Category: Uncategorized

Icy conditions meant that the Parkrun at Ashford was cancelled and therefore runners sought other places to get their 5km fix.

Bushy Parkrun Teddington was the venue for the very first Parkrun back in October 2004, founded by Paul Sinton-Hewitt. Three runners made the pilgrimage to this event.
Andy Found was first of the three to cross the line in a time of 27:01. Justin Burden followed closely behind finishing in 27:22, and Nicola Crawley finished in 27:54. The founder was at this week’s event, and of course Nicola isn’t one to miss a photo opportunity.
Folkestone Parkrun four intrepid Striders braved the cold coastal conditions on The Leas. Graham Troman does like to run beside the seaside. His last PB was achieved just over a month ago at Whitstable. This Saturday he ran an even faster time of 26:32. Well done on your new personal best Graham!
Siobhan Hagan finished with a time of 28:16, then Sally Davidson-Daniel came over the line in 32:10 with Martin Whittingham just a second later in 32:11.
Kent Christmas Cracker this 5 mile Betteshanger Country Park near Deal is a great way to celebrate the season, with many donning festive running gear and Santa suits.
Despite the freezing conditions Striders members were out in force. Terry Sellen was first Strider to finish with a speedy time of 38:50. Adam Thomas was next with a personal best time of 41:03. Andy Found also had a great run, crossing the line in 43:29, a PB.
Next came Jack Farrant in 46:21 just ahead of Lucie Shrubsole, who finished with a PB time of 46:25. Siobhan Hagan also earned herself a PB with her time of 46:36 and Amanda James finished in 47:12.
Lisa Fulcher had a cracking race (sorry!), coming in with 49:25, another PB. Next was Rebecca James, 50:50, Kay Hunt, 51:01, Vicky Stevenson, 51:03 and Sharon Gardner, 51:19.
With a time of 52:25, Cristina Adams achieved a new personal best time. Next came Becky Somerford, 53:48, Lisa Gribbin, 53:50, Michelle Bryant, 53:52 and Sharni Copham and Vicky Shrubsole crossing the line together with a time of 54:57.
Well done Striders for getting out there and doing yourself and the club proud this weekend! I hope you’ve all had time to thaw out now.

Report by Paul Dunning

Brrrr, winter is definitely upon us! When you wake up to temperatures of -5 degrees, it’s so tempting to stay in bed, so well done those Striders who wrapped up well, got out there and ran this week.
Parkrun
With Ashford parkrun cancelled due to icy conditions, several Striders braved the elements and took the opportunity to visit other parkruns.
A group of made an early start and travelled to London to run the fast, flat course at Victoria Dock parkrun. First Strider to finish was Justin Burden in 24:41, closely followed by Hazel Turner in 24:45. Siobhan Hagan was making her second visit to this parkrun and beat her previous time with 26:51. Martin Whittingham finished in 30:10, then Rachel Tomsett 30:17, Sally Davidson-Daniel 31:35 and Lisa Gribbin 31:36.
Also in London was Amanda Cooper who visited Clapham Common parkrun. Amanda ran the mixed grass and path course in 28:29. Much close to home, Tamsin Ritchie ran Folkestone parkrun in 32:47, along with Paul Baker who crossed the line in 33:01
All the way over on the West of Ireland, Scott Hawkins ran the riverside course of Ballina parkrun in 29:59.
Maidstone Harriers Turkey Run
This is a perfect race for those who love running trails and dressing up! If you run this light hearted 7.5 mile (approximately) trail race, you look out of place if you DON’T wear something festive. The weather on Sunday at West Malling was freezing fog but that didn’t put off these hardy Striders. Richard Randle appeared to be running dressed as a turkey/fairy hybrid, finishing in 1:17:38. Nicola Crawley and Lorna Cheshire came in neck and neck with 1:17:41. Nadine Golding and Pippa Latter crossed the line together in 1:25:43 and Andrew Cornwell finished in 1:29:47.
Santas on the Seashore
Also dressing up on Sunday was Martin Whittingham. Martin ran this charity 5k event on the seafront in Margate organised by Pilgrims Hospices. Every participant gets a Santa suit to run in and Martin completed the event wearing his outfit in 32:51.
Honourable mentions also go out to all those Striders who went out for training runs on Saturday and Sunday in freezing weather.
Well done everyone and take care out there in the snow and ice next week.
Report by Lisa Fulcher

As we stride into December, the sunny runs around country lanes and the seaside jaunts with ice creams and fish & chips seem a distant memory. It maybe hard to motivate yourself to get out the front door for that run in the dark wind and rain but just remember the Strider family have your back. Our lovely run leaders are still putting on plenty of runs at all paces throughout the week, with additional long slow runs at weekends, so get yourself signed up and get out there. We always (well mostly) always feel better when we do.
Parkruns this week were well attended by Ashford Striders as always with Ashford Parkrun displaying a sea of red.

