Ashford Striders

This bank holiday report departs from the usual format as it doesn’t start with Saturday’s parkruns.
On Friday evening, two teams of Strider ladies took part in a women’s softball cricket tournament organised by Mersham Sports Club. The decision to take part was not influenced in any way by the free bottle of Prosecco for each team.
As most members of the Strider teams were complete novices at cricket, neither team won a prize but everyone played with enthusiasm and had a fun evening.
Ashford Parkrun
Back to parkrun, there was a good turnout once again at Ashford’s Victoria Park. Leading the Strider finishers was Keith Haynes with a time of 21:41, followed by Kevan Strand 21:51, Greg Johnson 24:49, Darren Laker 25:48 and Jason Brice with a new personal best of 26:50. Next was Jamie Bartlett 27:03, then Graham Troman 28:11 which was also a PB.
They were followed by Claire Hall-Dawson 28:26, Stephen Rumsey 28:36, David Gadsby 29:21, Amanda James 29:45, Siobhan Hagan 30:16, Lisa Gribbin 31:00, Peter Broom 31:13, Martin Whittingham 32:07, Rita Cooke 32:58, Rachel Theobald 33:00, Kevin York 33:02, Lisa Fulcher 33:56, Rachel Forrester 34:27, Brian Forrester 34:31, Michelle Brice 34:34, Don Dewar 35:16 and Hazel Forrester 36:28
Striders Volunteers at Ashford were: Jason Caldwell, Lee Standen, Rebecca Somerford, Sara Dewar and Simon Jackson. Thank you for giving up your time all of you!
Parkrun tourism
Three Striders visited the trail parkrun at Bedgebury Pinetum. Lucie Shrubsole ran a course PB of 34:08, closely followed by Sharon Gardner with 34:10 and Victoria Shrubsole who also run a course PB of 34:25
Visiting other Kent parkruns were: Justin Burden who completed Mote Park parkrun in a course PB of 23:53, Rachel Tomsett who ran at Royal Tunbridge Wells in 47:32, and Amanda Cooper who found Great Lines parkrun tougher than expected but finished in an excellent time of 28:14
This week’s furthest travelled parkrunner was Vicky Stevenson who went almost to the Welsh border to run the Forest of Dean parkrun in a time of 28:27
Canterbury Half
No Striders were in action on Sunday, but on Bank Holiday Monday Justin Burden was the sole club member racing the Canterbury Half Marathon. The race takes place on a challenging route through country lanes south of the city and Justin finished a time of 2:04:24
Well done to everyone running or taking part in other sporting activities this weekend!
Report by Lisa Fulcher

Ashford parkrun
Keith Haynes ran an impressive time of 21:59 to be the first Strider home on Saturday. Tamsin Ritchie followed with a time of 26:32. Jason Brice put in a storming performance, earning himself a shiny new personal best of 27:21. Well done Jason!
Next was Jamie Bartlett with a time of 28:01 and Steve Rumsey, 28:49. Martin Whittingham ran in a time of 30:47 for his 75th Ashford parkrun. Rachel Theobald crossed the line with a strong performance. Her time of 30:59 was her fastest since March 2020. Kevin York finished in 31:00, followed by Peter Broom with a time of 31:39, Gareth Huyton, 32:19 and Kevan Strand, 33:10. Danielle Mackenzie, completing her 25th parkrun finished with a time 35:22 followed by Danielle Moss, who ran in a time of 42:50.
Thank you to our volunteers this week. Jason Caldwell, Don Dewar, Sara Dewar, Lisa Gribbin, Danielle Moss, Terry Sellen and Lee Standen.

Striders on tour
Lisa Fulcher travelled to Lydiard parkrun in Swindon, running the two-lap course in a time of 34:49.
Nicola Crawley travelled to Central Park, home to Dartford parkrun, and finished with a strong time of 26:44.
Eight members of Striders made the journey to The Leas parkrun in Minster-on-Sea on the Isle of Sheppey. Justin Burden claimed 5th place with a time of 22:36, his best time this year. Great job Justin! Hazel Turner was next with an impressive time of 24:51. Graham Troman finished in 28:26 with Michelle Bryant hard on his heels coming across the line in 28:36. Rebecca Somerford was next with a time of 30:33, then Siobhan Hagan, 31:08, Julie Nicholson, 36:31 and Rachel Tomsett, 37:56.
Well done and congratulations to you all for achieving great results and for representing Ashford Striders so brilliantly.
Report by Paul Dunning.

