Ashford Striders

by Sharon Gardner

Hello and happy Sunday everyone, I hope you’ve all enjoyed the welcome return of the (intermittent) sunshine today! I’m back to work tomorrow so rest assured, Summer will be back properly this week! 😀

The standard of our Run Report Writers is now so high, I’ve been struggling all day thinking about how to write this to even begin to compare with previous weeks. I deliberated about reporting on the carnage at Ashford Parkrun that almost caused a pile up on the final sprint, when a couple of feisty squirrels, completely engrossed in their fighting, ran across the path without a thought for anyone going for their PB. But, alas, I didn’t get any photos so I decided against it! (True Story!)

So here we are, I shall stick to what I know and report on all of the achievements that our members have earned in the last seven days.

First off, we had the first of the Rye Summer Series on Friday evening. The summer series is, as the name suggests, a series of four races over the four months of Summer (June, July, August and September) There are options for 10k or 5k for the first 3 and then everyone does the 5k for the final race. We had a fantastic clutch of members representing us in Rye on Friday with Lionel and Donna Hammond choosing to complete the 5k version and gaining themselves excellent times of 26:24 and 36:59 respectively. Next up and first of our 10k racers was the lightening bolt that is Simon Pharoah, Simon once again made it look easy coming in with an outstanding time of 37:56, a course PB, 3rd Male, 4th overall and first in his age category! Next up was Dave Winchester, comfortably coming in sub 60 with a finish time of 50:14, Ash Robinson was next in with 1:04:36, followed by Ross McInnes with 1:08:07, Sharon McInnes just behind with 1:08:44 and then Lucey Townsend in 1:12:08 – excellent work all!

Then we move on to Parkrun day – AKA Saturday! A total of 51 Striders attended a Parkrun on 07/06/25 , 42 at Ashford, and 9 on tour, we’ll start as is customary at home in Ashford;

Jack Farrant was first strider across the line and 14th overall, with a time of 20:13, he was followed by Keith Haynes with a time of 20:19, and Jason Caldwell third strider, with a time of 21:19.

They were followed by

Terry Sellen, completed his 399th Parkrun in 23:15, Chloe Winham, first female Strider earned a shiny new PB with an excellent time of 23:25, then came Steve Rumsey 24:45, Harry Scott 25:09, Darren Laker 25:12, Claire Green 25:15, Michael Ruck 25:16, Ian Mccutcheon 25:33, George Phillips 25:41, Daniel Schwartz 26:22, Jason Brice 27:12, David Gadsby 27:20, Neil Wood 27:36, Pav Jagoda-souch 28:47, and Jamie Bartlett 29:00. Rebecca James, smashing out the sub 30’s was next with 29:09, Don Dewar 29:16, Amanda James 29:26, David Martins 29:51, and Catherine Wall 30:34. Running together and looking like they were having a lovely time around the park were Lee Gribbin and Lisa Gribbin, both finishing in 30:43, Eloise Pegg was next, 31:17, Stephen Cartwright, coming back from injury and making it look like he’d never been away, came in at 31:25, then Rob Harris 31:54, Josh Stephens 31:57, Tamsin Ritchie 33:30, Dave Warner 34:50, Pauline Tallett 34:57, Lucie Shrubsole and John Latter finished together with 35:01, Penny Grigg 35:21, Sara Dewar 35:56, Sarah Martins 37:35, Nige Terry 37:41, Katarzyna, Heather Fraser 38:16, Helen Rumsey 39:09, Angela Craffey 1:00:49, and last but not least was Jamie Penfold celebrating his 100th Parkrun with a tail-walking party at the back, came in with 1:01:22!

As usual we had a good turnout of Striders volunteering at Parkrun; Jason Caldwell, Isabelle Froissart, Mark Niles, Jamie Penfold and Hazel Wood – Thank you as always to all of you and please, if you’re at a loose end at all, please do volunteer to marshal, it’s so rewarding and very much appreciated!

Parkrun Tourism

Maria Chapman completed the Cyclopark parkrun in 34:24

Nicola Crawley completed the Dinton Pastures parkrun in 52:14

Amanda Watson, this week’s furthest travelled Parkrunner, completed the Foro Italico parkrun in over 30 degrees heat and came in on 31:22.