Stop The Press !!! It seems we have another speedy addition to group one, Adam Booth was first Strider home with an eye watering time of 19:59, well done Adam, closely followed by Keith Haynes in 20:12. David Winchester continues to go from strength to strength thrashing out yet another PB recording a time of 21:40. Jason Kennedy was next home 24:47, Terry Sellen 25:01 and Jamie Bartlett 26:38. Hazel Turner brought it home for the girls in 26:45, followed by Jo Mason 28:35 and Kevan Strand (taking it easy this week I notice) 28:45. Amanda James put in an impressive performance this week with a sub 29 ; 28:59, equally pleased with her performance should be Rebecca Somerford with a time of 29:32 well done ladies. Lisa Fulcher and Rita Cooke came through 31:10 and 32:23 respectively. Siobhan Hagan must have surely recorded some sort of Parkrun bingo achievement as her time was 33:33. Sally Davidson-Daniel bagged herself a brand new shiny PB this week sharing a time of 33:41 with Lisa Gribbin, well done Sally on your PB. Rachel Tomsett and Jennifer Watts almost rounds up the strider contingent with their times of 33:47 and 34:36, however we mustn’t forget our London Marathon Strider representative, Martin Whittingham who finished in 51:40.
Thank you to the Ashford Strider volunteers this week: Peter Broom, Dermott Car, Don Dewer, Jack Farrant, Simon Jackson and Terry Sellen.
On their travels this week; Justin Burden continued his pilgrimage of Parkruns and this time travelled to Bromley Parkrun, finishing in 23:55.
Tamsin Richie found herself at Canterbury Parkrun once again and finished in 27:16.
Pegwell Bay was Julie Nicholsons Parkrun of choice (must’ve been chilly) finishing in 34:33.
Another freezing destination was Walmer & Deal Parkrun for Mark Niles and Anna Harvey completing the 5k flat fast course in 21:27 and 30:23 respectively.
Andy Found and Nicola Crawley joined their Tri club buddies at Cyclo-park Parkrun this week, and whilst Mr Chairman was supposed to ‘be taking it easy’ he couldn’t help himself but to try and keep up with his Vicechair, he really should know better. Nicola came home in 28:09, with Mr Found lagging behind in 28:22 !! Better luck next time Andy.
A few Ashford Striders dug out their festive attire and made the trip to Dover for the Christmas at the Castle 5k, Hazel Turner was first strider home 28:32, closely followed by Graham Troman 28:56 and Siobhan Hagan 30:56.
And finally, who would ever want to run 8 miles on a cold Sunday morning in Aldershot, through mud and deep, deep puddles? Three of our crazy striders that’s who. Lorna Cheshire was first home completing the gruelling (but fun, so I’m told ) 8 miles in 1:34:00, followed by Nicola Crawley, 1:44:53 and Andrew Cornwell 1:51:47. Well done you strange, strange people.

So that concludes this weeks run report. Well done everyone for getting out there this week. Please remember if you find yourself lacking motivation to lace up those trainers, there are always plenty of like minded people within the Strider family to help you find your running mojo.
Have a great week of running everyone.
Report by Justine Wearn.

