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This week I volunteered to set up Ashford Parkrun with Edwin. Bright and early (8am) I trundled down to the finish point to find Edwin already hard at work setting up for the event. Lugging the trolley of signs around I was able to take in the new sights of the refurbished park; unfortunately the café wasn’t opening until Sunday but I have to say it was all looking splendid ready for its grand opening. An hour later and the park was ready and waiting for Ashford’s 423 parkrun. As usual a good number of striders took part.
Keith Haynes 20:11
Adam Booth 20:30
Steven Cleaver 25:51
Darren Laker 26:37
Graham Troman 27:15
Josh Stephens 28:55
Catherine Wall 30:51
Adam Thomas 31:07
Rita Cooke 31:17
John Latter 31:39
Rachel Forrester 32:21
Delia Millen 32:50
Sarah Dewar 33:00
Rachel Theobald 33:15
Kevin York 33:16
Brian Forrester 34:08
Lisa Fulcher 34:40
Sharni Copham 35:25
Martin Whittingham 36:20
Amanda James 47:15
Justine Wearn 47:23
Lynette Whittingham 1:06:03
Danielle Moss 1:06:05

A big thank you to Strider volunteers at Ashford parkrun on Saturday; Jason Caldwell, Nicola Crawley, Simon Jackson, Danielle Moss, Julie Nicholson, Terry Sellen, Hazel Turner, Jennifer Watts. (Hope I’ve mentioned everyone) Well done everyone.

Parkrun touring this week;
Canterbury Parkrun
George Cromwell 29:42
Boston (UK not USA)
Peter Broom 30:56
Folkestone Parkrun
Dermot Carr 25:12 (PB)
Lee Standen 29:44
Siobhan Hagan 40:12
Michelle Bryant 40:15
Hackney Marshes Parkrun
Rachel Tomsett 29:48
Witney Parkrun
Mark Niles 23:07
Kingdom Parkrun
Justin Burden 24:00
Lisa Gribbin 33:28
Rachel Misson 34:01
The Leas Parkrun
Tamsin Ritchie 28:27
Amanda Cooper 28:40

Sunday Races
There were Strider representatives at two races on Sunday; Deal Dinosaur 10k (I know this is one of our chairman’s favourites)
Three Striders travelled down to Deal and took on the undulating course. Simon Pharoah came in at 50:26 and Dave and Hazel Winchester came across the finish line in 47:00 and 1:00 respectively. Well done all.

The more local Romney Marsh 10k was well represented by Ashford Striders with Lisa Gribbin putting in an impressive performance to earn herself a fantastic shiny PB of 58:57 – well deserved Lisa on what I hear was a flat but extremely windy course.
Another special mention to Michael Davis who came first in his age category with an eye watering time of 44:09. Amazing!
Other Strider finishing times;
Jack Farrant 49:09
Vicky Stevenson 58:44
Siobhan Hagan 1:00:19
Karen Edwards 1:02:22
Rita Cooke 1:03:37
Michelle Bryant 1:05:06
Dee Millen 1:11:01
Well done everyone, brilliant strong running in tricky conditions.
Have a great week of running everyone.
Report by Justine Wearn.