Justin Burden, Lee Standen and Laura Clark completed the Great Notley parkrun coming in on 29:28, 31:43 and 1:03:01 respectively.

Linda-jean Delport completed the Maidstone River Park parkrun in 22:23.

Justine and Jason Wearn were in Swindon and completed the Seven Fields parkrun in 33:01 and 33:04 respectively.

Still on Saturday we move over to Lanzarote where Russ Berliner donned his Red Strider-Shirt and completed the Sun Run Lanzarote 5K race, which he did in a fine time of 31:43.

Saturday and into Sunday, three members decided it would be fun to enter Endure24 in Reading! This race is on a course of 8km and the aim is to complete as many laps of the course as you can within 24 hours. The race can be run solo, in pairs or as part of a team, our runners very sensibly took the team option with Nicola Crawley completing 3 laps in times of 55:33 at 5:02pm, 1:10:54 at 11:22pm and then 58:09 at 5:40am. Sharon and Ross McInnes, not content with a measly 10km on Friday evening also did three laps each, Sharon at 6pm, 2am and 11am and Ross at 7pm, 3am and midday today! Crazy bunch – obviously you’ve now piqued the FOMO sensor in some other members so I’m sure there’ll be a much bigger turnout for this next time!

Donna Hammond, another Strider not content with one race this weekend, was in Folkestone today for the Race for Life, she raised an amazing amount of money for the charity and completed the race in 38:30.

Four of our members added Swimming and Cycling to their runs today, competing in the White Cliffs Sprint Triathlon down in Dover. This race was a 400m Swim, a 14km Cycle and then a 5km run, first Strider and with a PB was Chris Littlejohn with an overall time of 1:05:35, Next was Richard Randle in 1:14:07, Andrew Cornwell 1:17:16 and finally, well and truly bitten by the Tri-bug, was Vicky Shrubsole with an overall time of 1:24:51.

Final race of the weekend was attended by Michael Davies. Michael was in Staplehurst for their 10k and came home with a lovely little haul of a beautiful VE Day medal and an award for being first in his category and with a course PB time of 45:15.

That, I think is it for this week, outstanding achievements as always everyone!

Have a great week all ❤️

by George Phillips

Where do we start! The Striders have cast their net out far and wide this week, with events ranging from Tuesday evening relays, 10k’s, sprint triathlons, marathons and ultra marathons, all in the space of a week. What a way to end May and kick start a summer of running in June!

Tuesday evening saw the Ashford Striders back in action for round 2 of the East Kent Road Relays held at Samphire Hoe in Dover. Representation at these events continues to grow, with Striders bringing 7 teams along to tackle the course. Brilliant running overall by all members of the Striders meant for some fantastic times. Round 3 takes place on 10th June on home soil in Victoria Park in Ashford. It would be great to have even more teams and the route lined with Striders supporting in red!

Midweek Parkrunners

Throughout the year various countries offer special parkruns to celebrate during their national holidays and of course this meant some of our Parkrun enthusiasts made the trip into the nordic countries for an extra piece of Parkrun Pie.

Nic Crawley and Justine Wearn took a trip to Vaxjosjon Parkrun in Sweden, running together around the stunning course they finished in 31.14. Whilst the Martins found themselves in the land of pastries, Denmark! They took on the course at Amager Faelled, David completed the course in 31.38 with Sarah close behind in 34.49.

Gribbin 10k

When a race comes along with your own name you have no choice but to enter. Lisa and Lee Gribbin took a trip to Cornwall and took over over 1000ft of elevation during this 10k race over mixed terrain make for a difficult challenge. Lee finished the course in 1.07.33 with Lisa just behind in 1.12.02.