On Friday evening Ashford Striders hosted its AGM and Christmas Party, and what a great night it was!
With the membership now up to 192 people we can all be extremely proud of all that has been achieved this year.
Among the prizes and awards being given out we were very happy to welcome Rick Newman as an honorary member of Striders. Rick has lost his sight in his right eye, and has approximately 15% field of vision in his left eye. Since being diagnosed with glaucoma in 2017, he has started running and has raised thousands of pounds for Kent Association for the Blind. We’re so happy to welcome you to Striders Rick – keep up the running and the great work you’re doing!
Ashford Parkrun
After the celebrations of the Christmas party I imagined that there would be a few sore heads on Saturday morning. Despite this, 32 Strider members made their way to Victoria Park for the weekly 5km run.
Keith Haynes continued his great form and was first male Strider to cross the line in 20:24. Next was Mark Niles, 21:21 and Jason Caldwell, 22:14.
Dave Winchester had a good run, coming in at 23:34 with Jason Wearn not far behind, finishing his 50th Parkrun at Ashford in 23:47. Terry Sellen ran a great time of 24:07, first in his age category.
Next was Richard Randle, 25:48, Adam Thomas, 26:41 and Darren Laker, 27:03.
Graham Troman was definitely one that may have had an excuse to stay tucked in bed, but he ran a stonking time of 27:04, a new PB. Well Done Graham! Cristina Adams was first Strider female to finish, also achieving a fantastic run, knocking a massive 43 seconds off her previous best, giving her a new PB time of 28:03.
Ian McCutcheon also finished in 28:03 closely followed by Dermot Carr, whose time of 28:12 was just one second outside the PB he set the week before.
Nicola Crawley came in with a time of 28:34, then David Gadsby, 28:49, Amanda James, 29:13, Jason Brice, 29:14, Amanda Cooper, 29:29 and Andy Found, 29:58.
Michelle Bryant finished in 30:34 with Dave Warner running hard on her heels crossing the line in 30:43, his best time so far this year.
Siobhan Hagan was next with 31:16, then Rita Cooke, bolstered by being voted one of the best newcomers and most improved runners at Striders this year, finished in 31:44, a shiny new PB, beating her previous best 3 years ago by 25 seconds. Congratulations Rita on a great weekend of achievements.
Reece Corner finished his 25thParkrun in 31:52, followed by Rachel Theobald, 32:14, Kevin York, 32:15 and Peter Broom, 32:16.
Sue Abbott achieved her best time of 2022 so far with 32:51, Jennifer Watts was next with 34:31, then Danielle Moss continued to improve her times with a 40:04, another best time for the year so far. Next was Tyree Spicer finishing in 40:05 and Rachel Tomsett with 44:15.
Well done to you all, and thanks to Simon Jackson for taking the time to volunteer at Parkrun this week, as you so often do.
Parkrun Tourism
Just two Strider members ventured further afield for their Saturday morning 5km run.
Justin Burden travelled to Folkestone, achieving a very good time of 23:24 and Lee Standen was in Oxford for the University Parks parkrun, finishing in a time of 28:24.
Well done guys!
There were no races attended on Sunday, but hats off to those who joined training runs to play in the puddles on what was a very soggy morning.
Great work as always Striders!

Report by Paul Dunning.

This weekend’s running endeavours started at midnight Saturday morning when Ruth Goddard and Rachel Misson lined up at the start of Escape from Meriden. This is an event that starts from a village at the centre of England and the challenge is to choose your own route to get as far as you can on foot within 24 hours. Ruth and Rachel planned to reach at least 30 miles as the crow flies to claim a silver medal and they achieved this, completing 37.5 miles. A fantastic achievement – self navigating a route mostly in the cold and dark, very well done ladies!
Later that same morning saw club members lining up at the start lines of parkrun across Kent and further afield. Our local Ashford parkrun was well attended as usual and once again Keith Haynes was the speediest Strider finishing in 20:16. Close behind was Kevan Strand who ran a new PB of 20:28, then Jason Caldwell 21:21, Terry Sellen 24:27, Adam Thomas 25:16, Richard Randle 26:00 and Jamie Bartlett 26:53, Vicky Stevenson was the first female Strider to finish this week, completing her 200th parkrun in 27:02. Andy Found was next with his bandaged wrist in 27:53, then Dermot Carr with a new PB of 28:11. Amanda Cooper ran 28:15, followed by Jason Sanders 28:26, David Gadsby 28:29, Justine Wearn 29:44, Jason Wearn 29:47, Jo Mason 30:05, Sharni Copham 30:57, Peter Broom 31:38, Martin Whittingham 31:40, Jennifer Watts 32:55, Sue Abbott 33:24, Clare Maxlow 34:36 and Rachel Tomsett with a fast walk of 48:23.
Julie Nicholson, Lee Standen, Lisa Fulcher, Sharon Gardner, Simon Jackson and Terry Sellen were the Strider volunteers that helped make this week’s Ashford parkrun happen.
Justin Burden just needed to run Dartford Heath parkrun to complete all of the Kent parkruns, so he visited this trail event with a small group of Striders and finished in 25:02. Accompanying him were Hazel Turner 25:52 and Michelle Bryant 31:04.
Several other Striders attended a range of Kent parkruns. Sally Davidson-Daniel finished Royal Tunbridge Wells parkrun in Dunorlan Park in 39:25. Tamsin Ritchie ran the clifftop course of Margate parkrun in 34:20. At Folkestone parkrun, Dave Warner crossed the line in 30:04. Mark Niles made his second visit to Malling parkrun and beat his previous time in 21:31.
On the other side of the Thames, Siobhan Hagan visited a very muddy Hackney Marshes parkrun, finishing in 27:26. Furthest travelled this week goes to Nicola Crawley, who was in Germany on a very cold morning and ran Obersee parkrun in 25:41. Nicola was the first lady to finish – out of a total field of just 10 runners! Well done Nicola!
Also taking place on Saturday was the Sussex Downs Half Marathon. A hilly and muddy race through lovely Sussex countryside, it was attended by two Striders. Becky Somerford and Cristina Adams ran the race together and finished in 3:12:56 and 3:12:59 respectively, which was a PB for Cristina. Well done, both of you!
Finally to the only race attended by Striders on Sunday this week, Ashford Tri Club’s 666 Trail Run. The race is named for a 6.66 mile route through King’s Wood in Challock, however in the world of trail running, posted distances tend to be rather approximate and it was actually nearer 7 miles. This was a challenging, muddy race, taking in many of the steepest slopes in the woodland, two of which could only be scaled with the help of a rope! Striders finishers were Tamsin Ritchie 1:12:02, Richard Coles 1:18:39, Jason Sanders 21:03, Lisa Fulcher 1:35:10 and Amanda Cooper 1:35:27. Well done everyone!
Some great running as always Striders, especially with all the rain we’ve had recently making anywhere off road into a mud bath! Keep up the good work.
Report by Lisa Fulcher