There was some quite changeable weather to contend with this weekend. In Ashford, the parkrun started off in the rain, but by the end of the event, the sun was coming out and it was warming up.
Andrew Maund was first for the club and 14th overall, finishing in 21:12. Justin Burden came in at 22:57, just ahead of Mark Niles in 23:00. Next we had Jamie Penfold, 24:40, Terry Sellen, 25:14, Darren Laker, 26:51 and Graham Troman, 28:10. Josh Stephens ran a new Ashford parkrun PB with 28:34, then Don Dewar, 28:50, Vicky Stevenson was first Strider lady with 29:10, closely followed by Andy Found, 29:17. Jason Brice completed his 50th parkrun in 29:26, Peter Broom, 31:08, Leigh Freeman, 31:51, Aimee Donohue, 32:17, Michelle Brice with an Ashford parkrun PB of 32:45, David Gadsby, 33:08, Simon Pharoah, 33:10, Michelle Bryant, 33:23, Delia Millen, 33:44, Jennifer Watts, 34:03, Sara Dewar, 34:56 and Paul Dunning, 39:04. Walking the course together were Siobhan Hagan, 1:03:24, Rachel Misson, 1:03:30, Lisa Gribbin, 1:03:32 and Lynnette Whittingham, 1:03:35. Julie Nicholson who was tail walker, finished in 1:11:18.
Our volunteers this week were: Hazel Turner, Jason Caldwell, Julie Foster, Julie Nicholson, Justin Burden, Kevan Strand, Lisa Fulcher, Simon Jackson and Terry Sellen. Many thanks to you all, the parkrun can’t happen without its volunteers!
Several of our serial parkrun tourists were out and about again, including three who visited the off-road course at Orpington. Justine Wearn finished in 30:34, Jason Wearn was next with 30:43 and Nicola Crawley finished in 34:39.
Staying in Kent, Rachel Tomsett completed Great Lines parkrun in Medway in 29:57. Lee Standen finished the challenging trail run at Kingdom parkrun near Penshurst in 33:40. At Mote Park parkrun were George Cromwell with 31:06, and Vicky Shrubsole and Lucie Shrubsole who both finished in 34:31.
Furthest travelled this week was Jo Mason, who went to Brighton’s Preston Park parkrun and finished this popular event in 27:48. Well done to all the parkrunners!
Onto the weekend’s races. On Saturday we had a brand new event, the Wye King Challenge. This multi terrain event had an unusual start time of 2pm and involved a steep climb to the top of the Downs in the 10k race and two long, steep climbs for those taking on the half marathon. Thankfully it wasn’t as hot as it could have been on a July afternoon but it was very windy!
The Strider gents all opted for the 10k distance. Dave Winchester finished in 52.54 and Simon Pharaoh in 1:00:03. Meanwhile, the ladies showed them how it was done by taking on the half marathon. Siobhan Hagan finished in 2:49:02 and Lisa Fulcher in 3:06:12. Well done everyone, some good finishing times for a difficult race.
On Sunday we had representation in two races. The Mid Kent 5 miler takes place in the quiet lanes around Staplehurst and has good PB potential. Keith Haynes was first Strider in 32:01 then George Cromwell, 47:13, Adam Thomas, 51:48, Kay Hunt, 51:49, and Lucie Shrubsole and Vicky Shrubsole both finishing in 53:11. Well done to you all but a particular well done to George, Keith and Vicky for running new personal best times!
Sunday’s second race was the Les Golding Memorial 10k in Herne Bay, another flat race with PB potential. Indeed that is what chairman Andy Found proved by running a PB of 54:26, followed by Gayle Bailey finishing in 1:04:14 and Rebecca James with 1:07:09. Well done everyone!
Report by Lisa Fulcher.

I hope you are all fit and well after the Summer Social. Fair play to all those that got up and ran this morning with or without a hangover.
This weekends action started on Friday with a few Striders visiting Rye for the Summer 10K series. Justin Burden led the way with a 52:54 finish followed by Richard Randle in 55:51. Dermot Carr was next through in 57:53 then Dee Millen with 1:10:30. Well done to you all !
Saturday saw Simon Pharoah take on the Whitstable/Herne Bay 10K and despite a few technical hitches along the way still managed a respectable 1:00:33 finish. Well done Simon !
Justin Burden was in action again on Sunday. This time he tackled the Asics 10K in London and a superb 49:18 finish rounded off a great weekend of running for him.
Sunday also saw a more local event as Woodchurch staged its annual 5 & 10 mile races. Steve Greatorex had the race of his life as he completed the tough, hilly 10 mile route in an astonishing time of 1:19:41 to bag himself a new 10 mile PB. An outstanding performance Steve, well done . Nigel Hills was first through in the 5 mile race with an impressive 41:48 followed by Karen Edwards in 51:39 and Holly Forrest in 1:05:55. Lisa Fulcher also took part as the tail runner but due to the ten milers overtaking the last of the 5 milers she didn’t have to complete the course and finished in style in the Nice Work van. Well done guys !!
Parkrun was busy as usual on Saturday but stifling heat and humidity obviously slowed everyone down a tad and PBs were hard to come by. At Ashford Keith Haynes took his usual pole position with 20:01 followed by Jason Caldwell with 20:55 and Adam Booth in 21:22. Cherith Wright put in the performance of the day to take the first Strider lady place and a new PB with a very creditable 23:40 finish, congratulations Cherith, group 1 awaits you on Thursday. Terry Sellen was next through in 25:45 followed by Vicky Stevenson in 29:06. Andy Found came through in 29:07 just ahead of Scott Hawkins who completed the sub 30 line up in 29:50. Mandy Cooper was bang on the 30 min mark with David Gadsby next in 30:39. Catherine Wall and Amanda James were the next two Striders with 30:59 and 31:01 respectively followed by Jason Brice and Rita Cooke with 31:36 and 32:40. Peter Broom recorded a 32:50 time less than a minute ahead of Rachel Forrester in 33:47. Michelle Brice celebrated her London Ballot success with a time of 33:48 just ahead of Martin Whittingham in 35:05. Rachel Oliver got round in 35:19 followed by Don Dewar and Brian Forrester in 35:45 and 36:48. Lisa Fulcher finished in 37:38 closely followed by Jennifer Watts with 37:41. Hazel Forrester and Julie Foster completed the Strider lineup with times of 42:22 and 54:26 respectively.
Strider Volunteers at Ashford this week who always deserve our thanks were Jason Caldwell, Julie Foster, Lee Standen and Kevan Strand.
Parkrun Tourists were out and about once again this weekend with Tamsin Ritchie completing the Canterbury course in 30:51. Great Lines in Medway welcomed Mark Niles who went round that in 25:56 while Kate Stroud took on the Folkestone course and completed in 26:51. Leigh Freeman travelled to Malling and recorded a 37:23 time whilst Nicola Crawley and Justine Wearn chose Uckfield with Justine completing in 33:31 and Nicola going round as Tail Walker in 54:18. Squerries Winery saw the biggest influx of Striders and Justin Burden was the first of them in 24:34 followed by Hazel Turner in 25:51. Siobhan Hagan and Dermot Carr were next through with 30:35 and 31:34 respectively followed by Lisa Gribbin in 32:20. Two more lucky London ballot place winners Rachel Tomsett and Michelle Bryant completed the Strider field with 34:32 and 38:19.
Well done to everyone who ran, volunteered or supported this weekend and I hope you all have a great week.
Report by Andy Found.