Ashford parkrun

Simon Pharoah was first strider across the line with a time of 19:39, followed by Keith Haynes with a time of 20:24, and Jack Farrant third strider, with a time of 20:33

They were followed by

Harry Scott 21:55, Adam Booth 22:00, Dan Green 23:04, Matthew Gilbert with a PB time of 23:18, Jamie Penfold 23:19, Terry (fred) Sellen 23:46, Kevan Strand 24:08, Stephen Rumsey 24:29, Scott Hawkins with a new PB time of 24:47, Mark Niles 24:54, Darren Laker 25:10, Michael Ruck 25:26, David Gadsby 27:16, Carole Thomas 28:09, Pav Jagoda-souch with a new PB time of 28:10, Jamie Bartlett 29:33, Lee Gribbin 30:34, Lisa Gribbin 30:34, Eloise Pegg 31:01, Harry Lockhart 31:01, Jason Brice 32:41, Rachel Tomsett 33:04, Russ Berliner 33:57, Katie Fox 34:17, Rachel Oliver 35:17, Jennifer Watts 36:13, Michelle Brice 37:10, Pauline Tallett 37:11, Helen Rumsey 38:55, Kevin Miller 43:21, Ned Golding 43:22, Julie Foster 43:33.

As always, a big thank you to all the Striders who volunteered at parkrun this weekend. It is not possible to run without you! Thank you Jason, Danie, Jason, Don and Julie!

Parkrun Tourism

Down to Dover for a fabulous 5 of Andy, Vicky, Amanda, Becky and Jayne. Known for its potential for fast times on a flat course today was no difference. With Andy posting his quickest time for 2 years finishing in 25:54. Vicky finished with her fastest time of the year in 27.55. Amanda post her fastest time for 3 years in 28:15. Next saw Becky crossing the line with a huge 24 second PB in 28:23! Also posting her fastest time of the year was Jayne Hatton in 28:34. Some fantastic speedy striders in Dover this week!

Not content with 1 parkrun abroad, Nic and Justine found themselves at the Faelledparken in Copenhagen. They finished together in 35:44.

Lin West made the short trip to Folkestone completing the course in 36:30.

Maria Chapman opted for the Seaside in Hastings running the out and back route in 32:10.

Justin, Lee and Laura, ticking off more of the London parkruns headed to Lloyd parkrun in Croydon. Finishing in 29:35, 35:17 and 48:59.

The scenery of Mote park welcomed another group of Strider taking on the undulating course. I believe Dee was the first across the line but there may have been some confusion with counting of laps…. Lionel Hammond and Richard Randle crossed the line together in 31:28, Nige Terry followed in 38:22 with Donna Hammond closely behind in 38:45 and Katarzyna Janas in 38:50.

The Martins continued either foreign tourist trail at the Skatas parkrun in Gothenburg, Sweden. David finishing in 35:17 and Sarah 36:13.

Our final tourist this week was Isabelle Froissart, at the Tramore Valley parkrun in Ireland crossing the line in 32:13.

On to Saturdays Race!!

Saturday saw 5 Striders battling heat, no shade, trails, more heat, running, a castle, more heat, still no shade, another castle, a bit more heat, one more castle annnnddd 50km of running. Taking on the Embrace Ultra Three Castles 50km running from Rochester to Tonbridge, an epic achievement by all of them; Josh Stephens was the first Strider to collect his medal in a time of 6:30:58, next was Alice Foulger in 6:45:00. Mandy Watsons watch may have given up, but she powered on finishing in 7:40:30. Tamsin Ritchie completed the course in 8:22:48 and finally Jason Sanders in 8:33:48. A truely monumental achievement by all!

Sunday Races

Simon Pharoah was the lone Strider taking on the Marden 10k, a picturesque route and a lovely looking medal saw Simon cross the line in a time of 38:01 and finishing in 12th place in a race with over 400 runners, a fantastic result!

Lisa Gribbin just can’t stop running! On Sunday she took the role of Sweeper at the Oliver Fisher 5 & 10km in Sittingbourne. She finished in a time of 1:29:11.

Ashford Striders became the Ashford sTRIders on Sunday making the short trip to Hythe for the Hythe Bay Triathlon run by our friends at the Ashford Tri Club. A Super Sprint Triathlon consisting of a 250m pool swim, a 14km Bike ride and a 5km along the seafront. A well run event, which is perfect for first time triathletes. First Strider across the line in a time of 1:00:51 was Dan Green, Dan managed a super speedy 23:33 5k after his swim and bike! George Phillips was next to cross the line in a time of 1:04:39. Taking on his First Triathlon was Harry Lockhart, who also was the fastest Swimming Strider of the day with a swim time of 4:48, crossing the line in 1:09:17. Just 3 minutes behind was Richard Randle (dressed in Strider red), with a time of 1:12:10. Closely followed by tri veteran Andrew Cornwell in 1:13:46. Vicky Shrubsole was also taking on her first triathlon race to finish in a brilliant time of 1:20:41. Big thanks to Nic Crawley who also volunteered at the event (and managed to get some nice photos of me on my bike).