Striders were here, there and everywhere this week at home and abroad. As usual we will start with Saturday and parks across the UK and USA welcomed their 9am weekly visitors aka Parkrunners.
Its unusual to find a Parkrun these days that isn’t graced by at least one red shirt with the iconic tank badge that indicates only one thing…Striders are in town !!
We will start outside of our home territory this week and Mark Niles trundled over to the Bath Skyline event and set off with all guns blazing to record a superb finish time of 23.00 mins.
Northampton was the battlefield of choice for Claire Hall-Dawson and she conquered that in 26:27 whilst at Widnes Parkrun Hazel Turner raised the victory flag in 24:29.
Burnham and Highbridge has seen many epic battles in the past but none more so than Saturday when Stephen Cleaver turned up and stunned the natives with a superb 25:23 run.
Julie Nicholson infiltrated the Malling event and finished in 37:35 and intelligence revealed tough opposition at Whitstable so Striders piled in mob-handed and our trio of foot soldiers Justin Burden, Graham Troman and Siobhan Hagan claimed victory with finish times of 23:21, 26:41 and 28:23 respectively. Martin Whittingham took on Royal Tunbridge Wells single-handedly and brushed the enemy aside with a 33:19 run and across Kent at Canterbury Tamsin Ritchie shook the locals to the core as she stole their show with an impressive 26:25. Lee Standen took his tank over to Mote Park and tested it out on the vast slopes there and it came through the test with flying colours in 32:30 and Lisa Gribbin used the Delaware and Raritan event with our allies in the USA as a mock battle to prepare for her big challenge on Sunday and she came through in 31:11.
Ashford Parkrun saw the bulk of our battle weary troops in action as they prepared for future conflicts and recovered from past ones and General Keith Haynes led the charge with a brilliant 20:33 finish. Kevan Strand was hot on his heels but didn’t have quite enough in the tank (see what I did there ?) to catch him so settled for 20:57 whilst Neil Wood recorded a fantastic new PB with 22:12. Jason Wearn was fourth in the Group 1 face off and smashed out a 22:21 finish whilst Dave Winchester prepared for his imminent promotion to group 1 ith 24:21. Ian McCutcheon ran a great race and finished in 25:55 and David Helme went one better and secured a new PB with 26:03. Nicola Crawley took the first Strider lady place with 26:32.
Jamie Bartlett and Amanda Cooper were the next reds over the line with 27:27 and 28:21 and our most senior officer David Gadsby led by example with an excellent 28:25.
Rachel Tomsett and Richard Randle were seen discussing tactics on the way round and they obviously worked as both came in sub 30 with 28:51 and 28:52 respectively and Amanda James was close enough behind to hear their conversation and came through in 29:30.
Jason Brice and Justine Wearn were next Striders home with 29:34 and 29:59 followed by Rachel Theobold and Kevin York with 30:55 and 30:56. Lucie Shrubsole just managed to pip Dave Warner to the post with 32:12 with Dave just two seconds behind in 32:14.
Rita Cooke 32:29, Lisa Fulcher 32:42, Sharni Copham (Happy birthday for yesterday !!) 32:54 and Vicky Shrubsole 32:56 were the next Strider quartet over the line with Brian and Hazel Forrester completing the Strider ranks at Ashford with 33:49 and 38:55
Thanks also to the Strider Volunteers of which some have been injured in action and others that can’t ride a bike let alone a tank. This week they were Don Dewar, Vicky Stevenson, Andy Found, Darren Laker, Jennifer Watts and Simon Jackson.
With not many races going on this week, Karen Edwards still managed to find one to fly the Strider flag at the M&S Beckley 10k and she conquered the steep hills and pouring rain in 1:05:49 and then there was Lisa Gribbin.
Lisa flew over the pond to the Big Apple to do battle with the Yanks in the New York Marathon. Proudly wearing her Striders shirt she completed it in 5:11:14. A wonderful achievement Lisa and we all hope you enjoyed the experience and you certainly did yourself, your family and the club proud. Huge congratulations to you !!
Well Done to everyone who ran, volunteered and supported this weekend
Over and Out!

