Category: Uncategorized

Sorry guys but No History lesson this week…I know how disappointed you will all be.
Lets start with Ashford Parkrun for a change. Not sure why this one is so popular but Striders galore flock here week in week out and Saturday was no exception.
Keith Haynes maintained his position as fastest Strider with a fantastic 20:13 finish. Andrew Maund chalked up a new PB to finish second with a blistering 20:28.
Could this be the man to de-throne Mr Haynes ?…Time will tell. Third spot was claimed by Dave Winchester as he continued to recover from recent injury with 24:30 and then came Stephen Cleaver with 25:30. Richard Randle put in a great shift to finish in 25:47 which was only fifteen seconds off his PB. If Richard beats his PB next week he’s promised to wear a mankini to the charity event in the evening. Only one second behind Richard was Terry Sellen with 25:47 and then came Dave Helme with 26:37. Jason Sanders recorded his fastest time this year with 26:50 followed by our first lady Strider this week, Mandy Cooper with 28:12. Jim Wealands crossed the line in 28:19 and he was followed in by Scott Hawkins with 28:54. Amanda James achieved a respectable 29:06 and she completed the list of Strider Sub 30s.
David Gadsby chalked up a 30:30 finish and Sally Davidson-Daniel had an excellent run to set herself a new PB of 30:41, Great running Sally !!
Never one to be outdone, Rita Cooke also achieved a new PB with 31:40, Well done Rita !! Kevan Strand got round in 32:30 as he too continued his comeback from injury and then Dee Millen recorded yet another PB with 33:07, Great running Dee !! Rachel Oliver completed in 33:38 followed by Lee Standen with 33:52 and Jennifer Watts in 34:18. Vicky Shrubsole was next Strider over the line with 34:50 with Leigh Freeman next in with 35:10. Ash Robinson, Danielle Moss and Julie Foster completed
the Ashford Strider line-up with times of 37:25, 42:15 and 45:18 respectively.
Volunteers at Ashford included Jason Caldwell, Dermott Carr, Simon Jackson, Mark Niles and Terry Sellen. A big thanks to all of you.

Parkrun Tourism was once again high on some peoples list of priorities for a Saturday morning and Rugby was the venue of choice for Martin Whittingham which he conquered in 30:18.
Justin Burden chose Beckenham Place and got a respectable 25:17 finish whilst Lucie Shrubsole represented the club at Moors Valley event and she finished that in 31:58.
We had four lady Striders at Pegwell Bay and Hazel Turner continued her recovery from illness to cross the line first with a great time of 23:30. Siobhan Hagan followed with 26:20 then came Lisa Gribbin and Rachel Misson with times of 29:40 and 29:46 respectively.
Saarf Landon was the venue for Nicola Crawley, Justine and Jason Wearn as they visited Catford Parkrun. Nicola whizzed round the mixed terrain course in 26:19 with Justine finishing in 31:11 and Jason in 31:13.
Over in the Emerald Isle, Aimee Donahue chose Porch Field event and recorded a great time of 24:31.
Just the one race to report on this week and that was the SVN Chinese New Year Challenge. Kay Hunt and Adam Thomas took on this and both completed the 23 miles in 04:33:02.
Well done to everyone that ran, volunteered and supported this weekend, you all did yourselves and the club proud.
Report by Andy Found.

What a lovely weekend for running, and run we did! Parkruns home and away, races and plenty of sunny training runs for upcoming marathons and half marathons, lovely to see all the photos of such happy striders.

As always we’ll start at home, on Saturday, for Ashford Parkrun where Keith Haynes came in first for striders in 20:31, next was Mark Niles with 20:50 followed closely by Andrew Maund in 20:53. Terry Sellen was next in with a time of 26:10 and not far behind was Jason Brice with a shiny new PB of 26:29 well done Jason!! Nicola Crawley was first Lady Strider coming in at 26:48. Kevin York came in at 28:35, David Gadsby 10 seconds behind at 28:58, Tamsin Ritchie at 29:37 and Scott Hawkins at 29:43. Next in we saw Amanda James at 30:23 and then with a second between them was Sally Davidson-Daniel and Dermot Carr with times of 30:55 and 30:56 respectively! Delia Millen exactly matched her previous PB and came in at 33:32, I’m sure that’s a challenge that can be ticked off on a running app?! Then came Rachel Forrester; 33:38, Jennifer Watts; 34:45, Hazel Forrester; 34:46, Michelle Brice; 34:51 and then Ash Robinson finished the fabulous 5K with a fabulous time of 36:23!
Once again, a huge thank you to all of this week’s Parkrun volunteers; Lisa Fulcher, Simon Jackson, Tamsin Ritchie, and Kevan Strand, if I’ve missed anyone, apologies, let me know and I’ll add you in! Volunteers are always needed so that Parkrun can go ahead, if you’re able to help out, please do volunteer and you’ll get a shout out on here, what more could anyone wish for?! (Shout out to Sharni who was down to marshal but went to the huge length of fracturing her foot/leg in three places just to get out of it!)
Saturday also saw many Striders touring near and far for their Saturday morning 5k fix. Off to Maidstone were Lisa Gribbin who ran the course in 40:10, Rachel Mission; 40:14 and Ruth Goddard; 40:29. Well done ladies!
Wanstead Flats was graced with the presence of 5 of our lovely members; Hazel Turner coming in first for Striders with a time of 25:01, Justin Burden with 25:47, Siobhan Hagan was in at 28:33, Lee Standen with 28:47 and Martin Whittingham with 31:01.
Justine and Jason Wearn travelled over to Sittingbourne for their Parkrun with Justine finishing in 31:09 and Jason in 31:12.
Finally, the furthest travelled Striders Parkrun tourists were the Dewars. Sara and Don completed their 5k at Conwy Parkrun both coming in neck and neck with a time of 34:48!
Sunday saw a few races attended by runners in red! (That’s Striders, in case you thought it was a Chris De Burgh follow up single!)

