A week before Christmas and the super Striders were out in force this weekend fully festively clothed.
The conditions for parkrun on Saturday were perfect with no rain and not too chilly. A good number of Striders were there at Ashford with Ashley Robinson using the conditions to gain a PB of 33.16
Parkrun Tourism
Winning the award for the furthest travelled Strider was Adam Booth who took part in the Dunedin parkrun in New Zealand a full 13 hours before us finishing in 21.14.
Justin Burden was in North London to take part in the Finsbury parkrun and completed the course in 24.13
Staying in Kent, Tamsin Ritchie completed the Canterbury parkrun in 30 minutes exactly and Nicky Crawley travelled to Dover Waterfront finishing in 27.10. Richard Randle, Amanda Cooper and Dee Millen completed the Sittingbourne parkrun in 27.17, 28.33 and 34.11 respectively.
On Sunday there was the Kent Christmas Cracker 5 mile in Deal. Some lovely Christmas costumes were on display and some fabulous personal bests were achieved. Keith Haynes was first Strider to finish and also came first in his age group in 31.55 (PB), he was followed by Jack Farrant in 37.16 (PB). George Cromwell achieved a personal best of 45.15. Mandy Cooper and Ian Watson were next through in 46.12 and 47.38 respectively. Rebecca James was next to finish in 52.36 followed by Vicky Shrubsole with 55.25, Lucie Shrubsole in 55.38, Sharni Copham in 58.20 and Dee Millen in 59.01 (PB). Richard Randle and Julie Foster completed the Strider representation in 1.00.54 a personal best.
With only 15 sleeps until the big day, festive races have been hotting up this week, with many a Strider dressing up in festive gear to complete races of varying distances.
Taking on a midweek run this week was Martin Whittingham, who took on Chase the Moon 5k at QE Olympic Park, completing it in 34:44.
On a very wet Saturday morning, Ashford Striders took charge of Ashford parkrun helping support our fabulous Introduction to Running graduates and covering all the volunteer positions. 32 striders completed the wet and soggy puddle ridden course. 50 parkrun milestones were completed by Andy Found and Dee Millen, Rick Newman completed his 10th parkrun being guided around by Leigh Freeman. Our Introduction to Running graduates who completed their first ever parkrun were Josephine Levett 30:44, Luke Saunders 31:17, Sam Saunders 32:52, Cara Linin 35:48, Gary Linin 36:08, Amy Campbell 47:45 and continuing their parkrun journeys were Katie Gates 35:37 and Laura Clark 44:13. Fantastic running.
You can see the full parkrun results here https://www.parkrun.org.uk/ashford/results/latestresults/
STRIDERS ON TOUR – PARKRUN TOURISM
East End parkrun, New Zealand
Travelling the furthest this week was Adam Booth who took part at East End – New Plymouth parkrun in New Zealand, finishing in an impressive 19:25, let’s see if he can improve on that next week Down Under at Dunedin!
Rheinpark parkrun, Germany
Mandy Cooper combined a festive trip to Koln with an essential bit of parkrun tourism and completed Rheinpark parkrun in 28:51
Oxford parkrun
Rachel Tomsett travelled to Oxford parkrun and finished in 39:53
Folkestone parkrun
Finally, closer to home, Hazel Turner and Siobhan Hagen ran Folkestone parkrun in 24:40 and 28:32 respectively.
RACES
Maidstone Harriers Turkey Run
Travelling the short distance to Maidstone, we had a small selection of Striders taking on the 7.5 mile Turkey run, many dressed for the occasion. Richard Randle 1:09:44, Sharon Gardener 1:24:29, Nicola Crawley 1:26:06, Nadine Golding 1:26:06, David Holland 1:30:49, Andrew Cornwell 1:31:38. Pulling a PB out the bag were Charlotte Housden 1:21:22, Alison North 1:30:49 and Dee Millen 1:36:30. Well done to everyone, your outfits looked amazing.
Chatham Maritime Christmas Dash 5k
Taking on their first ever race were our Introduction to Running graduates Andrea Marsh and Bex Schweizer completing the 5k course in 36:06 supporting each other all the way and achieving Andrea a PB. Great running ladies.