Report by Andy Found.

Ashford Parkrun
Keith Haynes was the first Strider to finish this week’s 5km run at Victoria Park, finishing in an impressive time of 20:55. Kevan Strand was next, finishing in 22:05, then Neil Wood, 22:53.
Jason Kennedy finished in 24:01, followed by the ever-improving Jack Farrant who earned himself a shiny new PB with a fantastic time of 24:32. Well done Jack!
Next was Stephen Cleaver, 24:52, Dave Winchester, 25:43 and Richard Randle, 27:02. David Helme came in with a 27:24, Jason Brice, 28:14 with Graham Troman hard on his heels with a time of 28:22.
A special mention to Don Dewar who, after a hip replacement less than 12 months ago, ran his 200th Parkrun in a time of 29:00. Well done, Don!
Rachel Tomsett was next over the line with a sub-30-minute time of 29:49, then Aisha Booth, 31:06, Rachel Theobald, 31:28, Kevin York, 31:29, Dave Warner, 32:41, Rita Cooke, 32:43, Lisa Fulcher, 34:03, Jenny Watts, 34:26 and Martin Whittingham, 36:03.
Then came Julie Nicholson, who not only ran her milestone 50th Parkrun, she also made it her fastest so far with a PB time of 37:14. Great running Julie!
As always, we’re very grateful to those Strider members who give up their time to volunteer. This week, our thanks go to Simon Jackson, Amanda James, Rebecca James, Clare Maxlow with her daughter Megan and last, but by no means least, Terry Sellen.

Parkrun Tourism
Nicola Crawley and Justine Wearn travelled to Great Lines Parkrun, Medway at Gillingham, completing the course in times of 27:49 and 29:49 respectively.
Justin Burden ran a time of 24:44 as the sole Strider at Tonbridge Parkrun
Amanda Cooper took in seaside views along the Leas at the Folkestone Parkrun, completing her 5km in 28:10.
Portsmouth Lakeside Parkrun was Peter Broom’s venue of choice on Saturday morning. He completed the course with a time of 31:29.
Rebecca Somerford travelled the furthest this week, running a time of 32:39 in the Haldon Forest parkrun in Devon.
Four Striders went to the Lordship Recreation Ground Parkrun in North London.
Hazel Turner was first of the four to finish with a time of 25:04. Next came Siobhan Hagan, finishing in 27:10, then Michelle Bryant, 29:39 and Lisa Gribbin, 30:06.
Hemerodromoi Run
On Saturday Ruth Goddard travelled to Egham to take part in this event to celebrate Richard William’s 300th Marathon and to raise money for Alzheimer’s Research. This was a 7 hour challenge to see how many 4.37 mile laps runners can complete along a beautiful stretch of the River Thames.
Ruth completed 6 laps of the course, achieving her marathon distance in a time of 6:57.
Ashford & District Halloween 5 & 10 Mile
There was a great turnout of Ashford Striders for the annual Halloween run, hosted by Ashford District Road Running Club, which offered a choice of 5 mile or 10 miles routes.
5 mile results
Justin Burden 40:30 (PB)
Adam Thomas 42:02 (PB)
Jamie Bartlett 46:23 (PB)
Claire Hall-Dawson 46:41 (PB)
Justine Bushell 47:04
Siobhan Hagan 47:35 (PB)
Louise Huyton 49:16 (PB)
Amanda James 49:52
Rebecca James 51:26
Lisa Fulcher 55:50
Jenny Watts 56:53
Jack Farrant 57:16
Sharon Gardner 57:17
Kay Hunt 57:17
Sharni Copham 57:18
Vicky Shrubsole 57:18
Brian Forrester 58:32
Kirsty Theobald 1:01:37
Hazel Forrester 1:02:15
Danielle Moss 1:10:54
10 mile results
Kevan Strand 1:20:05
Jason Wearn 1:20:05 (PB)
Dave Winchester 1:23:23 (PB)
Nigel Hills 1:28:10
Hazel Turner 1:28:12
Vicky Stevenson 1:33:44 (PB)
Richard Randle 1:37:07
Jo Mason 1:45:55
Ian Watson 1:46:17
Jayne Hatton 1:46:18
Bedgebury Forest 10k
Cristina Adams was the sole Strider to take part in this 10k race in the beautiful Bedgebury National Pinetum and Forest, finishing in a time of 1:08:27.
Well done to Ashford Striders for another wonderful week of running achievements!
Report by Paul Dunning