Deal Half Marathon
Pauline Tallett was the sole Strider in attendance, completing the course in a very impressive time of 2:15:04. Well done Pauline!

Dymchurch 10k
Dymchurch hosted a lovely, friendly, well supported but what seemed like a vintage race on Sunday morning, no chips (except the ones that you buy yourself with salt and vinegar at the end) and so race times are Strava times, there are supposed to be official times within 48 hours so for now, we will use the Strava times and celebrate the event for what it was, a lovely, sunny, seaside 10k run!
We had 5 Striders running, Kay Hunt and Adam Thomas coming in together with a time of 56:34, Rita Cooke celebrating her birthday and a 10k PB of 1:01:57 (Well done and Happy Birthday Rita!) and finally Vicky Shrubsole and Sharon Gardner came in together… and carried on running (Strava was slightly short for the Local Landmarks virtual 10k that was also being completed in conjunction) their time was 1:08:19!

Finally, and last but most definitely not least, I am aware that Lisa Gribbin, Ruth Goddard and Rachel Misson travelled all the way to Cardiff for an Ultra but I’m yet to receive their official Race times. the Ultra itself is a massive achievement so well done ladies! I will update the report with times once I receive them
Well done to everyone getting some miles in their legs this weekend, it really is great to see! Have a great week!
Report by Sharon Gardener

The 2023 race season is really starting to warm up! With two local races to choose from and lots of Striders training for marathons and half marathons this spring, it’s not surprising that lots of our runners were out there this weekend earning medals and PBs! A particular well done to those who partied the night away at the club’s Valentine Charity Evening on Saturday night, and still made it to the start line the next morning.

Chase the Moon 10k
An unusual start to this week’s report as the first race on the menu was on Wednesday evening. Siobhan Hagan and Lisa Gribbin travelled to London to run 10k in the dark around the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Siobhan bagged herself a fantastic personal best of 54:58 and Lisa got a sub-1 hour by the narrowest of margins with 59:59. Well done ladies!
Ashford parkrun
Parkrun numbers are often down if there’s a local race the next day, despite this there was good turnout of runners in red. Terry Sellen was this week’s first Strider with a time of 24:40. Next was Simon Pharoah, finishing in 24:58, then Ian Mccutcheon 25:16, Kevan Strand 28:44, Jason Sanders 29:58 and Martin Whittingham 30:35. First Strider lady coming in with a personal best of 30:55 was Sally Davidson-Daniel, then Jason Brice 31:12, Rita Cooke 31:47, Delia Millen also bagging a PB with 33:32, Leigh Freeman 33:33, Tamsin Ritchie 34:51, Jennifer Watts 35:18, Lee Standen 35:18 and Sara Dewar 41:16
Thanks to this week’s volunteers: Darren Laker, Jason Caldwell, Julie Foster, Lisa Fulcher, Mark Niles, Richard Randle and Terry Sellen.

Parkrun tourism
8 parkruns hosted Ashford Striders on tour this weekend.
Rachel Tomsett was all the way up in Scotland, taking in the beautiful scenery of the Cairngorms at Aviemore parkrun. She finished the course in 42:01. Paul Baker ran the undulating Canterbury parkrun for the second time, earning himself a course PB of 29:59. Danielle Moss travelled to the Cotswolds and completed Chipping Norton School parkrun in 47:01
Amanda Cooper travelled down the motorway to Folkestone and finished in 28:11. Going in the opposite direction were our Chase the Moon runners, at Mote Park to bag a number for the Fibonacci sequence challenge. Siobhan Hagan beat her previous best time on this course with 28:57 and it was Lisa Gribbin’s first time there, finishing in 30:52
Jack Farrant ventured up North to run at Prudhoe Riverside parkrun on the bank of the Tyne near Newcastle. Jack finished in a time of 22:51. The flat course at Victoria Dock parkrun in London was the choice of Nicola Crawley and Justine Wearn this week. Nicky finished in 26:24 and Justine’s time was 30:11. And last on the list of tourists is Justin Burden who went to Wimbledon Common looking to tick off number 777 in the Nelson challenge. He wasn’t the only one as Wimbledon had more than 3 times its average attendance this week! Justin isn’t used to his finishing position being in the 300s, his time was 26:21.

Ashford & District 10k
This race around the country lanes to the West of Ashford is a firm favourite of Ashford Striders members and it always sees a good turnout of red, despite the infamous hill around 3k from the end! Lots of Striders who weren’t running turned out to support and Facebook was flooded with photos from different points around the course. In typical Strider style, everyone stayed to support their teammates until the last Strider had finished.
The results are as follows, good to see so many personal bests despite the hill:
Keith Haynes 0:41:33
Mark Niles 0:42:49
Dave Winchester 0:45:57 – PB
Jack Farrant 0:48:37 – PB
Paul Dunning 0:49:11 – PB
Terry Sellen 0:50:01
Nigel Hills 0:50:37
Simon Pharoah 0:50:48
Richard Randle 0:51:17 – PB
Stephen Cleaver 0:52:23
David Helme 0:53:27 – PB
Graham Troman 0:53:36
Chloe Darling 0:54:05 – PB
Vicky Stevenson 0:55:22
Scott Hawkins 0:57:30
Siobhan Hagan 0:58:52
Michelle Bryant 0:59:33
Becky Somerford 0:59:37
Amanda James 0:59:52
Lisa Gribbin 1:00:11
Jayne Hatton 1:00:50
Karen Edwards 1:01:55
Alison Rice 1:04:25
Peter Broom 1:05:23
Rebecca James 1:05:35
Dee Millen 1:10:20 – PB
Brian Forrester 1:11:56
Leanne Howard 1:13:29 – PB
Hazel Forrester 1:13:46
Julie Nicholson 1:15:46 – PB
Julie Foster 1:32:39