Pilgrims Hospice Santa Run
In an event that sees everyone dress up as Santa, we had a selection of striders running 3 different distances along Herne Bay Seafront. Amanda James completed the 10k in 1:05:41. Andy Found, Vicky Stevenson and Martin Whittingham completed the 5k in 34:55, 35:22 and 39:00 respectively.
In her first ever event, Lynette Whittingham completed the 3k run, supported by fellow Striders in 32:36, gaining herself a PB. Well done all.
It’s been a great week to be a Strider. Well done to everyone who helped in our final parkrun takeover of 2023. Keep on running and don’t forget…..those who run together, have fun together! 🏃🏼♀️😂
Unfortunately the bad weather and ice put paid to a lot of running this weekend but on the bright side it makes my job tonight a lot easier. Every Cloud….. Super Strider title this weekend goes to Elle Weeks. Elle smashed her 10K PB this weekend with a superb time of 55:27 at the Victoria Park 10K in London. It’s the first time Elle has got under the hour for a 10K so massive congratulations to her. She was joined at the race by Siobhan Hagan who ran 55:37 and Michelle Bryant who finished in 59:26. Well done ladies !!
Ashford Parkrun fell victim to the weather but a few hardy Striders still managed to get their weekly 5K fix elsewhere. Banstead Woods welcomed Justin Burden, Nicola Crawley and Justine Wearn. Justin was first over the line in 24:26 with Nicola finishing in 32:57 and Justine in 33:52.
Folkestone saw four Striders at the start line. George Phillips took pole position with 26:04 followed by Richard Randle with 26:19. Amanda Cooper went round in 28:36 and Dee Millen completed in 33:02.
Mark Niles tackled the Swanley Parkrun and managed a very respectable 22:09 whilst Lucie Shrubsole and George Cromwell went to Quakers Walk and finished in 29:07 and 29:08 respectively, Obviously a case of ‘Ladies First’ through the funnel, very gallant George !!
Well that’s all folks. I hope you all have a great week 😍
There has certainly been a chill in the air this weekend, with the sound of windscreens being scraped from all around prior to the main event – Parkrun! It was actually a lovely weekend for running, once the muscles and extremities had acclimatised to the frosty air. Ashford Parkrun saw a good Strider turnout and a couple of PB’s to boot!
Adam Booth was first for Striders in a time of 18:46 with Keith Haynes taking it easy today and coming in at 19:30! Jack Farrant continues his fine form with another PB – 22:08! (sub 22 next week Jack?) Next in and first lady Strider was Cherith Wright, passing through the funnel at 22:55. Daniel Schwartz came in next with another PB of 23:45 – well done Daniel! Terry Sellen came in at 24:33; Hazel Turner, 25:21; Scott Hawkins, 26:27; Stephen Cleaver, 26:31; Dave Helme, 26:44; Darren Laker, 26:45; Amanda James, 28:53 and George Cromwell with 28:57. David Gadsby finished the 5k in 29:05, with Don Dewar coming in at 29:18. Tamsin Ritchie and Siobhan Hagan finished a second apart at 29:37 and 29:38 respectively. Vicky Stevenson completed the course in 30:21, Cathie wall at 31:15; Rita Cooke, 31:37; Rachel Forrester at 32:00 exactly, Rachel Oliver, 32:37 and a second behind was Ian McCutcheon with 32:38. Vicky and Lucie Shrubsole finished a second apart at 32:54 and 32:55 respectively with Sharni just behind at 33:05. Dee Millen was next to finish in 33:30, Leigh Freeman, 34:07; Brian Forrester, 34:17; Jennifer Watts, 35:02 and rounding off for Striders at Victoria Park was the lovely Julie Foster coming in at 38:20.
Volunteers at Ashford included Jason Caldwell, Amanda Cooper, Don Dewar, Peter Heckel, Richard Randle, Terry Sellen, and Kevan Strand – Thank you so much, your efforts are appreciated by all!