Another scorching weekend saw Ashford Striders out and about doing crazy things in crazy temperatures.

To kick off this report, you may recall that on the 1st July, Justin Burden completed the first of the Rye Summer series in a time of 48:23 the 2nd of the races was on Friday evening and in blistering conditions he managed a fantastic time of 50:52. Super well done Justin.

Ashford Parkrun
Our hometown parkrun was well attended this week, with a large number of Striders running the new course. Some crazy people even tagged the 3.1 HOT miles onto their long slow runs, Madness!
Keith Haynes made it across the line first in 22:54, followed by Justin Burden 23:11, Terry Sellen 26:14, Adam Thomas 28:17, Jamie Bartlett 29:09 and Amanda James 29:59 all coming in under the 30 minute mark. Steve Rumsey was next with a time of 30:38, David Gadsby 31:28, Rachel Theobald 31:33, Kevin York 31:34, Jason Wearn 31:44, Nicola Crawley 31:51, Michelle Bryant 31:53, Leigh Freeman 31:56, Catherine Wall 32:02, Siobhan Hagan 32:23, Don Dewar 32:28, Vicky Stevenson 33:45, Rita Cooke 34:08, Rachel Oliver 35:12, Justine Wearn 37:25 an injured Sara Dewar came hobbling over the line in 39:14.
As always thanks to our Strider parkrun volunteers Jason Caldwell and Lisa Fulcher, please remember to do your bit and volunteer when you can.

Parkrun Tourism
Kate Stroud took the short trip to sunny Folkestone and completed the course in 29:08, whilst Martin Whittingham also decided a trip to the seaside was in order and ran Hastings in 31:09. Peter Broom completed a pretty, 100% trail parkrun at Rushmore Country Park near Leighton Buzzard in 35:43, even managing to, as a tourist, ‘bang the gong’ !!
Mark Niles parkrun of choice was at Prospect Park in Reading and completed it 22:38. Rachel Tomsett was in the Peak District this week and ran Bakewell parkrun along the Monsal Trail. This trail was once a railway line, an out and back flat route she completed in 39:20. Well done to all of you tourists out and about this week.

Superhero Striders (KAB)
Leigh Freeman & Sara Dewer travelled down to sunny Margate to complete the Kent Association for the Blind Superhero Run. Leigh took on the 10k course and in blistering conditions came across the finishing line in an impressive 1:11:31. Leigh didn’t just run this for the kudos and the bling, she also raised, at time of print, a whopping £500 for KAB in the process. Absolutely fantastic Leigh, well done.
Following on from Sara’s parkrun whilst injured exploits, she threw on her Superhero cape once again and ran as a guide runner with her friend Rick Newman to complete the 5k option of the race in 45:54. Fantastic.
I’m sure you will agree our two Strider members were true superheroes. Well done girls marvellous.
As far as I’m aware there wasn’t any Striders that actually ran the Mount Ephraim 10k this year, however a number of kind hearted Strider souls gave up their time and marshalled for this race. Thank you and well done to Amanda & Rebecca James, David Helme, Jason Caldwell, Lucie & Vicky Shrubsole Sharon Gardner and Tamsin Ritchie.

Jolly well done to everyone that got out and about this week. The weather has certainly been challenging to run in. Not wanting to wish our British Summer away, but I for one am looking forward to running in cooler conditions next week. Have a good one everybody.
Report by Justine Wearn.

Another hot weekend largely dominated again by Parkrun enthusiasts but despite the high temperatures some excellent times were recorded by our club members both at home and across the UK and Europe.

