinates these superb events for Striders and to everyone who came out to support. The Striders support was extremely loud and hugely appreciated by all the runners ❤️

Friday saw the return of one of the biggest events in the running calendar in the form of our very own Ashford Striders Charing 10K and what a night it was. The whole club came together and did what we do best by producing an epic night of running and fun. The feedback from runners and spectators has been amazing and everyone involved needs to hold their heads extremely high. I can’t thanks everyone enough for their hard work and professionalism which ensured a fantastic evening was had by all. The only complaint we had was by local resident Roger who couldn’t hear his TV but we will take that all day long.

We started with the kids race and the little ones loved it. First across the line was of course Will Pharoah who had been told he was walking home by his non competitive dad if he didn’t win 🙈. Congratulations to Will !!

Onto the main race and some superb Strider results on what is a tough course with ‘That bloody Hill’……

Frank Remigio was first Strider and 7th overall with a stunning time of 38:50, well done Frank !! Adrian Green and his immaculate hair were next with 45:51 and Adam Thomas put in a great shift to come through in 48:13 followed by Terry Sellen in 50:12. Matthew Beasley got a new 10K PB with a great time of 51:13, Well done Matthew and he was followed by Steve Rumsey who also got a PB with 53:35, great run Steve !! Darren Laker was next with 53:57 and then yet another PB run this time by Michael Ruck with 54:40, congratulations Michael !!. Danie Shwartz completed in 55:56 and Kevan Strand went round in 56:03 ahead of Dave Winchester in 56:30 and Justin Burden in 58:28. George Phillips came through in 58:49 with wife Isobel making sure she wasn’t chatting and missing him again like she did last time he ran🤦‍♂️

Lionel Hammond just scraped under the hour with 58:51 followed by Harry Lockhart in 1:01:44 and Eloise Pegg in 1:01:45 and Mat Norman in 1:04:22. Cara Linen came over the line in 1:10:57 with Donna Hammond next in 1:14:51. Kat Silvester completed in 1:15:13 followed by Aimee Donahue and Josh Stephens both with 1:27:35. Julie Foster completed the Red line up at Charing with a finish time and a huge ovation of 1:30:30

Once again, Well done and Thankyou to all the runners, marshals, etc on a fabulous event ❤️

Well after the fun and festivities of Friday night, life returned to normal on Saturday with Striders dispersing far and wide for their weekly Parkrun fix.

Of course as you all know it was the 14th June on Saturday and the Trooping Of The Colour to celebrate the ‘Kings Birthday’. Actually HRH was born on November 14th so “Stand Easy”. The Trooping Of The Colour is to celebrate the birthday of the Sovereign and is held annually at this time of year in the hope of better weather. The TOTC actually has nothing to do with birthdays so just to educate you all….Regimental flags of the British Army, historically described as ‘Colours,’ are consecrated and display insignia worn by soldiers of the respective unit along with the unit’s Honorary Distinctions or ‘Battle Honours’.

Historically the primary role of a regiment’s Colour was to provide a rallying point on the battlefield, which was vitally important because without the forms of communications available to troops operating on a modern battlefield it was all too easy for soldiers to become disoriented and separated from their unit during conflict. For soldiers to recognise their Regiment’s Colour, it was necessary to display it; this was accomplished by young officers marching between formed-up ranks of soldiers with the Colour held high, which is the origin of the term ‘trooping’. What is today a great ceremonial spectacle began life as a vital wartime parade.

Sorry I’ve gone off track so back to Parkrun….

A total of 47 Striders attended a Parkrun on 14/06/25 , 26 at Ashford, and 21 on tour.

At Ashford Adam Booth was first Strider across the line with a time of 21:38 followed by Keith Haynes with a time of 21:52, and Jack Farrant third strider, with a time of 22:22

Linda-jean Delport was First Lady Strider with 22:31 followed by Mark Niles 23:12 and Neil Wood 24:31. Terry Sellen celebrated his 400th Parkrun with 25:11, Congratulations Terry on such a magnificent milestone 🙌. Darren Laker achieved 25:54 followed by Daniel Schwartz 28:03, Don Dewar 28:25, Josh Stephens 29:24 and David Martins 29:25. Amanda James completed the sub 30’s finishing in 29:47.

Carole Thomas completed in 30:31 followed by Ross Mcinnes 31:49. Marion Fitzpatrick achieved a new PB with 33:23, great running Marion 🙌 !! and she was followed in by Robert Harris with 33:46.

Birthday girl Sarah Martins went round in 34:45 (that was her time not her age, she’s much younger than that !!) just ahead of Justine Wearn 34:49 and Lin West 34:52. Great to see Paul Diddams back running and he achieved 35:51, Well done Paul !! Pauline Tallett notched up a 35:55 finish with Rick Newman celebrating his 25th PR in 44:18 and his guide Sharon Mcinnes celebrating her 50th PR in 44:19. Tailwalker Julie Nicholson completed in 59:41

Huge thanks to the volunteers at Ashford as usual. Along with Julie Nicholson we had Julie Foster, Lisa Fulcher, Steve Rumsey and Hazel Turner.