Headcorn Half Marathon
Not far away in the country lanes of Headcorn, this race saw a good turnout of Striders, especially those who needed a longer race for their marathon training plans. Once again, every Strider was cheered across the line by teammates who were supporting or had already finished.
At the time of writing the official results hadn’t been published, provisional results are as follows, with lots of provisional PBs reported:
Hazel Turner 1:51:18
Kevan Strand 1:51:21 – PB
Andy Found 1:59:38 – PB
Gayle Bailey 1:59:57 – PB
Jamie Bartlett 2:04:40 – PB
Mandy Cooper 2:04:58
Darren Laker 2:05:07 – PB
Cristina Adams 2:09:35
Adam Thomas 2:11:50
Kay Hunt 2:11:50
Sarah George 2:38:01 – PB
A fantastic week of running everyone, well done.
Report by Lisa Fulcher.

Right put the kettle on and settle comfortably because with not many races being attended this weekend I thought I would do a bit of research into the parkrun venues that our members featured in and I came up with some surprising facts.
Ask any Ashfordian what their home town is famous for and some might tell you that Kate Bush was a pupil at Ashford School. Others might tell you that Patsy Byrne who played Nursie in Blackadder attended Highworth School or some might say that Bob Holness the TV presenter gained his knowledge from the Norton Knatchbull school. The majority though will tell you that Ashford is most famous for its railway links and is one of the best connected towns in the UK. People alighting a train at Ashford International have in fact a short ten minute walk to Victoria Park, home of Ashford Parkrun and on Saturday they would have seen enough runners in red to fill the 07.40 to St Pancras.
Keith Haynes appears to be fully recharged and fuelled up after his recent injury problems as he went off like the Eurostar and completed the 5K track in 20:16 to claim the Strider top spot. Andrew Maund also put in a great performance to record a 20:33 finish and Mark Niles completed a superb sub 21 Strider trio with 20:52. Hazel Turner cruised round like the Orient Express to claim the first Strider lady spot with 24:40 and Terry Sellen just didn’t have enough steam in his engine to catch her and had to settle for 24:41. Richard Randle proved that age is no barrier. His first Parkrun in his 7th decade and like a pristine locomotive whistled round to a fantastic new PB of 25:27. Two younger models followed in Richards tracks but were unable to catch him but still recorded shiny new PBs they were Graham Troman and Jason Brice and they screeched to a halt in 25:57 and 26:30 respectively. Remember Stephenson’s Rocket ? Well google it if you don’t. It was the first steam engine to reach a speed of 30mph and was built by George Stephenson. Over the years name spellings change so i’m assuming that Vicky Stevenson is a distant relative and tried to emulate Great Great Great Uncle in-law twice removed George for speed and managed to pull it off with a superb 26:40 finish. Dermott Carr must have been representing Larnrod Eireann (Irish Rail before you get on google again) and he was just a second behind Vicky but still set a new PB for himself with 26:41. Strider newcomer Claire Green was next through with 26:48 and then Siobhan Hagan who as we know is no stranger to the railway came through with yet another PB of 27:33. Scott Hawkins, Amanda James and Michelle Bryant completed the Sub 30 timetable with finishes of 29:05, 29:17 and 29:38 respectively.
Adam Thomas was the next red through in 30:04 which incidentally is the exact time it takes to get from Ashford to Margate by rail (what a small world we live in !!) and he was followed by David Gadsby with 30:54 and Martin Whittingham with 31:14. Rita Cooke was the next runner from the Strider Stock over the line and she completed the round journey in 31:55 and then followed Rachel Forrester in 32:18 and Sonette Schwartz in 32:28. Rachel Theobold and Kevin York came through in 32:31 and 32:32 and then we had Victoria Shrubsole through in 32.59 (I bet you are really glad that you share your name with a famous London train station eh Victoria ?). 33:01 was the finish time for Sally Davidson-Daniel and she just about pipped Rachel Tomsett with 33:07. Brian Forrester finished in 33:22 and then a brilliant new PB for Dee Millen with 34:07 which no doubt sparked huge celebrations in the Randle/Millen household as it capped off a PB double for the couple. (Richard will probably be in his 8th decade by the time you finish reading this ). New member Ash Robinson kept up the PB theme with a shiny new one for his time of 35:06 and Kevan Strand continued his rehab with 35:11 followed by Jennifer Watts with 36:28. Another Strider coming back from injury was Sara Dewar and she completed in 36:58 (great to see you back Sara) and last but by no means least were Julie Foster and Michelle Brice with 45:53 and 48:29 respectively.
Of course special thanks to all the volunteers. Striders amongst them were the two station masters Simon Jackson and Jason Caldwell along with Sharni Copham, Don Dewar and Dave Warner.
Ask any Deal-onion (A person from Deal, not an item of local produce) what is Deal most famous for and they will instantly tell you whilst puffing their chests out with pride that Deal was the birthplace of Signor Blitz. Who is that ? I hear you ask. Well Signor was a famous magician born in 1810 and who done his final disappearing act in 1877. Well in a world full of small coincidences Saturday marked the exact 146th year and 8th day that Signor passed away and Dealonions were obviously out in force to celebrate this momentous occasion but little did they know that they were in for a special treat. At Deal Parkrun on Saturday our very own Membership Secretary the magical Peter Broom arrived with his pretty young assistants and stole the show from poor Signor as he was celebrating his 100th Parkrun. Like a true wizard Peter pulled out his wand and stunned the crowd with a fantastic 31:06 finish. Hazel Forrester followed on with 35:49 and Danielle Moss 43:09. Dealonions were so impressed with this double celebration that from now on Feb 4th will be known in the town as Signor Broom day.
