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This week, for a bit of fun I asked the AI program ChatGPT to write this week’s run report. I had to make a few tweaks to correct inaccurate information (the information it has is a bit out of date), and the result is below. What do you think?
Greetings fellow runners and parkrun enthusiasts! Unfortunately, this week’s Ashford parkrun was cancelled due to a Coronation event taking place in the park. However, that didn’t stop our club members from getting their weekly parkrun fix! Instead, many of them visited a variety of other parkruns across the county and beyond.
First up, we have Rachel Tomsett who ran at the stunning Bedgebury Pinetum, clocking in at a time of 32:53. This beautiful park offers a fantastic backdrop for a run, with its sprawling pine forest and lakes making for a peaceful and scenic route.
Next, we have Mark Niles who took on the Canterbury parkrun, finishing in an impressive 22:19. The course takes in a section of the Crab and Winkle Way, a scenic walking and cycling path that follows the route of an old railway line.
Several Ashford Striders took on the seafront course at Folkestone parkrun, with some impressive performances on display. Claire Green finished with a time of 24:29. David Helme crossed the line in 28:23, followed by Tamsin Ritchie in 29:13. Peter Broom also put in a strong effort, completing the course in 30:47. Hazel Forrester wore a fantastic Burger King costume for the Coronation and completed the course in 37:07, while Danielle Moss finished in 40:26.
At the Fountains Abbey parkrun, Nadine Golding put in a great effort, finishing with a time of 33:15. The parkrun is set in the beautiful grounds of the Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The course takes in some stunning scenery, including a run past the magnificent abbey ruins.
Over at the Kingdom parkrun, Amanda Cooper finished with an impressive time of 30:46. The course is set in ancient woodland near Penshurst.
Heading up the coast to Margate, Kevan Strand led the charge with a speedy 22:36 finish time. He was followed by Hazel Turner (24:45), Dermot Carr (26:50), Siobhan Hagan (27:38), Martin Whittingham (28:40), Justin Burden (29:24), Lisa Gribbin (29:27), Mark Archer (31:56), and Lynnette Whittingham who brought up the rear with a still-respectable time of 57:44.
Sonette Schwartz (35:00) and Lisa Fulcher (37:30) both took on the Mote Park route. This parkrun is set in the heart of Maidstone and offers runners a chance to explore the beautiful Mote Park.
Meanwhile, Nicola Crawley (30:41) and Justine Wearn (38:09) tackled the challenging hills of the Queen Elizabeth parkrun. This course is set in the stunning South Downs National Park and offers runners a real test of their fitness.
Meanwhile, Lee Standen took on the Stretford parkrun, finishing with a time of 35:44. This parkrun is located in Longford Park in Manchester, England.
The Great Field parkrun was no match for Brian Marsh who completed the course in a speedy 24:47. This parkrun takes place in Great Field park which is located in Poundbury, a new urban development in Dorchester, Dorset.
At Walmer and Deal Seafront parkrun, three Ashford Striders put in fantastic performances. Jamie Penfold crossed the finish line in an impressive time of 23:40, followed closely by Richard Randle with a time of 25:30. Delia Millen also had a strong showing, finishing in 32:50.
Last but not least, we had Jack Farrant (23:00), Lucie Shrubsole (30:07), Sharon Gardner (32:07) and Victoria Shrubsole (33:39) taking on the Tonbridge parkrun. This picturesque route takes in the beautiful Tonbridge Castle and River Medway, making it a lovely spot for a Saturday morning run.
The Ashford Striders had a successful day at the races on Sunday, with several runners achieving personal bests.
First up was Keith Haynes, who blazed through the challenging and scenic Rye 5 mile race, taking place in the lanes around Peasmarsh, and finished in an impressive time of 0:33:23, securing 5th place. Nigel Hills closely followed Keith and finished in 0:42:20. Karen Edwards also had a strong showing in the Rye 5 mile, completing the course in 0:52:08.
In the Maidstone Riverside 10k, a fast and flat route along the River Medway, Andrew Maund pushed himself to a personal best time of 0:42:08, while Steve Greatorex finished in a respectable 0:47:20.
Rob Wood and Jamie Bartlett put in impressive performances in the Maidstone Riverside 10 mile. Rob set a new personal best time of 1:19:30, and Jamie Bartlett completed the race in 1:29:05, also achieving a personal best time.
Overall, it was a fantastic weekend for the Ashford Striders, with several runners pushing themselves to new heights and achieving their goals in a range of distances and terrains.
Report by Lisa Fulcher and AI!