Parkrun Tourists!
We’ll start with the furthest travelled and this week’s winner is Jamie Penfold who travelled to the homeland and braved the bitey North Sea wind at Whitley Bay, completing their Park Run in 23:55!
Rachel Tomsett ran at Dartford Heath and completed their run in 30:16.
Lisa Fulcher went to beautiful Bedgebury for their hilly 5k and completed it in 38:15.
Mark Niles was at Kingdom Parkrun and finished in 23:14
Last but by no means least, Justin Burden was in Woolwich for the Thames Path Parkrun and completed it in 23:13!
There were only two races that we had members competing in this weekend, first of those was the South Downs Trail Run, a Half Marathon starting at Goodwood Racecourse and going through the South Downs National Park. Both George and Isobel Phillips completed the race and finished together in 2:35:06.
Finally, we had a rowdy rabble out in Benidorm, wreaking havoc (probably), sampling the wines and devouring the carbs, oh and doing a bit of running (in matching kit!).
There was a 10k option and Sarah Martins completed this race, finishing in 1:10:33.
And then there was the Half Marathon! First to finish was Ned Golding in 2:22:20, with Nic Crawley seconds behind in at 2:22:28. Justine Wearn came in at 2:25:26 and Jason Wearn finished in 2:28:43 – well done to you all, it looked like you’ve all had a great weekend!
That’s it for the report this week, have a great week everyone 😊
We start the report this week on a Friday night as Simon Pharoah took part in the Run in the Dark 10K which started at Battersea Park. Simon completed the race in a time of 44.40 which was a personal best for him.
Ashford parkrun
On another soggy Saturday 180 runners, joggers and walkers met at Victoria Park to start their weekends the right way.
Adam Booth and Keith Haynes went head to head to be the first Strider to finish with Adam piping Keith to the post in 19.33 with Keith seconds behind in 19.35. Dan Green was just behind them in 22.06 with Cherith Wright being the first lady back celebrating a personal best of 22.23. Mr parkrun Terry Sellen was next in 24.22 with Brian Marsh hot on his heels in 24.33. Dermot Carr, (25.23) Claire Green (25.53), Jason Brice (28.41), Rachel Tomsett (29.10) and Simon Pharoah (29.34) all came through in under 30 minutes, Amanda James, David Gadsby and Catherine Wall were next in 30.03, 30.37 and 30.39 respectively. Michelle Brice (32.54), Tamsin Ritchie (33.03) Dee Millen (34.10), Leigh Freeman (36.31), Lisa Fulcher (37.02) and Laura Clark (38.12) complete the Strider line up.
Not forgetting the marshals that make it possible each week, so a big thank you to Don Dewar, Peter Heckel, Simon Jackson, Mark Niles, Terry Sellen and Kevan Strand.
Parkrun Tourism
Minehead parkrun
Taking a break from his weekend of discoing, Dave Helme was in Minehead and completed the parkrun in 28.02.
Norwich parkrun
Celebrating another personal best, Julie Foster completed the Norwich parkrun in 37.29.
Finsbury parkrun
A few Striders travelled to North London to take part in the Finsbury parkrun. Jamie Penfold finishing first in 24.44, followed by Hazel Turner in 27.04, Siobhan Hagan in 36.39 and Michelle Bryant in 36.45.
Eastbourne parkrun
Daniel and Sonette Schwartz were in Eastbourne and finished in 25.13 and 29.23 respectively.
Dover Waterfront
An away parkrun proving popular with Striders and this week Lee Standen travelled to Dover to complete the parkrun in 32.05.
Footscray Meadows parkrun
Justin Burden was the sole Strider at the Footscray Meadows parkrun and he finished in 24.47.
Hastings parkrun
Rachel Misson braved the coastal elements and completed the Hastings parkrun in 30.22.
Beckenham Place parkrun
Nicki Crawley and Justine Wearn both completed the Beckenham Place parkrun together in 36.09.