Ask any resident of Shorne what their hometown is famous for and you will probably get met with silence because nobody of note hails from the area and it has had a very quiet time in the history books. But….If you dig a bit deeper you will find a certain someone called Trevor who hailed from Shorne but was actually born on a local farm which was owned by the Crackling brothers Clive and Crispin. Trevors claim to fame was that he was the oldest pig in the UK until he passed (wrapped in a blanket) in the seventies at the grand old age of 22. The legend that is Trevor remains in the heart of Shorneadites to this day and locals will tell you that writer John Sullivan was so touched by the story of Trev evading the market for all those years that he gave Del Boy and Rodney their surname as a tribute to him.
Shorne Woods Parkrun obviously hold Trevor close to their hearts with Strava Segments ‘Apple Sauce Ascent’ and ‘This little piggy didn’t go to the market’ named in his honour. Well after paying their respects to Trevor, Nicola Crawley and Justin Burden got down to the business of running and Justin Streaked round in 26:16 and Nicola not far behind in 27:52. One word of advice if you visit this venue is that there is no first aid tent so remember to take your own oinkment.
Ask any Smoggy (a person from Middlesborough) about the history of their hometown and most will mention ship building but those more in the know will tell you that the safety match was also invented here and with this obviously in mind Tamsin Ritchie and Paul Bacon Baker made the long journey up there for a double visit to the Stewart Parkrun and the local Swan Vesta factory. (Im so glad that Paul didn’t go to Shorne Woods or the locals would have given him a knighthood) Tamsin struck first with a 26:33 finish and Paul couldn’t quite match her but still managed an impressive 30:31.
Ask any Bracknellite what Bracknell is famous for and everyone bar none will tell you that it was indeed the setting for Harry Potters house as Pickett Close was transformed into Privet Drive for the world famous films. Local residents at Bracknell parkrun got very excited on Saturday as word spread that two celebrity runners were in town so they braced themselves for the arrival of Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. Little did they know that the two guest runners were actually Jason and Justine Wearn who had stopped off on their way to Oxford. Never mind Bracknellites, Jason and Justine are celebrities in our eyes if not yours and they still stole your show with great times of 32:22 and 32:23 respectively before going off for a game of Quidditch.
Southwark in London is known as the Borough and has been a market area since Saxon times. Its close proximity to London Bridge made it a haven for criminals and ladies of the night but nowadays its probably more famous for its popular Parkrun which was why Lee Standen paid it a visit on Saturday. Keeping a close eye on his car wheels, wallet and phone Lee stole the show with a great time of 32:34.
Have you ever wondered who William Harvey was ? Well I can tell you. Bill was a 17th Century physician who discovered the circulation of blood. With the hospital in Ashford being named after him many people would summise that he came from the town but he was actually born in Folkestone in 1578. Obviously this interesting fact was the main reason for Aimee Donohue to choose Bills local Parkrun or maybe she just wanted to run with her family who were in the area…Who knows ? Either way the reason obviously inspired Aimee as she flew round the course and that never-ending slope certainly got her blood pumping as she recorded a great time and PB of 25:02
Ask any Mallingian an interesting fact about Malling and they will undoubtedly tell you that West Malling is built upon the site where the first ever cricket match was played in Kent back in 1705. Well Lisa Fulcher bowled up on Saturday and stumped the locals with a fine innings at Malling Parkrun finishing in a creditable time of 33:46 not out !!
Anyone Still Awake ?? You will be pleased to know that Minster was the final tourist destination this week. Other than the parkrun the only place of note for Minsterians to gloat about is Minster Abbey which is the oldest inhabited building in the UK. Dating back to 1027 it is still a place where a community of Nuns call home. Lisa Gribbin and Rachel Misson are running sisters so this was always going to be destination of choice for them to feed there tourism habit (had to get that one in somehow). Both ladies recorded sub 30s with Lisa finishing in 28:47 and Rachel in 29:14.
Well done to all you parkrunners and volunteers this weekend and we now move on to the races where I will spare you the history lessons.
Bedgebury Forest held its annual 5 mile and 10mile races on Sunday and we had representation in both. Jason Kennedy took on the longer event and recorded a great time of 1:22:25 whilst Cathy Wall opted for the 5 miles and was equally impressive with a time of 53:06. Well done to you both. Five hardy Striders took on the London Winter 10K race and first over the line with a 10K PB of 54:16 was Chloe Darling and she was narrowly ahead of Kate Stroud who also recorded a new PB with 54:44. Great running right there ladies !! Third Strider place was shared between Adam Thomas and Kay Hunt who finished neck and neck in 56:20. Vicky Shrubsole completed the Strider line-up in the capital with another great performance finishing in 1:06:57.
Well Done to you all and I hope everyone has a great week.
Report by Andy Found.