Ashford Parkrun
Another Strider take over at Ashford Parkrun this week. In true Strider style, we pulled together, turned out on mass and made Ashford’s 412th park run a huge success!
We had fun loving marshals around the entire course; we had amazing ‘spot on’ pacers and don’t get me started on the cake stall, plus lots of volunteers carrying out the various roles needed on the day.
We truly know how to put on a party/park run.
Big up to everyone who played a part, I honestly hope I haven’t missed anyone. I’m sure you can appreciate there was a lot for me to get through this week so if you so spot the odd mistake, please message me direct and I will correct, thank you.
Volunteers included: Gayle Bailey, Tammy Brooks, Michelle Bryant, Jason Caldwell, Dermot Carr, Richard Coles, Amanda Cooper, Sharni Copham, Nicola Crawley, Chloe Darling, Don (birthday boy) Dewar, Sara Dewar, Paul Dunning, Brian Forrester, Hazel Forrester, Julie Foster, Andy Found, Sharon Gardner, Keith Haynes, Charlie Huyton, Louise Huyton, Katie Exon, Amanda James, Rebecca James, Darren Laker, Ned Golding, Jo Mason, Andrew Maund, Clare Maxlow, Kevin Miller, Rachel Misson Julie Moore, Danielle Moss, Julie Nicholson, Jamie Penfold, Simon Pharoah , Rachel Phillips, Richard Randle, Ashley Robinson, Jason Sanders, Victoria Shrubsole, Vicky Stevenson, Graham Troman, Hazel Turner, Dave Warner, Ian Watson, Jennifer Watts, Justine Wearn, Dave Winchester.
The pacers did a fantastic job with many runners commenting how much they appreciated having someone to run with to set their pace,, so well done all.
The initial time below is their pace time followed by their actual time on the day.
22 Andrew Maund 22:02
24 Keith Haynes 23:57
25-Paul Dunning 25:17
25-Hazel Turner 25:08
26-Richard Randle 26:36
28-Darren Laker 27:54
29-Vicky Stevenson 28:51
30-Mandy Cooper 29:55
30-Andy Found 29:54
32-Rachel Phillips 31:30
34-Sharon Gardner 33:23
36-Justine Wearn 35:51
38-Vicky Shrubsole 36:56
40-Katie Exon 38:46
There were also Strider runners representing the club with some running after they had finished their volunteering role:
Adam Booth 20:32,
Kevan Strand 22:32
Mark Niles 22:58
Terry Sellen 24:30
Nicola Crawley 26:33
Siobhan Hagan 27:09 (PB)
David Gadsby 27:48
Justin Burden 27:50
Scott Hawkins 27:53
Lisa Gribbin 28:56 (PB )
Martin Whittingham 29:24
Rita Cooke 30:34 (PB)
Jason Brice 31:01
Rachel Forrester 31:04
Rachel Phillips 31:30
Sonette Schwartz 33:07
Leigh Freeman 33:24
Rachel Oliver 33:31
Delia Millen 33:47
Michelle Brice 33:49
Peter Broom 35:15
Lisa Fulcher 35:34
Rachel Theobald 37:29
Kevin York 37:30
Danilelle Moss 43:24
Richard Coles 44:09
Lynnette Whittingham 1:03:08
Julie Foster 1:11:20 (tail walker)
Sharni Copham 1:11:53 (tail walker)
Big thanks also to Baz for taking some fantastic photos around the course
Surprise, surprise no park run tourism this week; massive thanks to everyone for giving up their Saturday morning at Ashford.
Finally, a massive thanks to our fabulous run leader Ned, who flawlessly organised us all, which made for a successful Ashford Striders Park Run takeover.

Monday1st May
Some Striders chose to spend their Bank Holiday Monday running the
Furley Page Whitstable 10k.
First across the line representing Ashford Striders and with a nice new shiny PB was Jack Farrant in an impressive time of 48:28. Next coming in together just under the hour was Kay Hunt and Adam Thomas in 59:37. Lucie Shrubsole recorded a time of 1:02:32, Sharon Gardner 1:05:27 Vicky Shrubsole 1:08:28. Finally, another fabulous PB was achieved by Delia Millen with 1:09.
Fabulous running everyone
So that concludes this weeks mammoth run report I’m off to have a lie down in a dark room now, just after I’ve had a glass or two of wine.
Have a great week of running everyone x
Report by Justine Wearn