Ashford parkrun
As we entered July, the circus was in town and the clowns would have been awoken from their slumber with the footsteps of the 234 runners, joggers and walkers that took part in Victoria Park. As usual the super Striders were representing in good numbers with 3 celebrating milestones. Well done to Jamie Penfold on his 25th and Lisa Gribbin and Michelle Bryant for reaching 50 parkruns.
Keith Haynes was the first of the Striders to finish in 19.46, just 2 seconds shy of his PB, closely followed by Adam Booth 20.24 and Jason Caldwell 20.52. Cherith Wright was the first Strider lady through and bagged herself a shiny PB in 23.55. Hot on her heels was Jamie Penfold 24.35 and Terry Sellen 25.48 followed by Graham Troman 27.48 and Mark Niles 28.02. Dave Helme completed the course in 29 minutes dead, followed by Amanda Cooper 29.10, Justine Wearn 30.13, Rita Cooke 30.18 and Amanda James 31.00. Lisa Gribbin was next through in 31.18 closely followed by Martin Whittingham 31.24, Rachel Misson 31.25, Dee Millen 32.32, Leigh Freeman 33.21 and Michelle Bryant 35.56 and Holly Forrest 37.20. Danielle Moss park-walked in 49.08 and Julie Foster completed the Strider line up as tail-walker in 57.38.
Huge thank you to the volunteers – Dermot Carr, Sharni Copham, Don Dewar, Julie Foster, Terry Sellen, Kevan Strand and Rachel Tomsett.

Parkrun Tourism
Striders managed to cover the North, South, East and West of the country with their parkrun tourism this week.
Whitstable parkrun
Paul Baker and Tamsin Ritchie followed the Bacon Butty Brigade to Whitstable and finished in 25.38 and 30.15 respectively.
Chippenham parkrun
Brian Marsh travelled outside of Kent to Wiltshire and completed the Chippenham parkrun in 24.49.
Riverside parkrun
The furthest tourist this week was Simon Pharoah who travelled to County Durham and took part in the Riverside parkrun in 25.53 as a warmup to the Great North 10K.
Chelmsford parkrun
Siobhan Hagan travelled East to Essex and completed the Chelmsford Central parkrun in 28.27.
Pontypridd parkrun
Going in the opposite direction to Wales, Hazel Turner completed the Pontypridd parkrun in 25.03.
Folkestone parkrun
Nicola Crawley and her sling tailwalked at Folkestone parkrun, 53.01.
Malling parkrun
Sonette Schwartz made the journey up the M20 to complete Malling parkrun in 31.31
Uckfield parkrun
Getting the letter U for the parkrun alphabet, Justin Burden completed Uckfield parkrun in 24.24.

Great North 10k
Simon Pharoah completed the AJ Bell Great North 10K in 48.21 which is a 10K PB for him. The route had to be rerouted at short notice to ensure that it could go ahead due to a motorway closure caused by a fire!

Cliffe Woods 5 mile
Michael Davies and Jamie Bartlett, who achieved a personal best, travelled to the Hoo Peninsula to take part in the Cliffe Woods 5 miler. They completed the course in a fantastic 35.15 and 43.03 respectively.
Report by Danielle Moss.