Saturday 28th January 2023 and Victoria Park was a sea of red with the Ashford Striders Ashford parkrun takeover. What a special event for our takeover as it was also Ashford’s 400th event since beginning at the park in October 2013!
Striders provided all the marshals and volunteers for Saturday’s event, even providing pacers for a variety of times and supplying all important cake to the wonderful runners and walkers.
Ashford parkrun
Alongside all the cheers, claps and encouragement on the side lines by the Striders, we also had some impressive runs from members. Maybe the in-house competition of closest pacer to their time wins extra cake helped.
First through the finish for Striders was Andrew Maund with an incredibly speedy time of 20.34. Next through was our 1st pacer of the morning, Adam Booth coming in at 21.35 (pacing 22mins). Jack Farrant continued his PB streak going from strength to strength with a new PB time of 23.01, well done Jack and Mark Niles (pacing 24mins) finished in 23.46. Hot on the heels of our 25mins pacer was Keith Haynes with a finish time of 24.57 and first lady home was Hazel Turner finishing in 24.58, being only 2 seconds off her pacing time (25mins). Justin Burden came in at 25.31, Ian McCutcheon in 25.37 (pacing 26mins), Disco Dave Helme in 26.35 (pacing 27min) and Jason Brice in 27.32. Our 28mins pacer, Darren Laker finished in 28.08, Scott Hawkins achieved a time of 28.42 and our 29min pacers Mandy Cooper and Claire Green crossed the finish line only 1 second apart with times of 28.48 and 28.49 respectively. Michelle Bryant was next through the finish tunnel at 28.58, Dave Winchester (who decided he would rather give his daughter a great time at parkrun by accidentally using her barcode) and Kevan Strand remained side by side all route and crossed together with a time of 29.02. Rachel Tomsett got a time of 29.18 then Andy Found and Vicky Stevenson (both pacing 30mins) came home with the exact same finish time of 29.32, what a great pacing pair! Achieving a fabulous sub 30 PB was Rachel Misson finishing in 29.42. Great running!
Next finishing was Catherine Wall in 30.27 followed by Jason Sanders (31.10), Lee Standen (31.16) and Adam Thomas and Kay Hunt (both finishing in 31.34). We then had our 32mins pacers Siobhan Hagan finishing in 31.50 and winning the title of closest pacer to their time was Jason Kennedy finishing in 32mins on the dot!!! Impressive pacing Jason, hope you picked up a 2nd cupcake! Rita Cooke crossed the line in 32.08, Sally Davidson-Daniel secured a PB with her time of 32.49, brilliant running, Lisa Fulcher got a time of 33.32 (pacing 34mins) and also bagging herself a PB was Delia Millen with her time of 34.35, well done. Angela Craffey came through the finish tunnel in 34.57 and then at her first Ashford parkrun achieving a time of 35.03 was Melissa Dawkins, what a great morning to try out your first Ashford parkrun. Michelle Brice got a time of 35.03, pacing 36mins were Victoria Shrubsole and Sharni Copham achieving close times of 35.46 and 35.47 respectively and the final Striders PB of the morning was achieved by new member Ash Robinson with a time of 36.25, well done and welcome to the club! Claire Hall-Dawson came so close to her pacing time of 38mins with 38.03, Joanna Whitehead finished in 42.19, Rick Newman in 42.35 and Jo Mason as guide runner finished with a time of 42.35. Closing the striders pack was Lisa Gribbin whom was the morning’s tailwalker and ended the parkrun in 55.32.
Phew, well done everyone for some great running and huge congratulations to all the pacers who really put in the efforts to get runners home as close to their time as possible.
Thank you to all the Strider volunteers that braved the cold Winters morning setting up, marshalling, handing out leaflets, scanning, timekeeping and manning the cakes, there’s so many of you to mention individually but you know who you are and your time was very much appreciated by all.
Finally, thank you to all involved at the club for helping to make Ashford Striders first parkrun takeover of the year a successful and fun one. Here’s to more throughout 2023.
Parkrun tourism
With so many Ashford Striders heading to the local parkrun, we didn’t have any members travelling further afield this weekend.
Races
There were no races this weekend to report but the calendar is looking busy as the year goes on and we have exciting news for Ashford Striders, 2023 will bring our first ever associated race! Watch this space with details to follow very soon! This will definitely be one to ensure you have on your race calendar!
As the first month of the year draws to a close, huge well done to all the members that took part in RED January (very fitting) and to all Striders, keep up the great work, the amazing club encouragement and happy running into February!
Report by Kirsty Theobald.

After a week of ice and cold the Striders certainly were on fire this weekend travelling the length and breadth of the country to get a parkrun in.

Ashford parkrun
Despite a few local parkrun’s cancelling due to the weather, Ashford was all systems go with a large Strider turnout. Kevan Strand was the first Strider back speeding home in 23.06, Terry Sellen was close behind in 23.48. Jack Farrant celebrated a new PB on a chilly morning coming in at 23.58. Next through were Mark Niles, Dave Winchester and Ian McCutcheon in 24.03, 24.05 and 25.35 respectively. The second of today’s PBs came from Graham Troman who sprinted home in 26.37, Darren Laker was only a couple of seconds behind in 26.39 and following was Dermot ‘Rocky’ Carr who cemented the third PB of the day with 26.42. Stephen Cleaver, David Helme and Scott Hawkins were next in 26.44, 28.47 and 28.51. Amanda James was the first Strider lady to finish in 29.12, with Jason Brice close behind in 29.23. With the fourth PB of the day in under 30 minutes was Dave Warner in 29.30 followed by Lisa Fulcher, Aimee Donohue and Catherine Wall in 30.49, 31.23. Rachel Theobald and birthday boy Kevin York were next in 31.49 and 31.50. Rita Cooke came in next in 32.20 followed closely by Sonette Schwartz in 32.57. Rachel and Brian Forrester were next home in 33.01 and 33.03. Jenny Watts and Hazel Forrester came through in 34.58 and 36.24. Completing the Strider contingent were Leigh Freeman and Don Dewer in 37.15 and 37.16. Thank you to the volunteers, Jason Caldwell, Simon Jackson, Jason Sanders Lee Standen.
Saturday 28th January will be a sea of red at Victoria Park with the Ashford Striders takeover.