The final event for Sunday saw Izzy Froissant competing in the Cork City Marathon. The solo strider completing the event, a brilliant run saw a finishing time of 5:10:28

Thank you to everyone who went out there this week and represented the Striders up and down the country and abroad!

Don’t forget we also have a couple of big events coming up! Ned is still after a few volunteers for the Charing 10k. And if you are running, don’t forget to get signed up!

And finally the 28th June is Summer Social time! At the clubhouse, don your best neon outfit and dancing shoes for what is always a brilliant night! Guest are also welcome, check Spond for all the details!

Thanks for reading! Time for me to take another nap on the sofa!

by Rebecca James

Good Evening and Happy Sunday Strider’s❤️ We were graced with some rain this weekend, not nice for our tans but made for some cooler running conditions..

A reminder to you all that S&C is on Wednesday this week due to the relays taking place on Tuesday. Get yourself signed up!🫶

Also, for those of you not already booked to come along, the Summer Social that is taking place on 28th June! We would love to see you all there – and there is no party like a Strider’s party!! Mum has big shoes to fill, but I’m sure it will be a great night!💃🕺

Some would say Saturday morning bought perfect running conditions…
A total of 41 Strider’s took part in a Parkrun, 28 in Ashford, 13 on tour:

ASHFORD PARKRUN

Keith Haynes was the first Strider across the line with a time of 20:25, followed by Jack Farrant with 21:04. In the 22 club, we have Harry Scott with 22:14, and Mark Niles with 22:39.
Terry Sellen is back with a bang, finishing in 23:31. Kevan Strand crossed the line in 24:19. Next to finish with a fantastic PB was Carole Thomas with a time of 25:14! Congratulations Carole! Following behind was Chloe Stott 25:18, Michael Ruck 25:24, and Josh Stephens in 25:39. Daniel Schwartz completed the course in 26:17. I hear Birthday Wishes are in order for Darren Laker, who completed his birthday Parkrun in 26:33. Happy Birthday for yesterday Darren🎂 Pav Jogoda-Souch, is absolutely flying and achieved another PB with a time of 28:15. Great run Pav!!
Jason Brice finished in 28:18, just as though he hasn’t eaten 3 pain au chocolates everyday for breakfast for the last week😉 Next, finally cracking the sub 30 barrier after a year is Rebecca James. Finishing in the same time was Coach Andy Found, who joined Rebecca on the course making sure she didn’t miss it after 2 weeks of trying! Both completed in 29:19. Amanda James finished in 30:50 (second James across the line – it doesn’t happen often, so we have to make the most of it!) Following behind was David Martins 31:59, Sharon Gardner 32:21, Sarah Martins 33:23. Following her debut early risers, Rachel Oliver finished the Parkrun course in 35:16. Well done!!
Lin West finished in 35:26. Next with a shiny new PB is Nige Terry in a time of 37:29. Congratulations Nige!!
Jennifer Watts finished in 38:18, Lee Standen 39:29, Paul Diddems 42:13, and Pauline Tallett in 42:46. Our tailwalker this week, was the lovely Rachel Tomsett, in 53:17!

As always, a huge thank you to those who volunteered. Our volunteers were Don Dewar, Ross McInnes, Sharon McInnes, Matthew Norman, Tamsin Ritchie (with her two furry friends🐾), Terry Sellen, Rachel Tomsett and Hazel Turner.

PARKRUN TOURISM

Taking a trip to London to complete the Crystal Palace Parkrun, was Justin Burden 26:27, followed by Laura Clark 44:12.

Four Striders decided to take a trip to the coast to take on the Dover Waterfront Parkrun. Dan Green was first over the line in 22:36, and Claire Green 25:28. Battling many challenges to even reach the start line, was Eloise Pegg and Harry Lockhart both completing the course in 29:34. Well done to you all!