Parkrun
Normal service resumed at Ashford with a slightly amended route and Keith Haynes headed the Strider field this week with a superb time of 22.52. Darren Laker returned from his holidays and celebrated his position as a new club RL with a 25.31 finish missing out on PB by just 5 seconds (must try harder Darren !!). Following Darren was Adam Thomas in 25.45. First Strider lady across the line in 26.41 was Nicola Crawley, Andy Found was next with 27.32. Gayle Bailey was fastest lady in her age group (she claims its 21 – 25 but no one believed her) with a great time and new PB of 27.39 and she was followed by Mandy Cooper with 27.54. Vicky Stevenson and Amanda James both ran great times with 28.23 and 29.06 respectively and David Gadsby followed them though the line with 31.08.
Martin Whittingham ran a very respectable 31.24 with Rachel Theobold and Kevin York hot on his heels with times of 32.04 and 32.06. Rita Cooke came close to a new PB with 32.51 and Clare Maxlow added her Parkrun to her marathon training run and finished in 35.55.
Well done to all the Strider runners and to all the volunteers who were very vocal around the course and kept us all smiling. These included Jamie Bartlett, Peter Broom, Don Dewar, Katie Exon, Simon Jackson, Terry Sellen, Lee Standen and Ian Watson.

On now to the Strider tourists and we start with the Bushy event where Michelle Bryant and Siobhan Hagan both ran their fastest runs to date to earn shiny new PBs with times of 28.38 and 28.50 respectively…..Great running ladies. Mark Niles fancied some sea air and Whitstable provided that and he ran a great race to finish in 23.06.
Justin Burden headed the Strider contingent at the Shorne Woods event with a time of 24.01 with Hazel Turner also recording a great time with 26.51. Tyree Spicer and Lisa Gribbin also ran the same event and finished neck and neck in 38.55
Jason Caldwell went off in search of Robin Hood but failed to find him so opted to run the Sherwood Pines parkrun instead and considering his recent injury recorded a great time of 22.57. (We still await a famous Caldwell selfie) and Kevan Strand kept up the forest theme by travelling to the picturesque Bedgebury Pinetum run and smashing that out in 22.47.
Rachel Tomsett went to Scotland and visited the Torvean event and completed the course in 35.37 and the Strider competing furthest afield this week was Jayne Hatton who took advantage of her holiday in Cyprus to fly the Strider flag at the Paphos Parkrun and finished with an impressive time of 34.54. Last but not least for our tourists was Tamsin Ritchie who whipped round the Rendlesham Forest course in 27.49.

Triathlon
Two of our female members were in Triathlon action today at Bewl Water. Both competed in the tough Sprint event which consisted of an open water swim of 750m followed by a tough 20k cycle ride and then a 5k run. Lorna Dewell notched up a PB with a time of 1hr 40m 39s and Nicola Crawley completed the three events in 1hr 53m 30s. Well done both of you.

That wraps up this weeks edition so all of you that ran or gave up your time to volunteer give yourselves a big round of applause.
Report by Andy Found.

With only a single race result, this weeks report is all about Saturday, aka Parkrun day and as the Ashford event is still on hold* Striders took to the roads, railways and even the Channel Tunnel to get their weekly PR fix.

Parkrun Tourism
Rachel Tomsett visited Ferry Meadows PR and recorded a time of 40 mins exactly whilst Vicky Stevenson went to the East End of London and finished Mile End PR in 29.05. Pegwell Bay was the destination of choice for Kevan Strand and he whizzed round in 22.15 whilst Mark Niles flew the Strider flag at Preston Park in Brighton and finished in 25.29.
Martin Whittingham took 30.41 mins to run round Great Lines event in Medway and Malling Parkrun welcomed four Striders with Justin Burden finishing first in 24.03 followed by Claire Hall-Dawson in 28.22. Lisa Gribbin crossed the line in 31.35 and just behind her was Siobhan Hagan in 32.17.
Jason Sanders and Lee Standen visited The Leas in Minster and completed in 26.27 and 23.34 respectively with Jason also getting first in his age category. Tamsin Ritchie, Mandy Cooper and Peter Broom all rocked up at the Mote Park event and went round in times of 30.14, 32.37 and 39.51 respectively whilst Simon Jackson was the lone Strider at Ilfield Mill Pond with a finish time of 24.28
Furthest traveller this week was Nicola Crawley who took advantage of her trip to Germany and ran the Georgengarten Parkrun in 26.08. Gut gemacht Frau Crawley !!

10k Result.
Jamie Bartlett ran in the East Peckham 10k and finished in an impressive 57.58. Well done Jamie.
Well done to everyone.
*News just in, Ashford Parkrun resumes next Saturday (August 6th).
Report by Andy Found.