Well what an amazing and inspirational weekend of running we have had, I hope all the runners, supporters and volunteers are still feeling the high (if not a little achy and tired)!
Ashford parkrun
First things first, we shall start with parkrun. Keith Haynes was the first Strider to cross the line at our local parkrun in Victoria Park with another amazing time of 20:42 but close on his toes was Adam Booth who finished in 20:44. Jamie Penfold achieved a PB with a time of 23:32, Claire Green went through the tunnel at 24:32 and Terry Sellen crossed the line 5 seconds later in a time of 24.40. Stephen Cleaver achieved a time of 25.40, Nicola Crawley came home in 26:18, next with times of 26:35, 26:46 were Mark Niles and Darren Laker and finishing the sub 27 pack was Jason Sanders who got to the line in 26:51. Vicky Stevenson achieved a finish of 28:48, Chloe Darling ran home in 29:11 and Catherine Wall finished in 30:31. Achieving a PB and getting so close to a sub 30 parkrun was Rita Cooke who ran to the finish line in 30:52. Peter Broom achieved a time of 30:49, next to cross in 34:36 was Jennifer Watts and finally the tail walker pack (some where getting a train to London that night) consisted of Siobhan Hagan (1hr 42s), Rachel Misson (1hr 43s), Lisa Gribbin (1hr 56s), Michelle Bryant (1hr 57s), Rachel Tomsett (1hr 58s), Sally Davidson-Daniel (1hr 1m 14s) and Lisa Fulcher (1hr 1m 21s).
Well done everyone and a big thank you to this weekend’s parkrun volunteers, Kevan Strand, Dermot Carr, Sharni Copham and Lee Standen.
Parkrun Tourism
We had a few striders travelling further afield for their parkrun fix:
Tasmin Ritchie visited Canterbury parkrun and finished in a time of 30:28.
Mandy Cooper ran around a beautiful scenic and picturesque Phoenix parkrun in 32m.
Vicky Shrubsole and Sharon Gardener completed the first of their weekend’s 5k’s at Malling parkrun and finished with times of 33:49 and 33:50 respectively.
Justin Burden took a trip to Greenwich and crossed the parkrun line in 24:59.
And finally Justine Wearn and Jason Wearn got a parkrun in whilst collecting numbers for a special race the next day and completed Mile End parkrun in 29:50 and 29:51.
Howletts 5k
Competing in a local race on Sunday round the beautiful Howletts wild animal park were Jack Farrant who ran in with an impressive time of 23:09 and was followed by Sharon Gardener in 33:28 and Vicky Shrubsole in 34:42.
A huge well done on your race especially with the unapologetic Howletts hill, tackled twice on route.
Virtual London Marathon
Eight striders decided to take on the marathon distance with a virtual challenge. Fantastic achievements all round you superstars!
Staying local was Jamie Penfold who achieved a brilliant PB and completed 26.2 miles in 4hr 24m 20s. Some mean feet achieving a PB marathon distance running solo.
Also remaining local was Angie Craffey who battled through recent injury to still compete virtually on the day and finished her marathon with a wonderful time of 6hr 1m 15s.
The Midnight Marathoners decided to not only tackle their virtual marathon through the night but also travel into the city to complete the London Marathon route in reverse. The team consisted of Siobhan Hagan, Lisa Gribbin, Rachel Misson, Becky Somerford, Hazel Turner and Aimee Donohue who reached their finish at Greenwich Park in 7hrs 30m with the motto of start together, end together. Huge well done ladies, that challenge took some mental and physical determination.
London Marathon 2023
Now we reach the London Marathoners, the day was pretty incredible and very humbling (even if the weather wasn’t overly kind), crowds lined the streets supporting with cheers and claps. Every Strider who was at the start line reached the finish line to collect their well earned medals in inspirational fashions. It takes true grit to take on the challenge of lots of hours, lots of miles and maybe some blood sweat and tears were shed along your journey so you all should be hugely proud of yourselves. You can also say you competed in Mo Farah’s final farewell to the London marathon, iconic. To the first timers, welcome to the marathon club (of course the best running club still remains Ashford Striders).
First home for Striders was Jason Wearn who, running for charity crossed the line down the Mall in a fantastic time of 3hr 48m 20s. Richard Barnes was the next Strider to reach the wonderful sight of the home stretch finished in 4hr 21m 25s. Well done. Dave Winchester who got a little TV fame before the day for his inspiring health and fitness journey achieved a finish time of 4hr 23m 11s which also happened to be a PB Just incredible. Achieving another sub 5hr marathon was our Chair, Andy Found after having completed Brighton just a couple of weeks ago, finished London’s 26.2miles in 4hr 32m 51s. Are you taking a break now?
Richard Coles recorded a marathon PB finishing the route in 5hr 1m 47s. Huge well done for your achievement. Also achieving a PB was Graham Troman who ran the streets of London in a time of 5hr 3m 18s. Just brilliant, well done.
Getting the title of the first female finisher for Striders was Sarah Martins who finished with determination in 5hr 37m 11s. Great time. Lisa Fulcher who seemed to not have a smile leave her face round the whole route finished in a brilliant 5hr 49m 32s. Our golden ticket Martin Whittingham got our clubs spot on the start line, having his name pulled out the hat at the clubs 2022 AGM, completed the amazing race in 5hr 54m 13s, huge well done Martin and thank you. The final member of the Strider family to complete their race in a PB time of 6hr 12m 30s was Sarah George. Congrats.
I hope everyone who competed this weekend have their medals hung high and enjoy some rest, it is much deserved.
Finally a little shout out to all the members that supported or volunteered at water stations and charity cheer points in the city yesterday, the runners really appreciate the boost and the race couldn’t go ahead without the efforts of the volunteers. So well done and give yourselves a big pat on the back.
Report by Kirsty Theobald.

Congratulations to everyone who got out and ran this weekend. Also a huge thankyou to everyone who gave up their Sunday to marshal at the Kent Spring Marathon today. Your efforts were greatly appreciated and the feedback from Nice Works and the runners about you all was absolutely amazing so well done, you are all absolute superstars.

Saturday was Parkrun day and Striders were out in force as usual. We will start at Ashford where Andrew Maund took the first Strider place romping home in 20:07. Jamie Penfold was next in the Strider pack with 24:32 followed by our first Strider lady Tamsin Ritchie with 26:18. Paul Baker earned himself a new PB with 26:23 (well done Paul !!) followed closely by Dave Helme in 26:38. Graham Troman recorded a 27:06 finish with David Gadsby next in 27:46. Jason Brice sneaked in under 30 mins with 29:57 just ahead of Rachel Forrester who hit the 30 minute mark exactly. 30:25 was the time for Jayne Hatton followed by Lee Standen in 31:09. Peter Broom completed in 32:18 and Dee Millen 34:06. Brian Forrester came through in 34:13 just ahead of Clare Maxlow in 34:43. Leigh Freeman and Lisa Fulcher were next with respective times of 35:06 and 36:28 with Carole Thomas following them with 37:06. Julie Nicholson and Julie Foster completed with 38:54 and 41:43 respectively and then the injured Amanda James in 47:23. Mark Niles completed in 49:48 followed by Jennifer Watts and Danielle Moss with respective times of 50:01 and 50:23. Hazel Forrester completed the Ashford Strider Line up with a time of 50:23.
As usual a huge thanks to the volunteers who this week included Kevan Strand, Sharni Copham, Simon Jackson, Adam Booth and Terry Sellen.