Hartfield Honey Run half marathon
Adrian Green ran through the mud in Ashdown Forest to complete the half marathon in a fantastic time of 1.56.56
Marden half marathon
Mandy Cooper was the sole Strider taking part in the Marden half marathon and completed the course in 2.10.10
Coastbuster 10 mile and 10K
Travelling to Ramsgate on Sunday morning was Nicki Charles who completed the 10K in 1.07.59. Completing the 10 mile distance was Dermot Carr in 1.31.31, Hazel Turner in 1.33.19, Katie Fox in 1.40.42 (pb) Siobhan Hagan in 1.42.02, and Michelle Bryant in 1.50.14.
ATC 666 Trail Run
Not too far to travel for this race to Ashford Tri Club’s nice and muddy 666 Trail Run at Kings Wood. Completing the 6.66 miles was Jason Kennedy in 1.05.33 which was a personal best, Jack Farrent in 1.07, Chris Wicks in 1.13.10, a personal best and Hazel and Dave Winchester in 1.15.58.
With nobody admitting to having raced this weekend 😀, this week’s report is a round up of Saturday’s action across various parkruns.
The weather on Saturday was in stark contrast to the last two soggy weekends – dry and sunny and decidedly chilly, but good conditions for running.
Our local Ashford parkrun was back to its usual turnout with the improved weather. Keith Haynes was in his familiar position as fastest Strider, finishing in 19:50. The next two Striders both earned new PBs this week, both of them making huge improvements to their parkrun times in a relatively short period: Jamie Penfold with a time of 22:49 and Cherith Wright our first lady finisher with 23:26.
Three more of our speedier runners were next: Justin Burden 23:43, Terry Sellen – 24:03 and Jack Farrant – 24:43. Aimee Donohue also came in with a new PB of 25:33, followed by Simon Pharoah – 26:09 and Andy Found – 26:09
Katie Fox is on her 3rd parkrun but has improved her time with each run, she finished in 26:43. Richard Randle was next with 26:52, then Scott Hawkins – 28:25, Kevin York – 28:34, Darren Laker – 28:36, David Gadsby – 28:44, Don Dewar – 29:10, Amanda James – 29:39, Rachel Tomsett – 29:50, Catherine Wall – 30:51, Michelle Brice – 32:20, Lisa Fulcher – 32:57, Delia Millen – 33:34, Brian Forrester – 33:42, Lee Standen – 33:57, Jennifer Watts – 34:11, Hazel Forrester – 34:41, Sara Dewar – 35:34, Rachel Oliver – 37:07, Julie Nicholson – 37:13, Julie Foster – 37:32, Leigh Freeman – 41:23 and Danielle Moss – 55:07
Huge thanks as always to our members who volunteered at Ashford parkrun: Justin Burden, Jason Caldwell, Sharni Copham, Don Dewar, Sharon Gardner, Peter Heckel, Terry Sellen, Kevan Strand and Hazel Turner
Parkrun tourism Two Striders took on Canterbury parkrun’s undulating course: Tamsin Ritchie finished in 29:45 and Laura Clark ran 38:15
Mark Niles went to Kent’s toughest parkrun at Lullingstone, finishing with an impressive 24:36 and 10th position overall.
A group of Striders travelled to Dover Waterfront parkrun’s flat and fast (weather depending!) course. Daniel Schwartz was first home for the club with 24:25, then Sonette Schwartz – 29:23, Rachel Misson with a course PB of 30:20, Peter Broom – 32:02, Michelle Bryant also with a course PB of 32:04, Martin Whittingham – 33:16. Lynnette Whittingham, who continues to knock minutes off her parkrun times, earned a new overall PB of 55:30, backed up by Dermot Carr also with 55:30
Lastly we have perennial tourists Nicola Crawley and Justine Wearn notching up another new venue at South Norwood parkrun. These ladies took on the mixed trail and path course in South London, finishing in 31:44 and 32:59 respectively.
Well done to all our parkrunners this weekend!
Also on Saturday was the club’s AGM, which included the annual club awards, followed by the Christmas party. Well done to those who won awards this year and it was great to see a well attended meeting and enjoy the food and dancing afterwards! 🕺🎈🍾