Thankfully the 30+ degree weather from earlier in the week is behind us, but the weekend was still hotter than most people would prefer to run in! Despite that, plenty of hardy Striders put on their sunglasses and sunscreen and took to the dry, dusty roads and trails this weekend.

Parkrun
Ashford parkrun remains temporarily cancelled, so once again club members went far and wide for their weekly parkrun.
The largest group took a trip to the very scenic, and very hilly, Lullingstone parkrun, accompanied by the scent of lavender from the neighbouring farm. Justin Burden took his habitual place as first Strider with a time of 26:36, next was Tamsin Ritchie 27:30, then Simon Jackson 28:46, Nicola Crawley with a course PB of 29:02, Lisa Gribbin 33:26, Amanda Cooper 34:33, Peter Broom 35:53 and Siobhan Hagan 38:29.
Rachel Tomsett went for some sea air at Margate parkrun and finished in a time of 32:35
Lisa Fulcher opted for an undulating trail run around a vineyard at Squerryes Winery parkrun, finishing in 36:48.
Mark Niles made the shortest trip of everyone, and ran Mote Park parkrun in 24:11
This week’s prize for the furthest travelled Strider goes to Sharon Gardner, who went to Prudhoe Riverside parkrun which takes place by the River Tyne near Newcastle. It was her second run here and she ran it in a course PB of 31:48.

Sunday races
At this time of year, races tend to be the shorter distances, and most Striders racing this weekend chose 10k events. Two of our ladies opted for a flat road race and completed the Romney Marsh 10k in the following times: Julie Virani 1:13:00 and Danielle Moss 1:30:00
One of the most well-attended races by club members this year was the Gusbourne Run, I’m sure the free wine tasting around the course had nothing to do with that! This event is an undulating trail race, so most runners were content to take a little longer than usual to finish.
Completing the 5k course at Gusbourne was Karen Edwards with a time of 42:25.
As there were more wine stops on the 10k route, most opted for this distance and the finishers were: Adam Thomas 0:55:12, Nigel Hills 0:55:47, Jason Wearn 1:06:37, Gayle Bailey 1:13:44, Paul Dunning 1:14:20, Lisa Gribbin 1:14:24, Cathie Wall 1:15:37, Vicky Stevenson 1:15:39, Andy Found 1:17:24, Rita Cooke 1:19:02, Lisa Fulcher 1:23:20, Siobhan Hagan 1:24:05 and Rachel Tomsett 1:29:25.
Amazingly, given the conditions, Adam and Rita achieved new personal best times – very well done both of you! Thanks to Simon Jackson and Tamsin Ritchie for marshalling and providing lots of encouragement.
Well done everyone who ran and raced this weekend!
Report by Lisa Fulcher.

The FEELING HOT, HOT, HOT edition, remember sitting in your front room with your trainers laced up staring pitifully out of the window into the dark, dismal night; watching the rain pound the pavements, listening to the wind howl, feeling the temperatures plummet to minus whatever, freezing your bits off and thinking do I really need to run tonight?
All but a distant memory! Now us hardcore runners are faced with soaring temperatures never seen before in the UK, sweating from every orifice and then some, (don’t even get me started on the chaffing, now that pain is VERY real.)
However, this weekend, once again in true Ashford Striders fashion, you fought adversity and got on with the job in hand with Ashford parkrun still out of action, many Striders took to the roads far and wide to satisfy their parkrun needs.

Parkrun Tourism.
Canterbury
Kevan Strand took on Canterbury parkrun at the University of Kent, and with a few challenging ups and downs along the Pilgrims Way, he managed an impressive time of 22:38.

Horsham
Danielle Moss got up nice and early to travel to Horsham to complete her weekly parkrun and on a three lap course along with 400 other runners Danielle managed her fastest 5k time this year in 41:30. Fantastic!

Middlesbrough Flatts Lane
Tamsin Ritchie managed to run Flatts by name but not by nature Lane, undulating, yet shaded parkrun, recording a time of 28:43. Well done Tamsin.