Parkrun tourism
To Kent and Beyond!
Following the cancellation of Canterbury, Tamsin Ritchie hotfooted it to Whitstable and finished up that steep hill in 26.53.
Nicki Crawley went up the M20 to take part in the Mote Park parkrun along with a visit from ex Strider Kath Atkinson with Nicki finishing 30.46. Victoria Shrubsole and Sharni Copham went in the other direction on the M20 for a bit of sea air in Folkestone finishing in 33.09 and 33.14.
Rachel Tomsett headed off to Dartford parkrun completing the course in 31.07.
Justin Burden packed his wellies for Riddlesdown which was under water during the week but luckily, he only needed his trainers and sped round in 29.27.
Following in the footsteps of Justine and Nicki last week, Ian Watson and Mandy Cooper travelled to South London to take on the Burgess course for the first time. For anyone wondering where this course is, it is close to Elephant and Castle. They completed it in 28.06 and 28.42 and certainly earned their breakfast croissants afterwards.
Heading further afield and on their way to the National Running Show in Birmingham, an early morning road trip was required for Siobhan Hagan, Michelle Bryant, Lisa Gribbin, Rebecca Somerford and Rachel Misson who took part at the very misty Ilchester Country parkrun. Siobhan completed the course in 28.20 with Michelle coming in, in 31.52 followed by Lisa, Rebecca and Rachel in 48.24, 48.25, 48.26 respectively.
Also on his way to the Running Show was Martin Whittingham who stopped off at the University Parks parkrun and come in, in 32.49.

Canterbury 10 Mile
A crisp sunny Sunday morning saw the Striders head off to Canterbury to take part in the Canterbury 10 mile. The undulating course bought with it a fantastic amount of PBs.
First to complete the course was Chairman Andy Found in 1.26.54 (PB) who knocked 9 minutes off the same race from last year. He was followed by Nicki Crawley in 1.31.07, Vicky Stevenson 1.31.34 (PB) and Gayle Bailey in 1.32.27. Kay Hunt and Adam Thomas finished together both clocking 1.33.13 (PBs). Jamie Bartlett and Dave Helme were hot on their tails with 1.33.35 and 1.33.53 (PB). Pauline Tallent was next across the finish line in 1.34.44. Following her parkrun road trip Siobhan Hagan knocked an impressive 17.5 minutes off her 10-mile PB and finished in 1.35.14. Coming through next were Aimee Donohue and Mandy Cooper in 1.36.07 and 1.36.59 respectively. Chloe Darling completed the course in 1.39.06 which was a PB for her.
Well done to everyone that ran this weekend!
Report by Danielle Moss.

Once again Saturday provided us with windy conditions and torrential rain. Did that stop Ashford Striders getting in a bit of park running? Of course it didn’t!
Ashford Parkrun
Keith Haynes continued his impressive form and was first across the line representing Striders with a time of 20:53, Andrew Maund was next in 21:17 and in bronze position was Mark Niles 21:42. Paul Dunning 24:11, Hazel Turner 24:19 and Jason Kennedy came through in 24:44. Next braving the elements at Ashford were Tamsin Richie, Jason Brice and Paul Baker running 28:08, 28:59 and 29:33 respectively. Special mention to Paul Baker for achieving a sub 30 personal best. Richard Randle was next home 30:01, Lee Standen, 32:52, Lisa Fulcher 32:52 and Sally Davidson-Daniel 34:00, Delia Millen 36:44 and Julie Nicholson 37:43.
Well done to all of our Strider volunteers, Jason Caldwell, Amanda Cooper, Terry Sellen, Kevan Strand, Dermot Carr and Dave Winchester, thank you for you time.

Hilly Fields Parkrun
A few of our Strider ladies ventured to, hilly by name hilly by nature from what I can gather, Fields Parkrun on Saturday. Siobhan Hagan even though mountainous managed a sub 30 coming across the line in 29:50. Next was Michelle Bryant, 31:31 Rebecca Somerford, 33:08, Lisa Gribbin, 33:59 and Rachel Mission 34:29. Ruth Goddard and Tyree Spicer I assume kept each other company when tackling the tough course as they came in practically together with times of 40:43 and 40:44 respectively, well done ladies.
I hear that copious amounts of cake was consumed after the run, well earned I would say.

Burgess Parkrun
Nicola Crawley and I visited Burgess Parkrun on Saturday so I thought I would add a review to this weeks run report in case any of you fancy a visit.
We left Ashford early (6:30ish) as Nic needed to make a delivery to Borough Market. Burgess park is only around 2k away from the market and as it was so early traffic was light. I would maybe estimate that journey time from Ashford would probably be around 90 minutes maybe slightly less. The nearest tube station is Elephant & Castle on the Bakerloo line. We parked in a residential street right by the park and at weekends it is free (bonus no.1). There is a little café (that sells gorgeous and huge cake) by the start, but there are no inside facilities however there is access to toilets (bonus no. 2). The Parkrun itself is a one lap course, which runs out to a pretty lake, you should see The Shard piercing the skyline which is pretty awesome! Bonus number 3 is that the course is FLAT and run on tarmac (apart from the last 100 meters or so which is across grass). The marshals, as with most parkruns, were friendly and encouraging; the lady banging her drum added a little something different. At the finish there was a mass warm down, that people can join as they finish, which was pretty cool. We would definitely recommend Burgess Parkrun if you want a trip to Camberwell. Nicola Crawley finished strong (as always) with a time of 28:34 and Justine Wearn came in with a time that she was pleased with in 31:51.

Forecast for this week looks chilly but thankfully very little rain. I am hoping the whisper of snow is only a vicious rumour! Just call me Mr Fish, you’re welcome! (maybe a reference for some of ‘our more mature’ runners like me). Enjoy your running this week and stay safe.
Report by Justine Wearn.

As far as I’m aware, the only race this week is the one to your mobile phone to read what will undoubtedly be the highlight of your week! (This report obvs!)
It’s been that difficult first week of the year and we have new members galore! Welcome, I hope that you’ve all had a great week!