Parkrun Tourism

Jamie Penfold visited the Brooklands parkrun and completed it in a great time of 23:03.

Scott Hawkins led the way at the Dover Waterfront parkrun and achieved a brilliant new PB with 23:59 🙌. Great run Scott and well done for honouring the ‘winner buys the teas rule’. Elle Weekes was next Strider through at Dover in 25:50 and yet another PB for the ever improving and less moaning Rebecca James who completed in a fab time of 27:53 🙌 neck and neck with Andy Found who was eternally grateful for not getting his ear bent all the way round !! Jayne Hatton somehow managed to match her time to the second from her previous visit to Dover with 28:34 and Maria Chapman completed the Dover Waterfront parkrun Strider lineup with 33:30.

Amanda Watson and Hubby Ian were on Honeymoon and decided it would be a good idea to run near a recently erupted volcano and Amanda completed the Etna parkrun in a Seismic time of 36:36. It was obviously Lava at first sight for the pair of them and they are a Magma-nificent match ❤️.

Chloe Winham was the sole Strider at Folkestone parkrun and completed in 28:44 with Rachel Tomsett visiting the Great Lines parkrun, Medway and finishing in 30:49. Lee Gribbin completed the Leybourne Lakes parkrun in 27:50 a couple of minutes ahead of his mum Lisa Gribbin who went round in 29:42.

Justin Burden and Laura Clark were at  the Maidstone River Park parkrun and finished in respective times of 28:51 and 45:40.

Isabelle Froissart continued her comeback from injury and completed the Orpington parkrun in 29:39 whilst Tamsin Ritchie and Sprocket completed the Polkemmet Country parkrun in 28:50.

We had a quartet of Striders at Royal Tunbridge Wells.Lionel Hammond led the way with 28:47 He was followed by Delia Millen in 38:10, Donna Hammond in 39:08 and Nige Terry 39:49.

Last but certainly not least Simon Pharoah completed the Walmer and Deal Seafront parkrun in 18:15 and actually got first place 🥇. Congratulations on a great run Simon !!

Saturday also saw the return of the Dirty Rotten Scoundrels event. A 10k race through rivers, mud and obstacles of all kinds which some strange people see as fun 🤪. Chris Littlejohn was first Strider to complete and he managed a course PB with a great time of 1:26:21, well done Chris. Dan Green was next with 1:30:43 followed by Matthew Beasley in 1:41:21. Kay Hunt got a course PB with 2:17:45, well done Kay and she finished at exactly the same time as Adam Thomas. Angie Craffey completed in 3:43:40 just ahead of Michelle and Jason Brice in 3:44:00 and Chloe Darling in 3:44:27. Well done to all of you and great to see you back out running Chloe. Everyone at the club wishes you and your family well 😘

Michael Davies was in action on Sunday at the Offas Dyke 15 mile race on the hilly English/Welsh border. Despite taking some time en route to dive into the stinging nettles Mike completed in 2:29:00 winning his age group category.

I wasn’t sure whether to include this last one on Saturday or Sunday as she started on one and finished on the other but anyway congratulations to Henrike Grund. This amazing lady took on the South Downs Way 100 mile race and finished it in 25:57:09. An incredible show of determination, fitness and slight madness. Well done Henrike that is a wonderful achievement ❤️

Well done to everyone on a fantastic week. Runners, Marshals, Supporters have all been top notch which is why the status of this running club is up there with the very best 😍 

Don’t forget to get yourselves on Spond and signed up to this weeks fun. We have the Non Tech run on Monday which is always good fun and then Neds run on Tuesday. Apparently there is something new at S&C this coming Tuesday and we are going Al Fresco so come along with your mat and find out what the surprise is 🤔

Finally don’t forget to sign up for the Striders Social at the Club on 28th June. It’s completely free (apart from the booze) to members and will be a great night for all. It’s on Spond so no excuses, be there or be square !!

Have a great week everyone ❤️

by Sharon Gardner

Hello and happy Sunday everyone, I hope you’ve all enjoyed the welcome return of the (intermittent) sunshine today! I’m back to work tomorrow so rest assured, Summer will be back properly this week! 😀

The standard of our Run Report Writers is now so high, I’ve been struggling all day thinking about how to write this to even begin to compare with previous weeks. I deliberated about reporting on the carnage at Ashford Parkrun that almost caused a pile up on the final sprint, when a couple of feisty squirrels, completely engrossed in their fighting, ran across the path without a thought for anyone going for their PB. But, alas, I didn’t get any photos so I decided against it! (True Story!)

So here we are, I shall stick to what I know and report on all of the achievements that our members have earned in the last seven days.

First off, we had the first of the Rye Summer Series on Friday evening. The summer series is, as the name suggests, a series of four races over the four months of Summer (June, July, August and September) There are options for 10k or 5k for the first 3 and then everyone does the 5k for the final race. We had a fantastic clutch of members representing us in Rye on Friday with Lionel and Donna Hammond choosing to complete the 5k version and gaining themselves excellent times of 26:24 and 36:59 respectively. Next up and first of our 10k racers was the lightening bolt that is Simon Pharoah, Simon once again made it look easy coming in with an outstanding time of 37:56, a course PB, 3rd Male, 4th overall and first in his age category! Next up was Dave Winchester, comfortably coming in sub 60 with a finish time of 50:14, Ash Robinson was next in with 1:04:36, followed by Ross McInnes with 1:08:07, Sharon McInnes just behind with 1:08:44 and then Lucey Townsend in 1:12:08 – excellent work all!