Lullingstone
At this time of year, Lullingstone is definitely worth a visit, and whilst Lisa Fulcher will confirm after her visit yesterday, the wonderful views of the lavender fields certainly outweigh the fact that this is a somewhat mountainous course ! Lisa however managed a time of 40:59, so very well done to her.
Next Saturday is The official Strider tourism to Lullingstone. This is the time of year to visit this one if you haven’t done so already. The views are outstanding,

Cyclopark
A few of the usual suspects made the trip to Gravesend to complete the x2 out and back tarmac course. Justin Burden gave another impressive performance and came across the line in 23:26, Hazel Turner 2 minutes later 25:36, Michelle Bryant 31:23, closely followed by Lisa Gribbin in 31:48 and Siobhan Hagan 32:09. Well done everyone.

The Leas
Peter Broom travelled to Minster On Sea on the Isle Of Sheppy to take in some of the sea air, and crossed the line in 31:32. Well done Mr Broom.

Mote Park
Nicola Crawley travelled to Maidstone to run this relatively new parkrun. She arrived nice and early so kindly helped set up the course giving her a parkrun credit, well done to her, even more of a well done to Nicola for smashing her course time on the undulating course with a time of 26:45.

Les Golding Herne Bay 10k
As temperatures rose on Sunday, only a mad person would travel to Herne Bay to run. That is exactly what our vice chair/kit gal, Nicola Crawley did! Not only did she run, she ran in a blistering time of 54:39 ! Well done.

The next couple of days (Monday and Tuesday), just in case you’ve been living under a rock and haven’t heard, is going to be hotter than a very hot place.
My advice DO NOT ATTEMPT TO RUN, find somewhere cool in your house, resist the urge until these mad couple of days pass.
Well done everyone this week and have a great week of running.

Report by Justine Wearn.

While Ashford Parkrun is temporarily closed due to construction work at Victoria Park, several Striders took the opportunity to travel to other Saturday events around the country.

Parkrun Tourism
Six Striders made their way to a hot and sunny Folkestone Parkrun. Tamsin Ritchie was first from the club to cross the line with an impressive time of 26:05, Rachel Theobald and Kevin York ran together, finishing in a time of 30:15 and 30:16 respectively. Jamie Bartlett was next to finish in 31:35, then Peter Broom finished with a time of 32:32 and Siobhan Hagan completed her run along the Leas in 36:36.
Nicola Crawley was the sole Strider to run around the Shinewater lakes at Eastbourne parkrun, achieving a very good time of 27:14.
Justin Burden travelled to Maidstone Parkrun and ran a great time of 23:27 along the scenic banks of the River Medway.
Martin Whittingham was at Dudley Parkrun and ran in a time of 30:25, whilst taking in views of the Stourbridge canal.
Without any doubts, Lisa Gribbin travelled the furthest this week. Whilst in South Australia, Lisa visited Nuriootpa parkrun near Adelaide. The temperature was much lower than we are enjoying in Ashford right now, but she did her best to warm up by running in a time of 33:04.

London 10K
On Sunday, Justin Burden ran for the first time in a London event and what a hot day to do it! He completed the ASICS London 10K in a time of 51:49.

Bubble Rush is a 5k fun-run which takes place at different places around the country. The idea is to walk or run through thousands of different coloured bubbles, whilst raising vital funds for Demelza Hospice Care for Children. Well done to Sharni Copham (50:47), Kay Hunt and Vicky Shrubsole, who all took part to raise vital funds for this important charity.
Well done to all the Striders for getting out there and doing the club proud this weekend.

Report by Paul Dunning.

Ashford parkrun
This was the last running of Ashford parkrun before it takes a short break due to improvement works in Victoria Park. Kevan Strand was the first Strider to finish in 20:44, followed by Adam Thomas 25:49, David Helme 27:57, Amanda James 28:50, Tamsin Ritchie 29:03, Mark Niles 29:10, Martin Whittingham 29:54, Rachel Theobald 31:00, Kevin York 31:01 and Angela Craffey 32:09. Gemma Coulstock ran her second parkun and achieved a new personal best of 32:52, followed by Rita Cooke 33:18 and Danielle Moss 42:20.
Volunteering at Ashford parkrun this week were Danielle Moss, Don Dewar, Jamie Bartlett, Jason Caldwell, Jayne Hatton, Simon Jackson, Terry Sellen and Vicky Stevenson.