It was a family affair in Folkestone, where Elle, and most of the Weekes family took on the Folkestone Parkrun course. Elle finished in 24.02. Great run Elle!

Martin Whittingham went to complete Hampstead Heath Parkrun, and finished the course in 61:58.

The Wearn’s took on the pretty route at Harrow Lodge Parkrun. Ladies first of course, with Justine finishing in 32:42, and Jason just behind in 32:45. Well done to you both!

Nicola Crawley and Maria Chapman headed to run around the lake at Leybourne Lakes Parkrun. Nicola finished in 29:36, with Maria just behind in 29:44. Great run ladies!

Penny Grigg headed to Osterley Parkrun and finished the course in 33:18. Well done Penny!

FOLKESTONE 10K

Next came a rather cloudy and windy Sunday morning in Folkestone. A group of Strider’s took on the out and back course from Folkestone into Hythe. I can vouch for those windy conditions – so very well done to you all!!

First Strider in was Terry Sellen in an impressive time of 47:59, a seasons best! Harry Lockhart was next, finishing in 48:01, and with a shiny new PB! Smashed it Harry!!🙌Following behind was Scott Hawkins who absolutely smashed his previous PB out of the park in a time of 50:49. Brilliant run Scott, your training is paying off!👏

The first Strider lady over the line was Elle Weekes in a time of 51:49! Another PB run was by Eloise Pegg, who completed the course in a time of 54:41. A very well done to you Eloise!🥳 Lionel Hammond finished the course in a time of 58:35! Ross McInnes ran the route, and completed in a PB time of 1:01:58, with a cheeky 5k PB thrown in too! A special mention to Sharon McInnes, who decided to run a 10k on her birthday (crazy lady😉). She finished in a time of 1:07:55. A little birdy told me both Sharon and Ross are now in full swing of birthday celebrations🍾 Happy Birthday!! Enjoy the rest of your day!

Well done!! An amazing effort from everyone – you should all be proud!

EDINBURGH MARATHON AND HALF MARATHON

Three Striders set out on an adventure to Edinburgh! I hear they battled all the elements throughout the day!

Tammy Brooks completed the Half Marathon in a time of 2:07:48, a seasons best! Well done Tammy!!

Taking on a challenge of the Marathon distance, was both David Helme and Hana Davis. Setting a new PB, in the outstanding time of 3:30:58, and first Strider across the line was Hana Davis! Congratulations Hana!!!👏 David Helme was next, enjoying the breezy course (maybe?😉) finishing in a time of 5:30:40. Great run Dave!!

INVICTA EAST KENT OPEN MEETING

Keith Haynes took part in the 3km track event, and finished in an impressive time of 11:49! Great work Keith!

That sums up another great week of running, and Strider’s support! Sometimes our runs do not go completely to plan, but it’s important to remember you are out there, getting it done, and you are surrounded by people cheering your name! I am sure I can speak for a lot of us that Ashford Strider’s really is the best place to be!❤️

If there are any errors, or amendments please do let me know and I will get them changed.

All that is left to say, is Keeeeeep Running🏃‍♂️ Have a great week everyone!

by Ashley Robinson

This week was mental health awareness week and what better way to raise awareness than a week of running, socialising and being a part of Ashford Striders!!

Tuesday saw Ashford Striders take part in the East Kent Summer Relays with the first race being held in Folkestone.

Results for the

Senior Male Team A – Simon Pharoah, Frank Remigio, Keith Haynes and Steve Greatorex finished with a time of 51.44.

Senior Male Team B – Konrad Gryniewicz, Matthew Gilbert, Adam Thomas and Matt Dewitt finished in 1hr 00.56

Male V50 Team A – Andy Found, Richard Randle, Kevin North completed in 49.41.

Senior Female Team A – Jayne Hatton, Megan Clare and Elle Weekes completed in 52.55.

Female V45 Team A – Emma Konstantinou, Vicky Shrubsole and Vicky Stevenson completed in 53.29.

A fantastic effort by all those that signed up and took on the course and best of luck for the remaining upcoming races!

Now onto the weekends action.