Onto the Tourists this week and Grovelands in Enfield saw Justin Burden finish in 24:46 followed by Dermot Carr with 26:47. Siobhan Hagan completed in 28:40 and Sally Davidson-Daniel 30:20. Lisa Gribbin and Rachel Misson rounded up the Strider contingent with respective times of 31:41 and 31:46.
Nicola Crawley and Justine Wearn took a trip to the seaside and visited Hastings Parkrun. Both managed sub 30s with 26:39 and 29:11 respectively.
Bedgebury was the venue of choice for Vicky and Lucie Shrubsole and they completed the trail course in 35:10 and 35:12 respectively.
There was some truly outstanding results at various races this weekend. Mandy Cooper and Ian Watson made the long trip over to Northern Ireland to tackle the Giants Causeway Coastal Trail Run on Saturday and they both smashed the tough 20 mile course with Ian finishing in 4:57:12 and Mandy in 5:28:02.
We had competitors in action at the Kent Spring events on Sunday. Adrian Green was outstanding in the Marathon with a brilliant time of 3:34:14 and proudly collected the V60 trophy and equally brilliant was Keith Haynes who completed the half marathon in 1:37:28. As we all know, that is a really tough course so a huge well done to both of them. A special mention also to Lisa Gribbin who went round the course as sweeper giving encouragement to the last runners on the course and she came round in 6:40:50.
Last but very much not least. Congratulations to Hazel Turner. Hazel struggled through injury and illness in her marathon training but today smashed the Manchester Marathon with an outstanding time of 4:21:23. Huge congratulations to you Hazel that is an amazing achievement.
Once again congratulations and Thankyou to everyone who ran, volunteered and supported this weekend, you did yourselves and the club very proud indeed. Have a great week.
Report by Andy Found.

Unusually we begin this week’s report on Friday and it certainly was a Good Friday down by the sea in Folkestone.
Folkestone 10 Mile
As the sun came out the Folkestone 10 mile race got underway and a plethora of PBs ensued. Justin Burden was the first to cross the finish line in 1.24.02 followed by David Helme in 1.32.06(PB) and Dermot Carr in 1.34.49 (PB). Siobhan Hagan was the first lady Strider back notching up a 10 mile PB, knocking an amazing 15 minutes off of her time in the same race as last year in 1.36.17. Following Siobhan was Pauline Tallett in 1.38.49, Scott Hawkins in 1.39.33 (PB), Rachel Misson in 1.41.53 (PB) and Clare Maxlow in 1.54.06 (PB).
Saturn Solar System Run
Ruth Goddard began her Easter weekend in Runnymeade, completing her 50th marathon in 6.50.00.
Ashford Parkrun
262 runners, joggers and walkers spent their Easter Saturday taking part in the Ashford parkrun. Not a Strider but Marshal Smith got a hero’s welcome following his Brighton Marathon win who came along to pace 25 mins As always, a great Strider turnout. Andrew Maund notched up a new PB and was the first Strider to complete the 5k in 20.00 exactly, Keith Haynes wasn’t far behind in 20.53 followed by Jack Farrant who got a PB in 22.49. Up next was Jason Kennedy in 24.19 and David Helme in 27.19. Jo Mason was the first Strider lady to finish in 28.16 with David Gadsby a couple of seconds behind in 28.18. Sally Davidson-Daniel collected a shiny new PB in 28.19 followed by Don Dewar in 28.30, Amanda James in 29.48, and Rachel Forrester in 30.02. Siobhan Hagan and Martin Whittingham were almost neck and neck in 30.46 and 30.47 respectively. Delia Millen and Richard Randle were next through in 33.12 and 33.13 respectively. Hazel Forrester finished in 33.28 followed by Peter Broom in 33.35. Leigh Freeman was close behind in 33.52 followed by Rachel Theobald and Kevin York who both finished in 34.18. Jennifer Watts was next through in 35.06, followed by Julie Nicholson who celebrated a PB in 36.07. Danielle Moss finished in 40.44, followed by Mark Niles in 45.34 and Lynette Whittingham in 1.04.37.
A big thank you to the Striders that volunteered, Lisa Fulcher, Jason Caldwell, Dermot Carr, Sharni Copham, Jayne Hatton, Terry Sellen and Kevan Strand.

Parkrun Tourism
Maidstone Parkrun
Travelling up the M20 for the Maidstone parkrun was Rachel Phillips finishing in 33.30
Mote Parkrun
Taking part in the Mote Park Parkrun was Justin Burden and Amanda Cooper, who finished in 26.09 and 29.08 respectively.
Malling Parkrun
Not far away, Victoria and Lucie Shrubsole completed the Malling parkrun together in 33.29.
Shorne Woods
Travelling to Shorne Woods parkrun was Tamsin Ritchie and Paul Bacon Baker who completed in 27.14 and 27.17 respectively followed by Nicki Crawley 27.57, Justine Wearn 31.34 and Jason Wearn 31.36.
Folkestone
Going the other way down the M20, was Kate Stroud who took part in the Folkestone parkrun in 26.48.
Ganger Farm
Moving further afield Rachel Tomsett completed the Ganger Farm parkrun in 31.29
Gorleston Cliffs
Travelling to East Anglia, Julie Foster completed Gorleston Cliffs in 42 minutes.
Zuiderpark parkrun
This week’s tourism winner who obtained his parkrun Z at the Zuiderpark parkrun in the Netherlands was Lee Standen in 28.22.
Report by Danielle Moss

Well. THAT was a busy one wasn’t it! I was considering just summarising and writing, loads of us ran and did incredibly well. Once running the weather was fine and actually perfect for us. The end!