This weekend was certainly a game of two halves weather-wise! However, whatever the weather brings, there will always be Striders getting out there and enjoying running in the great outdoors.
Saturday was mild and sunny, which encouraged plenty of club members out to parkrun.
Starting at our local Ashford event, Keith Haynes was the first Strider to finish in 20:48. Kevan Strand was next in 22:04, followed by Neil Wood 23:08, Dave Winchester 23:16 and Adam Thomas 23:25. Nicola Crawley was first Strider lady this week, running 25:59, David Helme followed in 26:44, then Graham Troman 27:23, David Gadsby 28:10, Jamie Bartlett 28:13, Vicky Stevenson 28:31, Siobhan Hagan 28:46, Michelle Bryant 29:32, Peter Broom 31:25, Rachel Tomsett 32:43, Rita Cooke 32:49, Rachel Oliver 33:02, Lisa Fulcher 33:19, Jennifer Watts 33:48, Brian Forrester 33:54, David Holland 34:00, Danielle Mackenzie 36:53, Hazel Forrester 36:54, Martin Whittingham 37:34, Julie Nicholson 39:06 and finally Terry Sellen, who was volunteering as tail walker, finished in 54:45.
The other Striders who were volunteering at Ashford this week were: Hazel Turner, Jason Caldwell, Justine Wearn, Rachel Tomsett and Simon Jackson. Thanks to you all for your help and encouragement!
Special mentions go to Rachel Oliver who ran her 200th parkrun this week, and to Dave Winchester, Adam Thomas and Michelle Bryant who all earned themselves new course personal bests. A big well done to you all!
Parkrun tourism
Mark Niles ran at Maidstone parkrun for the second time, he was just 3 seconds off his course PB, finishing in 23:10. Justin Burden continued his tour of Kent parkruns with a 24:48 finish at Dartford parkrun. Lee Standen parkwalked around the fields at Squerryes Winery parkrun, coming in at 1:03:15. The prize for furthest travelled Strider this week goes to Richard Randle who went to Penrose parkrun, a woodland course held on a National Trust estate in Cornwall. Richard finished in a time of 27:28.
Beachy Head races
Lots of Striders travelled to Eastbourne to take on some of the South East’s toughest trail races. Four races of different distances are held over the weekend, in the picturesque South Downs. There are lots of hills to tackle, including the legendary first steep climb just metres from the start, but runners are rewarded with fabulous views!
Saturday’s racers got lucky with the weather. Tamsin Ritchie opted for the marathon and finished in a terrific 6:21:03. Not satisfied with running 26 miles was Mandy Cooper, who added on the extra 10k loop to finish the Ultra race in an amazing 7:33:38.
Sunday’s runners taking on the half marathon weren’t so fortunate with the weather, having to deal with torrential thunderstorms. Despite this, our club mates managed some fantastic running. Jason Kennedy was first Strider in 2:03:17, followed by Andy Found 2:32:43, then Ian Watson running a personal best time of 2:38:34. Justine Wearn finished in 2:43:00, closely followed by Jason Wearn 2:43:12, then Nadine Golding 2:52:53, Nicola Crawley 3:04:01 and Rachel Tomsett 3:20:03.
Woodchurch 5 and 10 miles
Also braving the heavy rain on Sunday, were those taking part in these undulating road races in the Kent countryside. Nigel Hills opted for the 5 mile race and completed it in an impressive personal best time of 40:43. Completing the 10 mile distance were David Helme in 1:35:29 and Angie Craffey in 1:54:10.
A huge well done to everyone who ran this week, you are all amazing!
Report by Lisa Fulcher.

Apologies for the delay. It’s been a hectic weekend.
Ashford Striders Members were out and about in force again this weekend representing the club across the south East and South Coast and Europe and doing it in style with some truly magnificent performances.
As usual the Parkrunners kicked the weekend off as they headed off to various destinations in Strider Red for their 5k fix, we will start at Ashford where the promise of Cake attracted most Striders. Martin Whittingham celebrated his 100 PR milestone on home turf, Keith Haynes headed the Strider field once again with an impressive 21.15 finish with Kevan Strand taking silver as he returned from injury and ‘eased’ his way back in with 22.54. Mark Niles achieved 23.37 as he too looks to recover from a troublesome Achilles and Terry Sellen followed him to record an impressive 24.23. Strider newcomer Dave Winchester celebrated his first race in red with 25.09 followed by Ian McCutcheon with 25.21. Darren Laker put in another good shift with 26.21 hotly pursued by Jason Brice, Kevin York, Jamie Bartlett and Steve Rumsey who all got sub 30s with 27.38, 28.31, 28.57 and 29.51 respectively.
Rachel Tomsett took the first Strider lady honours this week with a time of 30.40 and Rita Cooke narrowly missed out on a PB with 32.22. Jennifer Watts did manage a new PB as she crossed the line in 32.50 well done Jennifer. Man of the morning was Martin Whittingham who celebrated his milestone run with a 33.45 finish, he was followed over the line by Michelle Brice 37.27 and Danielle Moss 40.56. As always thanks to the Strider volunteers who this week included Lisa Fulcher, Clare Maxlow, Simon Jackson and Nicola Crawley.