54 Striders attended a Parkrun on Saturday with 38 at Ashford, and 16 on tour.

We shall start with Ashford and the first strider across the line was Keith Haynes with a time of 20:07, shortly followed Jack Farrant (Although I haven’t seen the Tiktok video yet….) with a time of 21:02, and Harry Scott third strider home with a PB time of 21:10. Hot on the heels of Harry was Kevan Strand 21:29 and Konrad Gryniewicz 21:42, who also scooped a PB!

Terry Sellen 23:04 pipped Dan Green 23:07 to the finish line with Harry Lockhart 23:26, Stephen Rumsey 24:22, Linda-jean Delport 24:40, Michael Ruck 25:11 (PB), Josh Stephens 25:12 and Scott Hawkins 25:16 following in behind.

Also crossing the finish line in under 30 minutes were David Helme 28:34, Vicky Stevenson 28:44, Pav Jagoda-Souch 28.45 (PB) Amanda James 28:49. Finally Catherine Wall who was attempting to hit a sub 30 went out and smashed it with a time of 29.25! Fantastic Effort!!

There was another cluster of Striders crossing the line with Don Dewar 30:14, Eloise Pegg 30:18, Rebecca James 30:19, Jayne Hatton 30:20 all getting within the 30mins range.

Great running also by Richard Randle 32:22, Jamie Weller 34:29, Lin West 36:24, Rachel York 37:18, Kevin York 37:19, Clare Nunn 37:42, Sara Dewar 37:55, Helen Rumsey 38:07, Victoria Corby 38:53, Rita Cooke 39:07, Timothy Corby 41:17, Julie Foster 42:06, Leigh Freeman 45:21, Mark Niles 47:15, Rachel Tomsett 1:01:35, Nicola Crawley 1:01:37.

As always, this spectacular parkrun can not be held without the volunteers and again the Striders were helping out in force. Special thanks go to Jason Caldwell, Maria Chapman, Andrew Cornwell, Nicola Crawley, Lisa Fulcher, Vicky Shrubsole, Daphne Stafford and Amanda Watson!!

Parkrun Tourism

Now onto the crazy fools who probably get up earlier on a Saturday than they do for work to get their tourism fix!

Starting with where it all began at Bushy Park. 3 Striders attended the incredible historic, busy parkrun for their own milestone! Lionel and Donna Hammond both completed their 25th Parkrun with times of 26.35 and 31.28. Joining “The Hammonds” was Dee Millen who completed her 100th Parkrun with all the 3’s (33.33) Great achievements to all three of you!

Just down the road from Bushy Park was Jamie Penfold (23.51) (YouTube video to follow I am sure 😊) and Elle Weekes (34.05) while also out chatting away and giving away free socks!!

Down in Orpington was Justin Burden (27.24), Lee Gribbin (28.31), Lisa Gribbin (34.35) and Laura Clark (45.30) as they completed the great named Hoblingwell parkrun.

Flying solo this week at Mote Park was Justine Wearn with a time of 32:49.

The Martin’s completed the Sittingbourne parkrun with Sarah completing in PB time of 28:02, and David finishing in 29:35.

There were two more solo striders this week with Mollie Hoban travelling to the Leas parkrun in Minster and crossed the line in 44:23 and Isabelle Froissart completed the East Grinstead Parkrun in 30.47

Finally, down on the seafront was Simon Pharoah who completed the Dover Waterfront parkrun in a cool 17:46 and Danielle Moss who crossed in 48:15.

A great showing of Striders across the Parkrun scene! Well done to every single one of you!

All that running and that was just Saturday 😊

So, what happened Sunday, I hear you ask, well let’s get into it……………

Harry Scott, hot off the back of a parkrun PB signed up for the Sevenoaks Duathlon. This consisted of 5km run, 25km cycle and if that wasn’t enough another 3.5km run for good measure. All this and in a time of 1hr 52.38! Fair play Mr Scott!

Emma Konstantinou and Dave Winchester travelled to Rye for the 10-mile race and crossed the line in close proximity with times of 1hr 32.39 and 1hr 31.20 respectively. I have seen the elevation chart on that race so that is great running!!!

Jamie Bartlett was also in Rye tackling the 5mile option and completed in a brisk 45.49 picking up course and seasonal PB!

Back in Hackney again, George Cromwell and Chloe Stott took on the half marathon and both finished with PB’s with blistering times of 2hrs 04.35 and 2hrs 02.10. Fantastic efforts!