Parkrun tourism
Amanda Coopers was the furthest travelled club member this week, attending Reading parkrun in the Thames Valley Nature Reserve, and finishing in 28:20.
A group of Striders visited Tonbridge parkrun in breezy conditions. Jason Wearn was first home in 23:00, Justin Burden completed his second run at Tonbridge with a course PB of 23:26, followed by Nicola Crawley 26:06, Justine Wearn 29:20, Michelle Bryant 29:42 and Siobhan Hagan 33:32.
Other Striders attending Kent parkruns were Lisa Fulcher, who completed Dartford parkrun in 32:33 and Rachel Tomsett who ran the lakeside course at Malling parkrun in 34:11
Just the one Strider was racing this week, and unusually it was on a Friday evening.

The Rye Summer Classic is a series of three 10k races in consecutive months on a flat course around Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, race one was held on 1st July and Justin Burden finished in a time of 48:23.

Well done to this week’s runners and volunteers!
Report by Lisa Fulcher.

Another action packed week in the sunshine comes to an end and it all started on Monday 20th with six Striders travelling down to Dover.

Dover Castle Mid-Summer 5K Run. Brian Marsh was first Strider over the line finishing in 25:25. Kay DH was next with 32:02 followed by Sharon Gardner in 34:09. Sharni Copham and Caroline Jane Miller finished next and were neck and neck in 36:51 and just one second behind them was Vicky Shrubsole with a time of 36:52.

Dirty Rotten Scramble at Cranbrook. Saturday 25th saw a team of hardy Striders take on this 10K challenge a tough terrain of mud, water and hills and the Dirty Rotten Striders consisting of David Helme, Kay DH, Tammy Brooks, Richard Coles, Chloe Darling, Adam Thomas, Karen Edwards and Mike Mason done themselves proud with some great teamwork to finish the course in 02:02:31.

Parkrun
Saturday, AKA Parkrun day, saw plenty of Striders in 5k action. Running on home turf in Ashford, Keith Haynes headed the Strider pack with an impressive time of 20:43. Jason Wearn was next in 22;49 followed by the ever improving Darren Laker who notched up a well deserved PB of 25.27. Ross Sadd finished in 26.04 and first lady over the line was Justine Wearn in 28:16 closely followed by Amanda James with a time of 28:37. Jason Brice and Kevan Strand were the next two Striders to finish with times of 29:38 and 30:01 respectively and then came Martin Whittingham with a time of 30:06. Angela Craffey recorded an impressive 31:13 to finish next and she was followed in by Rachel Theobold and Kevin York with times of 32:13 and 32:14. Rita Cooke ran a 33:24 time and the slightly injured Mark Niles was close behind with a time of 33:43. Congratulations to Joanna Whitehead who secured a new PB with a time of 37:55 to finish next and she was followed by Clare Maxlow who finished in 39:54. Well done to all of you and to the Strider Volunteers Terry Sellen, Andy Found, Jayne Hatton, Simon Jackson and Lee Standen.

Parkrun Tourism was the order of the day for some and Four Striders took on the tough Canterbury course. Justin Burden completed in 25:43 and Hazel Turner was close behind with a time of 26:55. Michelle Bryant got to the finish line in 32:17 and Siobhan Hagan completed the course in 35:29
Rachel Tomsett travelled to the coast and completed Folkestone Parkrun in 30:30 and Leigh Freeman chose the Sittingbourne Parkrun and completed that in 30:42. The final Tourist was Lisa Fulcher who took on the new Mote Park course and recorded a time of 35:19. Well done to all of this weeks tourists.

The Race to the Tower was the race of choice for Lisa Gribbin and Rachel Misson. This is a double marathon along the Cotswold way covering 52.4 miles and both ladies completed this gruelling challenge in 17hrs 17mins. Excellent work from you both and congratulations on a brilliant achievement !!

Sandwich 10K Sunday 26th had six Striders taking part. Kevan Strand smashed his 10K PB to finish with an incredible time of 43:35. Simon Jackson finished second in 51:51 and Kate Stroud also bagged a new PB with her time of 55:39. Gayle Bailey and Andy Found were next to finish with 57:43 and 58:54 respectively and then yet another PB time, this one for Martin Whittingham who ran it in 1:00:59
A fantastic week of running, Well done to each and every one of you !!

Report by Andy Found.