Good evening fellow Striders, I hope that you are all well and enjoying the beautiful weather on this, the last Sunday of June; where did that time go?
We’ve once again had a week full of maximum effort and amazing achievements and I will begin the recap with, of course, Ashford Parkrun.
It was a hot Saturday Morning and Ashford saw 210 attendees at the weekly gathering with over ten percent of those being Striders! First to cross the line for Team Striders, and in 6th place overall, was Keith Haynes, coming in at an amazing 19:59, Justin Burden was next in at 23:28, Jason Wearn finished in 24:09, Brian Marsh; 24:17, and Terry Sellen 24:48. Now, you may have read something somewhere about Parkrun record being broken by a Team GB Olympic Runner, Andy something or other? Well anyway, that’s not important. OUR Andy gained a new PB at Ashford Parkrun yesterday. He was, and I quote, ‘Blowing by 4k but held on for dear life at the end’! Andy Found, new PB; 25:31! Next through the funnel and first lady strider was Hazel Turner; 25:44, Simon Pharoah was just behind at 25:58. Graham Troman finished in 27:26, Jason Brice; 28:04, and then Gayle Bailey was the last of our sub 30’s finishing in 28:13. Sonette Schwartz was next in at 30:18, then Rita Cooke; 30:35, Amanda James; 30:47, Aimee Donohue; 31:17, Catherine Wall; 31:28, Martin Whittingham; 31:48 and then Peter Broom at 33:30. Dee Millen completed her Parkrun in 33:44, Rebecca Somerford; 34:03, Rachel Misson; 34:07, Jennifer Watts; 34:33, Lisa Gribbin; 36:16 and then Birthday Girl, Siobhan Hagan came in at 36:17. Michelle Bryant completed her 49th Parkrun in 36:18, Dermot Carr was 36:20 and then we have the lovely Dani Moss finishing things up with 44:28!
Volunteers this week included Jason Caldwell, Terry Sellen, Lee Standen, Kevan Strand, Pauline Tallett and Lynnette Whittingham, thank you all so much for giving up your time so everyone else can run. As always, if you can volunteer, please do, it’s so good supporting your fellow runners and is really rewarding!
There was a fair bit of Parkrun Tourism this week, starting with Canterbury Parkrun where 89 runners and walkers took part. We had three members representing the club and first to finish for Striders was Paul Baker in at 27:30, Tamsin Ritchie was next at 29:53 and Jamie Bartlett finished in a time of 30:34.
Mark Niles was solo Strider at Pegwell Bay, and he finished the course in 29:53.
Rachel Tomsett ran the Lullingstone Parkrun in 37:33.
Further afield, over at Jersey Farm Parkrun in St Albans, were Justine Wearn and Nicola Crawley. Justine completed the course in 31:52 and Nic, who volunteered as a broken collar-boned, one-armed Tail-walker, completed it in 1:03:47.
Lisa Fulcher ventured over to Mote Park for their Parkrun and completed it in 38:27.
Finally, and furthest travelled, was Leigh Freeman who was in Holyrood, Edinburgh and finished the mountainous Parkrun there in a time of 33:48. Well done all of you.

On Sunday, Jason Kennedy took on the 18th Midsummer Munro Half Marathon which, I am reliably informed, is Britain’s Toughest Half Marathon. With elevation gains/losses of 3000 feet, it’s not for the faint hearted! Jason completed the half in 2:41:17, well done.
Today also saw three of our members running the North Downs Run. Hazel Turner, Lisa Gribbin and Siobhan Hagan braved the Brutal 30km in 30 degree heat and conquered it in times of 3:51:49; 4:14:49; and 4:14:51 respectively, well done ladies.
A special mention goes to Rick Newman who took part in the Metro Blind Sport Games in Mile End Stadium yesterday. Rick competed in the 100m, 800m, Javelin and Shot Put, achieving a Bronze and a Gold for the latter events. Fabulous Rick, well done!
Finally, I feel a very special mention should go to the Oceans 23 Team that includes a couple of our very own Striders. Richard Randle and Andrew Cornwell were part of the relay team swimming across the channel to raise money for British Heart Foundation. Training for this has been ongoing for a couple of years and consisted of Sea Swims in freezing cold waters in the middle of winter…Brrr! The 21 miles was completed yesterday in 15:54:00. This is an amazing achievement, and you should be so proud of yourselves!
Well, that’s all for this week, well done to all who went out and clocked up some steps, whether official events or not, you’re all superstars! Have a brilliant week.
Report by Sharon Gardner.