Ok then, on to the tourists for this week. Maidstone Parkrun welcomed Tamsin Ritchie who completed the run along the River Medway in 58.45 whilst just across town at Mote Park, Andy Found, Justine Wearn and Jason Wearn warmed up for the Sunday action with times of 29.21, 30.25 and 30.28 respectively. Julie Nicholson took in the sea air at Whitstable and recorded a 38.06 finish whilst Siobhan Hagan recorded a new 5k PB at Raphael Parkrun in Essex with 26.26, Well done Siobhan. Justin Burden and Hazel Turner jumped on the train and headed to Orpington and both recorded excellent times of 25.06 and 25.33 respectively which completes the tourist line up for this weekend and well done to you all.

Right then, Down in the South of England we had a lot of Striders in action and Saturday saw five of them undertake the Run to the Sea Ulta-Marathon, a gruelling 50k run across tough terrain from Ringwood in Hampshire to Bournemouth. These guys put in a lot of training for this epic run and it paid off so huge congratulations to them all. First to see the seaside was Tammy Brooks who completed in 6:26:54. Next through was Kay Hunt with 6:32:28 and then Chloe Darling and Adam Thomas had a near photo finish with 6:42:32 and 6:42:34 respectively and finally Disco David Helme with 6:57:59. Also a big thanks to Tammy’s husband Trevor for being their chaperone for the weekend. Well done all of you and hope you recover quickly from your aches and pains.

Sunday, saw a big Strider contingent converge on Portsmouth for the Great South Run. A fantastic well supported 10 mile event involving over 20,000 runners and some epic performances from some of the Strider Speedsters as they went head to head after a week or so of wind ups and teasing from their devious club mates. At the end of the day it was Kevan Strand who took Striders Gold as he set a new PB with an outstanding finish time 1:15:44 and his rival Jason Caldwell took Silver with an equally impressive 1:17:18. You may now see Jason wandering the streets of Ashford with his suitcase as his wife said don’t come home unless you win. The Striders Bronze went to Jason Wearn with 1:20:27, he kept the front two in his sights for the whole race but just not quite enough in the tank to pip them to the post but more than enough to earn himself a new 10 mile PB There was some equally impressive performances from the rest of the Striders on the day too with Rob Wood taking 4th place with an outstanding 1:25:32 finish and Gayle Bailey taking ladies Gold and a new PB with a brilliant time of 1:31:05. Just 32 seconds behind Gayle was Nicola Crawley who took 5th place with 1:31:37 and then Vicky Stevenson followed with 1:37:31. Andy Found huffed and puffed to a finish time of 1:41:32 and the ever improving Jayne Hatton earned herself a shiny new PB with a fantastic 1:42:45. Justine Wearn crossed the line in 1:44:42 and Dani Moss showed real grit and determination to cross the line to the sound of huge Strider cheers and applause which is of course the Strider way….No one leaves until we are all back safe and sound. Well done to all involved and of course we all enjoyed a Strider after party in the Jolly Sailor before heading home.

Furthest afield this weekend was Simon Jackson who chose Amsterdam for his Autumn Marathon, massive congratulations to him for completing it in an impressive 4:23:44.

Back in the UK and closer to home we had five Striders competing in the Port Lympne 5k and 10k races. Both are tough courses so PBs were hard to come by. The 5k was completed by Vicky Shrubsole and Sharon Gardner who finished neck and neck in 37:49 and Karen Edwards who ran with her daughter finished in 40:00. The 10k route was tackled by Nigel Hills who just managed a sub 60 mins with 59:47. Jack Farrant recorded an impressive 1:00:41 finish and Kate Stroud who also ran with her son and crossed the line 1:02:27.
Finally to round up another busy Strider Weekend we had two representatives and two impressive performances at the Maidstone Half Marathon. Tamsin Ritchie completed it in 2:00:54 and Mandy Cooper crossed the finish line in 2:14:02.
Another brilliant weekend of running for the club and each and every one of you did yourselves and the club proud.
Report by Andy Found.