But, I guess you all want to know the details! So here goes…
Saturday as we all know is Parkrun day and as is customary, we shall start at home in Ashford’s Victoria Park where Andrew Maund was leader of the Striders pack, striding home in a fabulous 20:26! Adam Booth was next in at 21:10 then Jamie Penfold, breaking in his new Striders shirt, followed in an impressive time of 24:52. Not far behind we had David Gadsby at 27:30 and then Don Dewar at 30:06. First home for lady-Striders was Aimee Donohue at 30:22 and just a second later was Hazel Turner with a time of 30:23! Then we have the lovely Rita Cooke who bagged herself a wonderful PB of 31:14, well done Rita, thoroughly well deserved! (Andy tried to take credit for this but we all know who really deserves the credit!) Anyway, I digress, a mere 2 seconds behind Rita at 31:16 was Rachel Forrester, then Kevan Strand, 32:39; Peter Broom, 32:45; Lisa Fulcher, 32:47; Delia Millen finished in 33:24, then Hazel and Brian Forrester a second behind with 33:25! Amanda Cooper was next with a time of 33:27, Vicky Shrubsole bagged another parkrun towards her 50 before 50 goal and did so in a time of 33:43! Siobhan Hagan completed the 5k in 35:36, Lisa Gribbin in 35:38; Rachel Misson in 35:39 and then neck and neck at 35:40 were Michelle Bryant and Sara Dewar. Leigh Freeman finished in 35:45, Julie Foster 43:25 and finally, the lovely Dani Moss rounded it all off and came in at 57:35!
Massive thanks to Parkrun Volunteers; Jason Caldwell, Dermot Carr, Sharni Copham, Lisa Fulcher, Katie Iggulden Exon, Richard Randle and Lee Standen, as always, if you can volunteer, please do. It’s a lovely thing to do and hundreds of fellow runners will be extremely grateful, as will Parkrun organisers! Thank you!

Parkrun Tourism
We had Striders all over the place! Rachel Tomsett was in Eastbourne and completed their course in 50:47. Nicola Crawley travelled to Margate and did their 5k course in 27:54. Malling was graced with the presence of Justin Burden who crossed the finish in 25:09. Justine and Jason Wearn were at Minster Parkrun and finished in times of 32:01 and 32:06 respectively, and finally, this week’s most travelled Strider was Sally Davidson-Daniel who completed Trentham Garden’s tough course in a wonderful sub 30 time of 29:36!
Ok, Parkrun done, are you all still paying attention?

Sunday Runday! We had races galore and will start furthest away at Southampton Marathon where Claire Green completed the 26 miles in an excellent time of 4:20:33, well done Claire!
Back over this way to Brighton where there was a choice of 10k or Marathon distances to run, we shall start with the 10k-ers! Keith Haynes flew the distance in 42:35, next in was Jason Sanders with 51:13 followed closely by Tamsin Ritchie who had a PB at 51:49! Nicola Crawley was next in at 52:57, Vicky Stevenson at 54:38, Tammy Brooks at 55:14 and then Dermot Carr got a 10k PB with a time of 56:16! Next back was Ian Watson with a time of 56:53, Jo Mason 1:00:19 and just behind was Jayne Hatton at 1:00:57. Michelle Bryant was next with 1:01:21, Nadine Golding with a time of 1:01:50 and finally Justine Wearn crossed the line in 1:02:20.
Brighton Marathon We had 14 runners at the event and lots of PB’s. First Strider over the line was Jason Caldwell with a time of 3:45:44, Jason Wearn was not far behind and completed in 3:52:01, then Kevan Strand at 3:56:08. Next was Rob Wood with the first Brighton Marathon PB, 4:04:02, Paul Dunning, with a PB of 4:12:49, Richard Randle with a PB of 4:29:18 and Jason Kennedy with a PB of 4:36:07! Next up was Andy Found finishing the course in 4:42:02. Just behind Andy and first for the females was Mandy Cooper with a lovely number of 4:43:00! We then have another flurry of PB’s starting with Kay Hunt, who crossed the line with Adam Thomas both with the exact same (PB) time of 4:43:11! Chloe Darling was next in at 4:47, Gayle Bailey finished in 4:48:58 (PB), Siobhan completed her first marathon and did so in an impressive time of 4:54:14 (PB). Lisa Gribbin was next in at 4:58:42 (PB), Rachel Misson at 5:09:24(PB), Dave Helme finished in 5:16:50 and last but definitely not least was Darren Laker who completed the 26 miles in 5:17:06 (PB) Massive well done to you all, this is a huge achievement!
Finally to round off the weekend was London Landmarks Half Marathon, as with Brighton, it was freezing to start but perfect for running and there was even a bit of beautiful blue sky and sunshine! Nigel Hills was the first Strider to finish this half and he did so in a time of 2:01:59, next was Stephen Cleaver, 2:04:24, and then Leanne Clarke got a shiny new PB with a time of 2:17:37! Sharon Gardner (feels weird writing in the third person) got a PB with 2:18:07, Lucie Shrubsole was next to finish with a time of 2:20:07, Scott Hawkins also managed a PB and a time of 2:26:39. Melissa Bowles was next over 2:40:33, Vicky Shrubsole and Caroline Miller crossed the finish line togevva in 2:41:02, Mike Mason, 2:47:24; Gemma Coulstock, 2:47:36; Kirsty Theobald; 2:54:09 and Dani Moss rounded off the race with a time of 3:26:33!
Phew! I left the report as late as possible but if I’ve missed anyone, please message me.
As always, massive thanks to all the runners for giving me something to write about but mostly, a huge thanks to the Striders supporters who just make running a race that little bit more bearable. As has been said by many people before, this club is great! The help, encouragement and support from everyone, for everyone, is second to none. So many of us wouldn’t attempt these races without the club behind us, giving us these crazy ideas!
Have a wonderful week everyone
Report by Sharon Gardner