It’s certainly summer now with typically British warm and sticky weather over weekend, ending with a bit of cooling rain. Unusually, this week’s report starts with a Wednesday evening race. Pauline Tallett was on the Cornish coast and took on the Bude Lifeboat 10k, finishing in 1:03:13. Well done Pauline!
Onto Saturday and plenty of Striders were sweating it out around Ashford parkrun, not surprisingly there were no personal bests this week! Keith Haynes was first Strider and 10th overall with 20:25, Jason Kennedy, 25:34, Dave Winchester, 25:36, Darren Laker, 26:52, Graham Troman, 26:55 and first lady Strider Vicky Stevenson with 28:02. Pauline Tallett, back from her trip to Cornwall, finished in 28:18, Don Dewar, 29:23, David Gadsby, 29:31, Amanda James, 30:25, Sharon Gardner, 31:11, Peter Broom, 31:38, Jennifer Watts, 33:37, Victoria Shrubsole who was running her 50th parkrun and finished in 33:49, Lisa Fulcher, 33:51, Lucie Shrubsole, 33:51, Rachel Theobald, 34:05, Kevin York, 34:06, Delia Millen, 34:35, Ash Robinson, 37:06, Sharni Copham, 38:10, Hazel Forrester, 41:58, Nadine Golding, 56:19 and Nicola Crawley, 56:20. Bringing up the rear were this week’s volunteer tail walkers Terry Sellen and Rick Newman.
The other Strider volunteers at Ashford were Andrew Maund, Jason Caldwell, Jason Sanders and Kevan Strand, thank you all for volunteering!
Mark Niles headed to Mote Park parkrun in Maidstone this week and finished in 24:27. Further away but still in Kent, Jason and Justine Wearn went to Squerries Winery parkrun for a challenging trail run, finishing in 32:44 and 32:47 respectively.
A small tourist group went to Mile End parkrun in London, they were: Justin Burden, 23:45, Dermot Carr, 26:49, Siobhan Hagan, 27:44 and Lee Standen, 32:07. Further away still were Daniel and Sonette Schwartz who visited the countryside near Oxford at Abingdon parkrun, finishing in 26:51 and 31:09 respectively. Finally, all the way up in Aberdeen parkrun was Catherine Wall who ran the seafront course in her best overall parkrun time of 30:08.
There were some seriously impressive challenges completed by Ashford Striders members on Saturday, made even more challenging by the hot and humid conditions. Firstly a crazy bunch took on the Dirty Rotten Scramble 10k trail obstacle course at Hole Park. They took on challenges such as wading through water, swims and climbs, working as a team to get round. The results are: Paul Baker 1:56:56, Tamsin Ritchie 1:56:59, David Helme 2:25:00, Adam Thomas 2:25:17, Jack Farrant 2:25:18, Kay Hunt 2:25:19, Richard Coles and Tammy Brooks both with 2:25:20 and Chloe Darling (time TBC). Well done all of you!
Amanda Cooper was in Dorset and completed the Giant’s Head Marathon. This is a tough, hilly trail race with good views of the Cerne Abbas Giant hill figure. Her time was 7:17:23, very well done Mandy!
Lorna Cheshire ran the Clifftop Challenge along the South Kent coast, completing the 15 mile distance in 2:44:32 – well done!
Two of our awesome ultrarunners took on Race to the King, a challenging trail race over the South Downs from Goodwood. Lisa Gribbin and Rachel Misson ran the 50km run together and finished in 8:39:00, fabulous running ladies!
Lastly, the sole Strider racing on Sunday this week was Adrian Green, who ran the Sackett 10k by the coast in Thanet. He did extremely well, winning the V60 Male category in 43:18. Awesome run Adrian!
Congratulations to every who managed a run/bike ride etc this weekend!
Report by Lisa Fulcher.

On a beautiful, breezy Friday evening 9th June 2023, in the village of Charing, history was made. Ashford Striders, partnered with Nice Works, put on their first official race. It’s all been said over the last couple of days, but it really doesn’t hurt to say it all again, does it?
What a night, in true Ashford Strider style, we put on a show. There was a children’s race, there were cakes (all proceeds from the cake stall was donated to Charing school, over £100) and there was a sell out field of 265 runners. Outstanding for our first official race!
I am sure you will agree the organisation that went into this was huge but carried out to perfection by Andy, Ned and Jason C. Without their blood, sweat and tears (and the odd message back and forth) none of this would have happened and WE ALL THANK YOU for your effort, time and dedication to our wonderful running club.
Many thanks also to Kirsty whose brilliant idea of a Prosecco van coupled with the Ice-cream van, Coffee van and Cake stall I’m sure boosted the attendance on the night. The children’s race was a success, unfortunately, we were unable to recruit any new members from this due to age restrictions, shame!
Obviously, goes without saying, Strider attendance on the night was immense. Marshalls and carpark Marshalls were all brilliant (I’m definitely a better Marshall than runner, dancing and shouting at runners is definitely my forte.)
Runners, you were awesome on a tough, ‘undulating’ course, huge kudos to you all with some impressive performances, along with some shiny personal bests!
The results have been verified and are as follows:
Keith Haynes: 41:16
Mark Niles: 46:42
Jack Farrant: 46:49 (PB)
Adam Thomas: 47:47
Paul Baker: 52:52 (PB)
Dermot Carr: 54:15 (PB)
Katie Stroud: 54:36 (PB)
Nicola Crawley: 54:38
Graham Troman: 54:42
Darren Laker: 56:42
Gayle Bailey: 57:54
Siobhan Hagan: 58:30
Lisa Gribbin: 59:25 (PB)
Andy Found: 59:47
Scott Hawkins: 1:00:28
Sharon Gardner: 1:02 (PB)
Jayne Hatton: 1:02
Michelle Bryant: 1:04
Julie Moore: 1:12:39
Angie Craffey: 1:12:43
Holly Forrest: 1:22
Kirsty Theobald: 1:24:12
Phew, and the weekend had only just began!