Buckle up people, this was a super strider weekend of running.
Ashford Parkrun
With many races on Sunday, a reasonably quiet Ashford Parkrun saw 12 Ashford Striders taking on the local 5k distance.
Terry Sellen was the first man in red to cross the line in an impressive 25:55, followed by David Gadsby 28:19, Justine Wearn 29:25 and Jason Wearn 29:26 all coming in under the 30 minute mark. Jason Brice was next 30:25, Rachel Theobald 31:16, Kevin York 31:17, Brian Forrester 32:07, Lisa Fulcher 32:35, Adam Thomas 35:40 and helping out the tail walkers today was Siobhan Hagan and Graham Troman, finishing together in 54:15 this completed the Ashford Parkrun Strider representatives.
Thanks also as always to all volunteers at Ashford; especially a number of our lovely Striders. Amanda Mandy Cooper, Don Dewer, Kevan Strand, Lisa Fulcher, Rita Cooke and Terry Sellen.
Canterbury Parkrun
Tamsin Ritchie completed Canterbury Parkrun in an impressive time of 27:16. Well done Tamsin.
Kingsbury Water Parkrun
Martin Whittingham continued his love of park run bingo running a ‘K’ finishing in a time of 32:55.
Squerryes Winery Parkrun
Not sure why I haven’t completed this parkrun yet ? Any run that has the word ‘wine’ in the name sounds my kind of run. Justin Burden continued his love of tourism finishing In 25:43.
Iford Mill Parkrun
Another park run ‘nerd’ Nicola Crawley ticked off her ’I’ completing Iford parkrun in an impressive 25:48.
Well done everyone on Saturday.
Out of Time Relay – reported by Mandy Cooper
During the night a small group of Striders took part in the Out of Time relay. Sadly the organisers had a runner drop out for the previous leg. Thankfully for them Greg Johnson stepped up to the mark to receive the baton (actually a bunch of sticks!) from the previous runner to run the leg solo from Lenham to Westwell to meet team mates Jason Caldwell, Gayle Bailey, Tamsin Ritchie and Mandy Cooper So, at 2am the group set off on a 10km route to finish at Julie Rose Stadium. Thankfully on this leg they had support drivers. Nadine Golding and Ian Watson who provided lights and shelter. Lucky as one of the group hates running in the dark! They arrived at Julie Rose stadium by 3am to hand the “baton” over to a small group of runners to continue the relay, allowing our Strider team mates to get back to bed!
Thank you for this report Mandy and absolutely well done to you all (especially Greg who completed his half marathon in 2:21)
Givaudan 10k
A beautiful sunny Sunday morning saw numerous amount of Striders out on our home turf for the local Givaudan 10k. The atmosphere before the run in the Strider camp was a mix of nerves and excitement. Pre-race advice was given, professional warm ups complete and we were off; results are:-
Keith Haynes 42:56
Adam Thomas. 47:37. PB
Justin Burden. 48:29
Simon Jackson. 48:41. PB
Nigel Hills. 49:36
Terry Sellen. 50:00
Paul Dunning. 50:37
Aimee Donohue. 52:45. PB
Darren Laker. 54:06. PB
Graham Troman. 55:48
Katie Stroud. 56:24
Claire Hall-Dawson. 56:37. PB
Siobhan Hagan 57:55. PB
Michelle Bryant. 58:55. PB
Kevin Miller. 59:26. PB
Jayne Hatton. 1:00:30 PB
Aisha Booth. 1:00:58. PB
Becky Somerford 1:01:39
Sharon Gardner. 1:02:36. PB
Angie Craffey. 1:02:57. PB
Rebecca James. 1:04:16
Rita Cooke. 1:05:48. PB
Dermot Carr. 1:06:02. PB
Jenny Watts. 1:07:18. PB
Rachel Oliver. 1:08:03.
Clare Maxlow. 1:08:22. PB
Emma Matthews. 1:14:45. PB
Kirsty Theobald. 1:15:57.
Julie Nicholson. 1:15:24. PB
Danielle Moss. 1:22:39
An absolutely amazing Strider effort today. Massive well done to every single one of you. An extra well done to everyone achieving a personal best Also a huge thank you to all Strider Marshalls today.
The support in general around the streets of Ashford for this race was amazing today. Once again, Ashford Striders, really did display what an outstanding, inclusive and supportive club we really are.
I know the runners appreciated the Strider support along the route and especially at the finish line; when people had finished their race they made sure they stayed behind to cheer ALL of our runners home. Well done Team Striders we did ourselves proud, both runners and supporters.
Royal Parks Half Marathon
Some Striders took to the streets and beautiful parks of London today running the Royal Parks Half Marathon.
Simon Richter was first home in 1:58:16, with Chloe Darling achieving a half marathon PB of 2:03:21. Rachel Phillips was next to finish in 2:04:16 and Hazel Forester coming in in 2:57:54. Well done everyone.
A mega busy weekend of brilliant running. Absolutely congrats to everyone Have a great week of running A bit of a long report this weekend, so If you notice an error, please do not hesitate to tell me and I will amend. I am however off to have a very large glass of wine so any amendments may be made tomorrow before I send it off to the paper.

Report by Justine Wearn