As is traditional, we start with Ashford parkrun where we had our usual good turnout from club members. The weather was much improved on last week, dry with sunny spells and not too chilly. Adam Booth finished first Strider with 21:00, followed by Justin Burden 23:50, Jason Sanders 26:03 and Graham Troman 26:05. Amanda Cooper completed an unofficial milestone of 150 parkruns, finishing in 28:01. Next was David Gadsby 28:10, then Pauline Tallett 28:35, Catherine Wall 30:57, Justine Wearn 31:08, Martin Whittingham 31:30, Siobhan Hagan 31:31, Lisa Gribbin 31:33, Rachel Tomsett 31:35, Rachel Misson 31:36, Kevan Strand 32:26, Rita Cooke 32:37, Victoria Shrubsole 33:25. Michelle Brice was this week’s only Strider with a parkrun PB, finishing in 33:27. Delia Millen came in with 34:24, then Danielle Moss 41:39 and Dave Winchester 01:17:16
Volunteering at Ashford this week were Dave Warner, Jennifer Watts, Mark Niles, Richard Randle, Sharni Copham, Simon Jackson and Terry Sellen. Many thanks all of you!
Two Striders went to other Kent parkruns. Lee Standen completed Maidstone parkrun in 59:12 and Sally Davidson-Daniel made her second trip to Tonbridge parkrun, finishing in 48:29
Tamsin Ritchie was holidaying in the Cotswolds and chose Stratford Park in Stroud for this week’s parkrun fix. The weather there was sunny and warm and Tamsin ran the hilly and muddy course in 29:47 Also travelling westwards was Lucie Shrubsole who went to Henstridge Airfield parkrun in Somerset and finished in 30:58
Top tourist prize this weekend goes to Nicola Crawley who went to The Hague in the Netherlands to grab a Z for the unofficial parkrun alphabet challenge. Zuiderpark parkrun seems to attract a fair number of British visitors. Nicola ran this flat course in 27:00

Sunday racing
The clocks went forward on Sunday morning, it must be spring! Unfortunately the weather had other ideas, so our large contingent of racers had to put up with getting up an hour earlier for their races, AND getting soaked. But Striders are not put off by such inconveniences and went out and raced in style.
Smugglers 10k and 5k. Up on the wet and windswept North Kent coast, this pirate-themed race takes place on the flat path between Minnis Bay and Reculver. Our runners enjoyed having their photos taken with pirates and parrots, and the race was started with the firing of a cannon!
Richard Randle was the first Strider running the 10k and earned himself a PB of 0:52:38. First lady Strider Kay Hunt ran a PB of 0:54:48, and Adam Thomas also finished in 0:54:48. Dermot Carr was the next Strider to finish with a PB of 0:57:23, then another PB came from Dee Millen in 1:10:10. Next was Rachel Forrester 1:12:30, Hazel Forrester (unofficially with the best costume of the weekend) 1:14:44, Kirsty Theobald 1:16:12, Brian Forrester 1:17:38 and Danielle Moss 1:26:26. Vicky Shrubsole chose the 5k distance and finished in 32:48
Whitstable and Herne Bay Spring Half Marathon
Along the coast a little, two other Striders also had a successful weekend as both of them gained new half marathon personal bests. Jamie Bartlett’s time was 2:01:43 and Martin Whittingham finished in 2:19:09. Well done also to Lynette Whittingham who volunteered handing out finishers medals.
Hampton Court Half Marathon
Sunday’s furthest travelled racers were also running alongside the water, but this time it was the river Thames. Conditions were more challenging at this race as the recent rain meant that large parts of the course consisted of churned up mud and huge puddles Despite this, two Striders managed to earn themselves new half marathon PBs!
Mark Niles flew round the course in 1:50:18, Siobhan Hagan was next with a PB of 2:13:15, followed by Lisa Gribbin in 2:19:02, Becky Somerford 2:20:40 and Jo Mason 2:20:42. Jayne Hatton was the second strider to PB at this race with 2:20:43 and Rachel Misson finished in 2:27:33.
Well done everyone, it’s great to see so many personal bests this weekend and lots of smiley faces despite the rain and other tricky conditions. I hope everyone is warm and dry now and putting their feet up.
Report by Lisa Fulcher.