On a beautifully hot Saturday morning, the traditional parkrun.
Home performances at Ashford Parkrun were as follows:
Andrew Maund: 20:35
Dan Green: 23:19 (red suits you)
Justin Burden: 24:46
Keith Haynes: 25:30
Terry Sellen: 25:47
Tamsin Richie: 29:32
Amanda Cooper: 29:37
Kevan Strand: 31:21
Dave Winchester: 31:22
Don Dewar: 31:37
David Gadsby: 31:58
Rachel Theobald: 33:06
Kevin York: 33:08
Michelle Brice: 33:23
Jason Brice: 34:07
Jennifer Watts: 34:39
Sharni Copham: 40:41
Lynnette Whittingham: 1:04:07
Martin Whittingham: 1:04:09
Many thanks as always to the Strider volunteers this week; Michelle Bryant, Jason Caldwell, Dermot Carr, Lisa Fulcher, Simon Jackson, Amanda James, Danielle Moss, Mark Niles, Kirsty Theobald, Dave Warner.
Further afield Parkrun touring this week:
Siobhan Hagan and Lee Standen got their Parkrun fix at Beckton recording times of 29:05 and 33:53 respectively.
Vicky and Lucie Shrubsole along with Sharon Gardner travelled to the sunny seaside completing Folkestone Parkrun in 36:41, 36:41 and 37:05.
Slightly further afield, Pauline Tallett was in beautiful, albeit rainy, Devon and completed Tamar Lakes Parkrun in 29:09.
Even further afield Adam Booth was in sunny Scotland finishing the Holyrood Parkrun in 21:00!
Thames Path Parkrun was the choice of Nicola Crawley and Justine Wearn, a new Parkrun in its 6th week. Definitely worth a visit if you fancy the relatively short trip to Woolwich with its unique curly wurly hill. It has some great photo opportunities at the top if you don’t mind forfeiting a PB, we competed the course in 32:00 and 32:01 respectively.
The Pilgrims Way Challenge, which raises vital funds for Pilgrims Hospice, took place on Saturday. There were three distances to choose from; 25km, Wye to Canterbury. 35km Canterbury to Dover. 55km, Wye to Canterbury to Dover.
Chloe Darling, David Helme and Karen Edwards competed the 25k in 6 hours and Rachel Misson and Lisa Gribbin went for the 55k and finished in an astonishing 10 hours and 45 minutes.
Well done all of you, a beautiful route I’m sure but on such a hot day it must’ve been tough so massive kudos. ust when you thought the weekend of running had come to an end … oh no !! On probably the hottest day of the year so far, Danielle Moss decided that running Tenterden 5k was the thing to do! Massive well done to complete the hilly, hot and hard course in 45:28 Danielle
That’s all folks on what was a brilliant weekend of Ashford Strider running and supporting. We go from strength to strength and long may it continue; stay safe with your running this week.
Report by Justine Wearn.

Welcome to June, the sun finally has got his hat on and what a lovely weekend of running we’ve had.
Ashford parkrun
As always, let’s start local with Ashford parkrun, we had a barrage of Striders running the 5k around Vicky Park. First home with an hugely impressive time and tittering on the edge of sub 20 was Andrew Maund in a time of 20.08!
Dave Winchester got to the finishers tunnel in a time of 23.34, Jamie Penfold finished in 24.07 and chairman Andy Found achieved the first strider PB of the morning in a time of 25.58. Great running guys. First lady home in 27.45 was Tamsin Ritchie, brilliant. Dave Helme finished in 28.13, Gayle Bailey in 28.42 and Darren Laker got the last sub 30 of the morning finishing in 28.51. Well done all.
Our second PB of the morning was achieved by Rita Cooke who finished the 5k route in 30.02, just fabulous, sub 30 will be yours in no time. (Well in 29.99 to be precise haha). Justine Wearn finished in 30.24, Sonette Schwartz followed only 5 seconds later with 30.29, Amanda James achieved a time of 30.44 and Jayne Hayne was close behind in 30.48. Brilliant performances.
Next through the tunnel were Mark Niles, Leigh Freeman and Dee Millen in 32.10, 32.23 and 32.44 respectively. The ladies ruled the roost for a little bit afterwards by Rachel Oliver 34.03, Jennifer Watts 34.27, Lisa Fulcher 35.56, Clare Maxlow 36.00 and Rachel Theobald 36.15 but Kevin York broke the ladies in red up in a time of 36.17. Well done.
Finishing the morning’s fantastic running by everyone were Julie Foster who achieved a time of 42.34, Vicky Stevenson got a time of 48.27, Rachel Tomsett finished in 58.05 and last but not least Sharni Copham finished in 58.45.
Thank you to our volunteers, Jason Caldwell, Mandy Cooper, Sharni Copham, Don Dewar, Sara Dewar, Lisa Fulcher, Terry Sellen and Kevan Strand.
To view the photos of the morning’s achievements, check out the album on the members page, future events will now be placed into albums for ease of viewing for all.
parkrun Tourism
We had some great tourism Saturday, Striders always have fun trying out different routes, some even include a parkrun when they are on holidays!
Nicola Crawley completed the pretty Mote parkrun in a fab time of 26.49, Sally Davidson-Daniel run round the woodland route of Bedgebury in a time of 31.01, well done, Paul Baker travelled to Minister completing the 5k in a great time of 25.16 and also staying in Kent was a mob (well some may say they certainly are a mob) of Striders turning up in Sittingbourne. Justin Burden 24.25, Hazel Turner 24.35, Dermot Carr 26.19, Martin Whittingham 30.24, Siobhan Hagan 30.44, Sharon Gardener 31.34, Vicky Shrubsole 32.22, Lucie Shrubsole 32.22 and Michelle Bryant 33.00 all completed Sittingbourne’s parkrun in brilliant times.
Visiting the wonderful seaside town of Blackpool and running in a lightening quick sub 30 was Pauline Tallett 28.09. Hope you sampled some of the famous Blackpool rock whilst there. The furthest afield award goes to Lisa Gribbin who sampled Queens parkrun in Glasgow finishing in 32.09.
Races
A few races took place on Sunny Sunday and we had some solo representation at a couple.
Jamie Penfold earned his medal at the 10k Island Run completing the race in 50.50. Great time Jamie.
Keith Haynes achieved a marvellous 5mile PB at the Hastings 5mile Race getting a chip time of 32.07 and finishing 35th in over 400 runners. Just brilliant.
Steve Greatorex completed the tough Otterpool Gallop 10k race in under an hour 53.33, fantastic.
This coming Friday evening (9th) Ashford Striders are hosting our very first associated race, the Charing 10k. There are still spaces available and on the day participants are welcomed. Some yummy refreshment suppliers will be there alongside a children’s race. Spread the word and bring the family along for what’s to be a fantastic evening of entertainment and running. Sure to be one of the best events on this year’s racing calendar (well, we may be a little biased) Exciting!
Report by Kirsty Theobald.