Thursday was Strider’s first official club meet of the year and also saw the biggest ever attendance; groups 1-6 all filled with smiley happy people, chomping at the bit, eager to blow away the Christmas cobwebs and tick off another day in their RED January challenge!
This weekend was Parkrun-tastic! We’ll start with Ashford Parkrun, first across the line was Adam Booth with an impressive time of 20:29, just on his tail was Keith Haynes at 20:37, Mark Niles came in at 21:37, and Terry Sellen at 24:51. Ian McCutcheon was Ashford Parkrun’s 9000th runner through the funnel with an impressive time of 25:28, Justin Burden came in at 25:41 and then with a PB and a time of 26 minutes on the nose was Nigel Hills!
Tamsin Ritchie was our first lady strider to finish in a time of 26:28, Dermot Carr wasn’t far behind at 28:09 and just behind him, and still smiling, was Jo Mason in at 28:21. Jason Brice came through the funnel at 29:05, Jim Wealands at 29:15 and Disco Dave Helme followed him at 29:44. Paul Baker was a first time Ashford Parkrunner and finished with a time of 30:31, followed by Rachel Tomsett with 31:05, Richard Randle with 31:06, Dave Warner with 31:35 and Catherine Wall with 32:01. Rachel Theobald and Kevin York crossed the line with times of 32:21 and 32:22 respectively, Brian Forrester came through at 33:00, Justine Wearn finished at 33:22, Martin Whittingham at 33:49, Lisa Fulcher at 34:41 and last but definitely not least was Emma Matthews who finished at 37:59 earning herself a well deserved PB!
Volunteers included Rita Cooke, Jason Caldwell, Terry Sellen, and Kevan Strand, thanks so much to you all!
On we go to a bit of tourism; Dartford saw 5 of our lovely Striders in attendance! First to finish was Hazel Turner in at 25:28, Siobhan Hagan completed her 60th Parkrun in 29:02, Michelle Bryant came in at 30:11, Lisa Gribbin was 31:28 and Rachel Misson came in at 32:01.
Several Striders ventured to various Parkruns along our blustery coastlines in search of a very refreshing 5k!
Mandy Cooper was flying solo in Folkestone and completed the 5K in a time of 28:31.
Nicola Crawley and Lorna Dewell ventured out to the Walmer and Deal Seafront Parkrun and came in with times of 29:07 and 30:59 respectively.
Last and most definitely not least, in search of the perfect sausage, Peter and Danielle travelled down to Hastings to run the 5k along a very windy seafront! Peter, on his 99th parkrun, came in with a fantastic time of 29:50, Dani finished at 40:51 and as you can see from the image, mission was most definitely accomplished! Well done to all of you Parkrunners!

Finally, many thank yous and well dones to the run leaders and members who ran the unofficial runs this weekend, extra special mention to Richard Randle who seemingly has mastered the very impressive art of walking on water!!
Have a great week everyone!
Report by Sharon Gardner

Happy New Year!
New year means another double parkrun weekend, and the themes for this weekend seemed to be sore heads and mud.
Starting with Saturday, Ashford parkrun as usual saw the largest contingent of Striders getting in their last run of the year. Andrew Maund, one of our newest members, was the first Strider to finish in 20:49. Jack Farrant sped home to earn himself a personal best of 24:03, well done! First Lady Strider was Hazel Turner with a time of 25:03. Next was David Helme with 28:06, Vicky Stevenson 28:08, Tom Bullen 29:19, Nicola Crawley 29:35, Amanda James 29:41 and rounding out the sub-30 finishers was David Gadsby with 29:46. Andy Found finished in 31:12, closely followed by Don Dewar 31:13, then Richard Coles 31:58, Peter Broom 32:18, Catherine Wall 32:38, Martin Whittingham 33:04 and Jennifer Watts 36:31. Siobhan Hagan and Michelle Bryant ran together and finished in 37:39 and 37:40 respectively. Also running together with their son in his buggy were Rachel Theobald and Kevin York with times of 38:23 and 38:24. Gemma Coulstock, making a return to running, came in with a creditable 39:30, with Lisa Fulcher in 39:31.
Club members volunteering at Ashford parkrun were Dermot Carr, Keith Haynes, Lee Standen, Richard Randle, Simon Jackson and Terry Sellen.
Bushy Park parkrun. Justine and Jason Wearn went to London to run at the spiritual home of parkrun and came in together with a time of 34:29.
Tamsin Ritchie and Paul Baker visited the the undulating course at Canterbury, both finishing in 39:49.
Several Striders made longer journeys to their parkrun of choice. Rachel Tomsett took a trip across to the Isle of Wight to run Medina parkrun and got caught in the rain, finishing in 41:59. Heading to East Anglia, Mark Niles ran King’s Lynn parkrun in 21:20. Julie Nicholson headed up north to complete the seafront parkrun at South Shields in a course PB of 36:38, and Aimee Donohue went to the Emerald Isle to run St Anne’s parkrun in Dublin in 24:37 which was her overall parkrun PB – well done Aimee!
Onto New Year’s Day (Sunday) and lots of club members headed out early on the morning after the night before. Heavy overnight rain meant anything off-road would be wet and muddy.
Justine and Jason Wearn were still in London, and this time went to Richmond parkrun finishing in 34:22 and 34:23 respectively.
Maidstone parkrun was using an alternate course due to flooding but that didn’t mean the runners avoided getting their feet wet. The soggy Striders were Graham Troman who finished in 30:35, Sharon Gardner 35:59, Victoria Shrubsole 36:10 and Sharni Copham with 36:26. Also in Maidstone, two Striders ran the drier but tough course at Mote Park. Rachel Tomsett finished in 33:46 and Lisa Fulcher 34:05.
There were a few runners at Whitstable parkrun not feeling 100% apparently but I hope they all held on to their breakfasts. Hazel Turner was first Strider here with 25:56, Siobhan Hagan 29:19, Michelle Bryant 30:57, Martin Whittingham 31:03 and Lisa Gribbin with 32:41.
The wonderfully named Hoblingwell parkrun in Southeast London was a muddy one and Justin Burden slid round in 29:15. Not too far away was Nicola Crawley who was also getting muddy at Swanley parkrun, finishing in 27,44.
Furthest travelled Strider this week was Amanda Cooper who was taking a break in Germany and ran the hilly but beautiful Aachener Weiher parkrun in Cologne in 29:40
The only race this weekend was the Bewl Bubble run held at Bewl Water Reservoir on New Year’s Day. Danielle Moss completed the hilly and muddy 5k route in 46:23 to earn herself a medal and a glass of fizz – very well done Dani!
It’s wonderful to see lots of Striders getting their year off to a great start, I hope you all have a fun, successful and injury-free 2023.
Report by Lisa Fulcher