I could feel it in my fingers, I could feel it in my toes, as I got out of the car at Ashford Parkrun this week. It was Wet, Wet, Wet. Did this stop an impressive turn out of Ashford Striders I hear you ask? Absolutely, not!
First across the line was Keith Haynes, 20:14 with Andrew Maund just seconds behind in 20:22 and Adam Booth in bronze position with a time of 21:16. Terry Sellen, Hazel Turner and Ian McCutcheon recorded times of 23:51, 25:28 and 25:59 respectively. Next came Richard Randle, 27:10, David Gadsby 28:46 and Jason Sanders in 28:57. Darren Laker and Richard Coles came across the line sub 30 in 29:26 and 29:50. Justine Wearn came home huffing and puffing in 31:32 showing her husband how it’s done, as Jason Wearn lagged behind in 31:39.
Jayne Hatton, Amanda James and Peter Broom splished and splashed their way across the line in 32:18, 32:52 and 33:05 respectively. The Forrester family put in an impressive joint effort; Brian 33:24, Rachel, 33:26 and Hazel 33:29. A flurry of Striders were next to finish; Delia Millen 33:34, Siobhan Hagan 33:35 and Rachel Misson, Sally Davidson-Daniel sharing a time of 33:37 and Rachel Oliver 33:58. Rita Cooke and Michelle Bryant finished close together in 34:20, 34:41 respectively and to round up this weeks Ashford Park Run running participants were Jennifer Watts 36:14, Sharon Gardner 36:42 and Victoria Shrubsole 36:55. Well done one and all.
As always we had Striders volunteering this week and so thanks goes to Dermott Carr, Sharni Copham, Lisa Fulcher, Simon Jackson, Kevan Strand Dave Warner and Julie Nicholson.

On their travels this week were; Tamsin Richie, who once again graced Canterbury with her presence and came home in 28:33.
Martin Whittingham continued his impressive form and completed Malling Park run in 30:02. In search of more ‘parkrun bingo’ accolades were parkrun bingo nerds, Justin Burden and (you’ve guessed it) Nicola Crawley, they travelled to Bethlem Royal Hospital park run, which was compared to ‘old school’ cross country with lots of mud and lots of fun. Justin recorded 27:24 and Nicola 27:28, impressive times for muddy conditions!
Sunday
There were a few Strider representatives at Canterbury Riverside 10k with some impressive times being recorded. Richard Randle was first strider across the line in 53:12. Jason Sanders and Lorna Cheshire came in next; 57:44 and 58:50 both personal bests for them, well done!
Did Catherine Wall and Michelle Bryant run together? Their times were 1:03:41 and 1:03:42 respectively with Catherine bagging herself a shiny new PB, whoop and well done. To round off the Striders was Dee Millen who continues to go from strength to strength with her running finishing in 1:11:10. Well done everyone.

And finally, on this Mothering Sunday, a quick shout out to ALL of you awesome Strider women who continue to show up everyday to this crazy thing called life. We are all smashing it, even if it doesn’t seem like it sometimes.

Report by Justine Wearn

parkrun
This weekend there was no Ashford parkrun for Striders to grace their presence at so it meant a bit of tourism happened and we saw Striders here there and everywhere. I feel a little like this is a Where’s Wally, Where’s a Strider kind of run report this week!
Folkestone parkrun
Staying the closest to home were four striders who travelled a couple of junctions down the M20 to Folkestone parkrun taking on the flattish route along The Leas. Tamsin Ritchie was first home in a time of 27:14, followed by Mark Archer in 30:28, Lee Standen in 31:24 and completing the pack was Clare Maxlow in 33:49.
Bedgebury parkrun
Dee Millen, Richard Randle and Dermot Carr decided to take a trip to the forest Saturday morning – and what may you find in the forest, the Gruffelo! The 5k route is very hilly in places but the three of them completed the course in 28:00 (Dermot) , 28:08 (Richard) and 35.27 (Dee).
Maidstone parkrun
Going the other way up the M20 was Andrew Maund who travelled to Maidstone parkrun and finished the 5k course in an impressive 20:41.
Mote Park parkrun
Just across town to Andrew was Graham Troman who completed the picturesque 5k route round Mote Park with a PB in 25:52. Beautiful on a Winters morning.
Sittingbourne parkrun
Rachel Tomsett decided to travel to Sittingbourne parkrun which follows a route around Milton Creek Country Park and finished the course in 31:31. For those that are interested in visiting Sittingbourne parkrun there’s a Greggs right next to the park for end of run pastry goodness.
Tonbridge parkrun
Flying the Strider flag at Tonbridge parkrun Saturday morning was Sally Davidson-Daniel, crossing the finish line in 30:49.
Dartford Heath parkrun
Carrying on the Kent parkrun theme was Nicola Crawley, Justine Wearn and Andy Found who went along to Dartford Heath parkrun. The trio went round the woodland trail paths in 27.07, 32:53 and 33:34 respectively.
Pegwell Bay parkrun
Running on a mixture of gravel paths and offroad at Pegwell Bay Country Park, Victoria Shrubsole and Lucie Shrubsole found themselves crossing the finish line at exactly the same time of 38:02.
Southwark parkrun
Now we’ve moved out of Kent into the Capital and three striders took the train to Southwark parkrun. Justin Burden completed the 5k in 24:18, Siobhan Hagan crossed the line in 27:09 and Michelle Braynt finished in 30:13.
Worthing parkrun
Taking the Strider red to West Sussex was Danielle Moss, who got a refreshing start to the day at a cold Worthing parkrun finishing in 40:17.
Well done all for getting up that little bit earlier on a Saturday morning to still get your parkrun fix in. We had Strider presence at two races this weekend.