The third and final bank holiday of May gave us some sunshine at last and some great Strider activity over the course of the weekend.
Ashford parkrun
We kick off at Ashford parkrun which saw 207 participants run walk and jog in the sunshine. Adam Booth was the first Strider to finish, coming in under 20 minutes in 19.43, he was closely followed by Jason Caldwell in 20.12. Jamie Penfold and Stephen Cleaver were next in 24.51 and 24.55 respectively. Nikki Crawley was the first Strider lady to finish in 26.51 followed by David Helme in 28.21. Next through was Rita Cooke who chalked up a brand new shiny PB in 30.07. Rita was followed by Amanda James, Cathie Wall, Justine and Jason Wearn in 30.41, 30.45, 31.34 and 31.38 respectively. Peter Broom came through in 32.23 closely followed by Martin Whittingham and Tamsin Ritchie in 32.42 and 32.43. Vicky Shrubshole, on the march to 50 parkruns, finished her 47th in 33.11. As a warm up to the Edinburgh marathon Rachel Misson and Lisa Gribbin came through together in 34.21. Hazel Forrester was next through in 34.22 with Brian Forrester and Lisa Fulcher hot on her heels in 34.33 and 34.46 respectively. Just behind Lisa was Rachel Oliver in 35.00 and Kevin York in 35.14. Don and Sara Dewar were separated by a second in 44.53 and 44.54. Julie Foster completes the line up as tail walker in 1.16.07.

Parkrun Tourism
Maidstone parkrun
Four Striders headed up to Maidstone parkrun to complete the riverside course. Hazel Turner finished in 25.47, followed by Justin Burden in 26.34, Siobhan Hagan and Michelle Bryant completed in 35.50 and 35.51 respectively.
Canterbury parkrun
At the hilly Canterbury parkrun, Paul Baker completed in 27.48 and Jamie Bartlett in 28.33.
Margate parkrun
Four more Striders remained in Kent and travelled to Margate. Dermot Carr finished in 25.49, Richard Randle in 26.19, Rachel Tomsett in 30.13 and Dee Millen in 34.08.
The Lees parkrun
Mark Niles was the lone Strider who travelled to take part in the Lees parkrun and finished the course in 22.26.

The Folkestone Coastal 10k
A large contingent of Strider red headed down to Folkestone on a sunny Sunday morning to take part in the sold out 10K along the seafront.
Keith Haynes was the first Strider to cross the finish line in a time of 40.33. Hazel Turner was the first Lady Strider back in 51.33 followed by Dylan Fernandes in 51.54 and Adam Thomas in 52.02 followed by Nigel Hills 52.59 and Terry Sellen in 53.58. Andy Found was next to finish in 54.54. and hot on his heels was Graham Troman in 54.59. In the Hagan household battle, Siobhan crossed the line a few seconds before Michael (56.04 and 56.07). Siobhan did cross the line in exactly the same time as Kevan Strand (56.04). Dermot Carr and Karen Edwards were next back in 57.16 and 1.00.48 respectively. Taking part in her first 10K race, Sally Davidson-Daniel finished in 103.53. Martin Whittingham was next to finish in 1.06.32 followed by Rebecca James in 1.07.43, Dee Millen in 1.10.20 and then Julie Nicholson in 1.15.36 and Julie Foster in 1.30.50. Lastly but by no means least was Rick Newman who was superbly guided along the course by Sara Dewar, without who Rick would not have completed the course in 1.36..27.