Seasonal Greetings Striders. This weekend was completely dominated by Parkrun with no races to report and nice to see so many of you out and about making room for the influx of Turkey and Brussel Sprouts.
Judging by some of the fantastic times recorded, I hope you all recovered well with your feet up watching Mary Poppins with a glass of your favourite tipple.
Christmas Eve was the first of the weekend double-header at Ashford and Keith Haynes took the No1 spot with a superb run of 20:10. Mark Niles was next with 22:39 and Adam Thomas took third with 23:26. Terry Sellen was hot on Adams heels but just failed to catch him so had to settle for fourth with 23:46. Hazel Turner was first Strider lady with 24:53 and Justin Burden was next to cross the line with 25:03. Then followed the female trio Nicola Crawley, Claire Hall-Dawson and Aimee Donohue with 25:49, 27:04 and 27:06 respectively. Claire’s time was a new PB for her so well done mate!! Darren Laker was just one second behind Aimee with 27:07 and then Graham Troman and Dermot Carr came through with respectable times of 27:27 and 27:44 which was also a new PB for Dermot so congratulations to him. Richard Randle, in full fancy dress, finished next to Dermot also in 27:44 and just behind him was Siobhan Hagan with 27:49 and once again a new PB for her so well done Shiv. Cristina Adams ran a great time of 27:57 and also set herself a new PB so a huge well done to her and she finished just ahead of Vicky Stevenson who ran 28:25. 28:54 and a brand new PB was the time recorded for Michelle Bryant, congratulations Michelle, and she was followed by Lee Standen with 29:08. Amanda James and David Gadsby completed the Strider Sub 30 list with 29:12 and 29:52 respectively.
Lisa Gribbin crossed the line in 30:23 just three seconds ahead of Martin Whittingham with 30:26. Clare Maxlow ran an impressive 30:46 and got a great new PB to go with it, well done Clare !! Sharon Gardner not far behind her in 31:15. Catherine Wall, Rachel Tomsett and Rachel Oliver completed the christmas eve Strider line-up with times of 31:43, 31:47 and 32:25.
Thanks once again to all the Strider volunteers who gave up their time. These included Don Dewar, Sara Dewar, Lisa Fulcher, Simon Jackson, Rachel Tomsett and Justine Wearn and also a special little mention to Ozzy the latest recruit to the Strider Canine Team who came along to offer his support. We had just the one tourist for Christmas eve and that was Peter Broom who ran the Buckingham event in 31:01.

OK, so now onto the Christmas Day:
Keith Haynes kept up his impressive form with a 22:10 finish to take the Strider Christmas number one spot. SANTAstic running Keith you SLEIGHED it (sorry). Jason Wearn put in an excellent shift to take second with 23:50 with Terry Sellen in third with 24:15. Jack Farrant came through next in 25:32 and then Andy Found, sporting his impressive new shoes and lucky Christmas hat, came through in 26:22 and a new PB. Disco Dave Helme could only look on in admiration as he had to settle for sixth place and a time of 27:24 with no hope of catching old Foundy. Hazel Turner celebrated her 50th Parkrun with 28:58 and first Strider lady spot, congratulations Hazel. Richard Randle came dressed as a Brussel Sprout and the extra flatulence inspired him to a 29:01 finish with Graham Troman next through in 30:02. Adam Thomas and Mark Archer were next over the line with respective times of 30:18 and 31:36 and they were followed by Rachel Theobold and Kevin York who were neck and neck in 31:47. Martin Whittingham came next in 32:07 followed by Rachel Tomsett in 32:12. 33.47 was the finish time for Rita Cooke with Siobhan Hagan and Michelle Bryant hot on her heels with times of 34:10 and 34:14. Sharon Gardner crossed the line in 34:25 just ahead of Sharni Copham in 34.34. Justine Wearn started her comeback from injury with 54:07 and was spotted on the course sharing a bottle of bubbly with her dad and tail walker Nicola Crawley. Not sure who led who astray there but great to see you back Justine.
An extra big thankyou to the volunteers for giving up their time to enable the Christmas Day event to go ahead. These included Dermot Carr, Mandy Cooper (excellent job as RD and she managed her speech without getting her mucking words fuddled up despite the heckling), Nicola Crawley, Simon Jackson, Ian Watson and Lynette Whittingham.
Christmas Day Tourism was again in short supply but Three hardy Striders were out and about. Tamsin Ritchie and Paul Baker were up at the Whitstable event and recorded times of 26:02 and 30:34 whilst Peter Broom continued his festive travels by visiting Linford Wood and completing it in 32.14.
Well done everyone on some really impressive performances and lots of new PBs and I hope you have all had a great Festive weekend and look forward to seeing you all at club runs ready to burn off the surplus calories.

Report by Andy Found