Brett Lydd Half Marathon and 20 Miler
Always a tough race due to the weather conditions that seems to come with the Lydd Half and Lydd 20mile, but we had a great bunch of Striders attend running and supporting doing us proud. The sun even came out to play at one point which not so sure that’s happened at the Lydd races before!
First for the half marathoners we had Simon Richter who finished in 2hrs 01min 14secs followed by Rachel Phillips who crossed the line with another Strider on board – Rachel and Bump finished in 2hrs 10mins 14secs. Emma Matthews who completed her first half marathon at Lydd (what a half to choose) finished in 2hrs 47mins 06secs.
Next the crazy lot who chose to endure the windy conditions of Lydd for a little longer were the 20milers. Jason Caldwell brought the 20milers home first in a time of 2hrs 37mins 35secs followed in by Kevan Strand who also kept it under the 3hr mark finishing in a time of 2hrs 48mins 45secs. Jason Kennedy finished the flat but gruelling route in 3hrs 14mins 22secs (PB), Gayle Bailey also got a PB and crossed the line in 3hrs 29mins 06secs, chairman Andy Found ended the race in 3hrs 31mins 57secs and finishing the Strider pack was Darren Laker who crossed the line in a PB of 3hrs 43mins 55secs.
A big well done guys, a tough run on the race calendar but you got it done!
Paddock Wood Half
Four striders took to the undulating Paddock Wood Half Marathon to get their well earned medal at the end.
Keith Haynes was the first Strider back in a time of 1hr 31mins 01secs (PB), followed by Richard Randle who got his fastest ever half in a time of 1hr 53mins 41secs, Dermott Carr got a PB and crossed the line in 2hrs 10mins 40secs and finally Ian Watson ended the Strider red in 2hrs 18mins.
Go Team Red for another fab weekend of running with only 3 weeks left until Brighton Marathon and London Landmarks Half, we also had some brilliant club LSR in double digits as well as some using the official races as training. Taper starts soon guys…keep it going!
Report by Kirsty Theobald.

Another great week of Strider running with parkrun’s, marathon and half marathon training runs and a few races. A reminder that Ashford parkrun is not taking place next week (Sat 11th March) so start deciding now on an alternative. Also, another cancellation for your diary will be due to the King’s Coronation, so there will be no parkrun on 6th May.
If you are free on the 16th April, we are on the lookout for marshals for the Kent Spring Marathon, so please get in touch if you would like to be involved.
Ashford parkrun
As usual a great strider parkrun turnout this week and first back on home soil was Keith Haynes who sped round in 20.05, closely followed by Andrew Maund who clocked up a PB in 20.12. Adam Booth was next through in 21 minutes dead, followed by Terry Sellen, Mark Niles and Jason Kennedy in 23.41, 23.44 and 25.37 respectively. Tamsin Ritchie who was hosting the Bacon Butty Brigade’s away day was first Strider lady back in 26.08. Richard Randle and Dave Winchester finished neck and neck in 26.13. Hot on each other’s heals was Jason Sanders and Dermot Carr in 27.02 and 27.06 respectively. Paul ‘Bacon’ Baker celebrated with a new PB coming through in 27.38. David Gadsby and Kevan Strand followed in 28.15 and 28.35. Gayle Bailey and Amanda James were next over the line in 28.44 and 28.53. Celebrations for Sally Davidson-Daniel with a new PB and sub 30 in 29.26 with Jason Brice following in 30.09. Chairman Andy followed of which was the end of a 17 mile training run that had started at daybreak in 31.01. Catherine Wall, Amanda Cooper, Justine Wearn and Darren Laker were the next red shirts through in 31.40, 32.04, 32.18 and 32.24. Continuing with her PB success, Dee Millen was next through in 32.39, closely followed by Jayne Hatton and Sharon Gardner in 32.44 and 32.52. Clare Maxlow and Brian Forrester with strong finishes in 33.02 and 33.33. Another fantastic PB from Michelle Brice who finished in 33.37. Don Dewar, Leigh Freeman, Vicky Shrubsole and Lucie Shrubsole were next through in 34.23, 34.32, 34.44 and 34.44 respectively. Finally, a huge congratulations to Rachel Tomsett with a fantastic achievement of 250 parkruns and 250 volunteer credits who completed the Strider turnout in 38.48.
Thank you to the Strider volunteers this week, Rita Cooke, Sharni Copham, Sonette Schwartz, Lee Standen, Dave Warner and Jennifer Watts.

Parkrun Tourism
Maidstone parkrun
Making the relatively short journey and going in the opposite direction to the Bacon Butty Brigade, Peter Broom and Danielle Moss travelled to the riverside route of Maidstone parkrun. Peter completed the course in 31.05 which Danielle finishing in 41.04.
Canterbury parkrun
Nicki Crawley was on the road with Ashford Tri Club and she completed Canterbury parkrun in 27.44.
Swanley parkrun
After this trip to Swanley parkrun, Lisa Fulcher just has one more Kent parkrun to complete. She completed Saturday morning in 35.24
Jersey Farm parkrun
On their hunt for a J for their alphabet, Justin Burden, Siobhan Hagan, Lisa Gribbin and Martin Whittingham travelled by train and bus to St Albans in Hertfordshire with cheer squad Lynette Whittingham. Justin completed in 26.15 with Siobhan, Lisa and Martin finishing in 30.12, 30.53 and 31.14 respectively.

Dartford Half Marathon
Paul Dunning was the solo Strider at the Dartford half and completed the 13.2 miles in 1 hour 47.39
Maidstone 10k
Julie Foster was another sole Strider at the Maidstone 10K
Eastbourne Half Marathon
Martin Whittingham was the 3rd lone Strider at a different race on Sunday. Martin travelled along the coast to take on the Eastbourne half marathon in 2.23.21.

Away from running Striders enjoyed a night out on Saturday night thanks to Andy and Jason Wearn who are marathon fund raising and raised £2,000. Well done everyone, I’m sure the sore heads were worth a great night. Doesn’t everyone scrub up well!
Report by Danielle Moss