Edinburgh Marathon
Lisa Gribbin and Rachel Mission travelled up to Scotland to take part in the Edinburgh Marathon. Lisa notched up a new personal best with 4.55.35 and Rachel fabulously finishing in 5.09.49.

Ride London-Essex 100 miles
A number of Striders traded their two feet for two wheels on Sunday as they competed in the Ride London 100 mile bike race. Huge well done to Jason Sanders, Nicki Crawley, Lorna Cheshire and Sarah Martins.

Report by Danielle Moss.

For those of you that do not know Ashford history that well, Victoria Park in Ashford has been the scene for many great feats and competition in years gone by. Back in the late Seventies it was the setting for a moment in football history as Dynamo Clockhouse took on all-comers and went an incredible 6 games unbeaten in a 5 min each way, winner stays on, competition with other local teams. It may have gone to 7 games but during the seventh game against Hillbrow United, Pauline Potter who was playing as rush goalkeeper for United came running off her line and toe punted a screamer past the Dynamo keeper from the halfway line. It was the ninth minute and surely would have won the game but Dynamo skipper Harry Horcroft picked the ball up and went home with it claiming he heard his mum call him for tea so the game was declared null and void. Fast forward to 1981 and ‘Monkey’ Morris who hailed from Willesborough set a new record in the park which still stands to this day. He scaled the fountain in the park in an incredible 21 seconds but sadly ‘Monkey’ forgot about his fear of heights and was stuck at the top absolutely petrified. It took an hour for the park keeper to alert Monkeys father who did not look impressed as he turned up with his extendable ladder. The onlooking crowd of admirers had meanwhile amused themselves with another competition to see who could knock Monkey off the top with a conker. Thankfully nobody succeeded. Anyway I digress…

Saturday 20th May 2023 was the date for another episode in park history as Keith Haynes and Adam Booth went head to head in the latest Parkrun battle for King Strider and it was Keith who came out on top with an incredible finish time of 19:51 leaving Adam in second place with an equally impressive 20:21. Dave Winchester continued his recovery from injury with a 25:35 finish and Hazel Turner took first Strider Lady with 25:48. Terry Sellen was next through the funnel in 25:53 followed by Jamie Bartlett in 27:25. Don Dewar was the final sub 30 with 29:32. Jason Brice went round in 30:08 followed by Amanda James in 30:49. Next followed two brilliant PB runs with Dee Millen setting her new PB to 32:25 and Michelle Brice recording her new record at 32:59 – Great running ladies !! Rachel Theobold and Kevin York were next round in times of 33:29 and 33:30 respectively followed by Jennifer Watts in 34:05. Julie Nicholson finished in 36:12 and Lisa Fulcher in 37:58 with Julie Foster following them in 41:03 and Sharni Copham in 54:44.
Well done to you all and special thanks as usual to the Strider Volunteers Jason Caldwell, Dermott Carr, Kevan Strand, Simon Jackson, Ned Golding, Dave Warner and Darren Laker.
Parkrun Tourism was again prevalent amongst the Striders this week. Nicola Crawley was tail walker at Colwick Parkrun and walked round in 1:07:49
Sharon Gardner and Vicky Shrubsole visited Canterbury and finished with respective times of 34:29 and 34:39.
Northala Parkrun was the destination of choice for Justin Burden and he completed in 26:23 whilst Andrew Maund took on the Malling event and finished in 20:27.
Mark Niles completed the Sittingbourne course in 21:33 whilst Justine and Jason Wearn chose Kingdom Parkrun and recorded times of 32:30 and 32:32 respectively.
Uckfield saw an influx of Striders with Sally Davidson-Daniel leading the way with 33:12 followed by Lisa Gribbin (33:41), Rachel Misson (33:48) and Siobhan Hagan (34:21).
Last on the Parkrun list is Tamsin Ritchie who completed the Lordship event in 27:35
We had three Strider ladies in Triathlon action this weekend. Nicola Crawley, Lorna Cheshire and Sarah Martins formed a relay team called ‘Nearly Die Tri-ing’ for the Outlaw Triathlon in Nottingham with Lorna completing the 1.2 mile swim in 39:32, Sarah doing the 56 mile cycling in 3:55:18 and Nicola completing the Half Marathon run in 2:06:07. All three trained extremely hard for this event so many congratulations to them.
Well done to everyone who ran or volunteered this weekend and I hope you all have a great week.
Report by Andy Found