Then we move on to Parkrun day – AKA Saturday! A total of 51 Striders attended a Parkrun on 07/06/25 , 42 at Ashford, and 9 on tour, we’ll start as is customary at home in Ashford;

Jack Farrant was first strider across the line and 14th overall, with a time of 20:13, he was followed by Keith Haynes with a time of 20:19, and Jason Caldwell third strider, with a time of 21:19.

They were followed by

Terry Sellen, completed his 399th Parkrun in 23:15, Chloe Winham, first female Strider earned a shiny new PB with an excellent time of 23:25, then came Steve Rumsey 24:45, Harry Scott 25:09, Darren Laker 25:12, Claire Green 25:15, Michael Ruck 25:16, Ian Mccutcheon 25:33, George Phillips 25:41, Daniel Schwartz 26:22, Jason Brice 27:12, David Gadsby 27:20, Neil Wood 27:36, Pav Jagoda-souch 28:47, and Jamie Bartlett 29:00. Rebecca James, smashing out the sub 30’s was next with 29:09, Don Dewar 29:16, Amanda James 29:26, David Martins 29:51, and Catherine Wall 30:34. Running together and looking like they were having a lovely time around the park were Lee Gribbin and Lisa Gribbin, both finishing in 30:43, Eloise Pegg was next, 31:17, Stephen Cartwright, coming back from injury and making it look like he’d never been away, came in at 31:25, then Rob Harris 31:54, Josh Stephens 31:57, Tamsin Ritchie 33:30, Dave Warner 34:50, Pauline Tallett 34:57, Lucie Shrubsole and John Latter finished together with 35:01, Penny Grigg 35:21, Sara Dewar 35:56, Sarah Martins 37:35, Nige Terry 37:41, Katarzyna, Heather Fraser 38:16, Helen Rumsey 39:09, Angela Craffey 1:00:49, and last but not least was Jamie Penfold celebrating his 100th Parkrun with a tail-walking party at the back, came in with 1:01:22!

As usual we had a good turnout of Striders volunteering at Parkrun; Jason Caldwell, Isabelle Froissart, Mark Niles, Jamie Penfold and Hazel Wood – Thank you as always to all of you and please, if you’re at a loose end at all, please do volunteer to marshal, it’s so rewarding and very much appreciated!

Parkrun Tourism

Maria Chapman completed the Cyclopark parkrun in 34:24

Nicola Crawley completed the Dinton Pastures parkrun in 52:14

Amanda Watson, this week’s furthest travelled Parkrunner, completed the Foro Italico parkrun in over 30 degrees heat and came in on 31:22.

Justin Burden, Lee Standen and Laura Clark completed the Great Notley parkrun coming in on 29:28, 31:43 and 1:03:01 respectively.

Linda-jean Delport completed the Maidstone River Park parkrun in 22:23.

Justine and Jason Wearn were in Swindon and completed the Seven Fields parkrun in 33:01 and 33:04 respectively.

Still on Saturday we move over to Lanzarote where Russ Berliner donned his Red Strider-Shirt and completed the Sun Run Lanzarote 5K race, which he did in a fine time of 31:43.

Saturday and into Sunday, three members decided it would be fun to enter Endure24 in Reading! This race is on a course of 8km and the aim is to complete as many laps of the course as you can within 24 hours. The race can be run solo, in pairs or as part of a team, our runners very sensibly took the team option with Nicola Crawley completing 3 laps in times of 55:33 at 5:02pm, 1:10:54 at 11:22pm and then 58:09 at 5:40am. Sharon and Ross McInnes, not content with a measly 10km on Friday evening also did three laps each, Sharon at 6pm, 2am and 11am and Ross at 7pm, 3am and midday today! Crazy bunch – obviously you’ve now piqued the FOMO sensor in some other members so I’m sure there’ll be a much bigger turnout for this next time!

Donna Hammond, another Strider not content with one race this weekend, was in Folkestone today for the Race for Life, she raised an amazing amount of money for the charity and completed the race in 38:30.

Four of our members added Swimming and Cycling to their runs today, competing in the White Cliffs Sprint Triathlon down in Dover. This race was a 400m Swim, a 14km Cycle and then a 5km run, first Strider and with a PB was Chris Littlejohn with an overall time of 1:05:35, Next was Richard Randle in 1:14:07, Andrew Cornwell 1:17:16 and finally, well and truly bitten by the Tri-bug, was Vicky Shrubsole with an overall time of 1:24:51.

Final race of the weekend was attended by Michael Davies. Michael was in Staplehurst for their 10k and came home with a lovely little haul of a beautiful VE Day medal and an award for being first in his category and with a course PB time of 45:15.

That, I think is it for this week, outstanding achievements as always everyone!

Have a great week all ❤️