The final runner of the weekend was Lisa Gribbin who was the sweeper at the Chislehurst Half Marathon crossing the line in 3hrs 00.10.

With summer fast approaching there is plenty of runs / races coming up so check out the Spond page to keep up to date!

By Jayne Hatton

Race season is upon us and we had a busy weekend of running from Ashford Striders ❤️

First up though was a Bank Holiday Monday run to kick off May in style, two striders headed over to Whitstable for the 10k event, first home was Simon Pharoah in a fabulous 37:10, with Dee Millen crossing the line in 1:10:13. The conditions were not ideal for this seafront run but both of you ran fantastically well.

Next we head to Saturday and Mandy Watson taking on the Rosè challenge – Mandy managed 8 hot and hilly laps which equated to a marathon, marking her 28th to be exact! Mandy celebrated with a stunning medal and a glass of chilled rosè – sounds like the perfect race!

Also taking on a Saturday race was Luke Marsh! Luke decided he would like to take on some hills and opted for Bewl Water 10k – he finished in 1:06:00 – well done Luke.

Parkrun up next a total of 53 Striders attended a Parkrun on 10/05/25, 39 at Ashford, and 14 on tour.

At Ashford Adam Booth was first strider across the line with a time of 20:48, followed by Mark Niles with a time of 22:31, and Harry Scott third strider, with a time of 22:36, they were followed by first Strider lady Linda-jean Delport in 24:00. Stephen Rumsey flew over the line in 25:14, Kevan Strand back from injury and proving what a good rest can do finishes in 25:22, Claire Green finished in 25:34, Darren Laker crossed the line in 25:44, George Phillips, in a hurry to get back to Isobel and baby Grace in the cafe, managed a 25:56, Daniel Schwartz getting ready for the A&D 10k finished in 26:21, Michael Ruck hot on Daniel’s heels finished in 26:44, Chloe Stott edging closer to her PB stormed it in 26:48, Jayne Hatton in 28:35, Maria Chapman in 29:05, Carole Thomas finished her early risers run with a fab sub 30 parkrun time of 29:10, David Gadsby also prepped for A&D 10k with a cheeky parkrun, crossed the line in 29:34, Vicky Stevenson final member of the sub 30’s in 29:38, Catherine Wall gave an impressive sprint finish for 30:06, Rebecca James overtook at least 4 on the finish straight to her 30:21 finish, Daniel Stott came over the line in 30:34, Jason Sanders in his fresh marathon merch sailed over in 30:59, Ross Mcinnes took it all in his stride in 31:05, Kat Silvester close behind in 31:25, Sharon Mcinnes was taking it easy before her Sunday Runday to finish in 33:39, Robert Harris finished in 33:52, Sarah Martins post early risers finished in 34:43, Rachel Oliver looking strong in 35:14, Aimee Donohue & Josh Stephens, who I am informed stopped at the top of the hill for a cuddle with baby Grace came in at 35:57 & 35:58 respectively, Penny Grigg 36:03, Dave Warner in his first run post Brighton 10k finished in 36:27, Jennifer Watts in 37:52, Clare Nunn in 39:06, Helen Rumsey ever improving in 39:18, Rita Cooke happy to be back at parkrun smashing her goals in 40:43, Danielle Mackenzie in 41:05, Julie Foster in 42:53 and last but not least Rachel Tomsett in tail walker role finished in 1:03:19 – thank you to Rachel for volunteering and every single Strider who took the time out of their days to volunteer this weekend!

Parkrun tourism

A group of Striders decided they would go and complete the 15th hardest Parkrun in the UK. Justin Burden completed the Bevendean Down parkrun in 31:54, closely followed by Nicola Crawley in 35:31, Justine Wearn was close behind in 36:29, enjoying the views was Laura Clark finishing in 45:18.

Simon Pharoah thought he’d give everyone at Ashford a chance and headed to Dover to complete the Dover Waterfront parkrun in 21:02 with his speedy son!

Richard Randle and Delia Millen completed the Folkestone parkrun in 27:09 and 33:00.

Martin Whittingham completed the Foots Cray Meadows parkrun in 47:40 – starting off a new parkrun alphabet challenge! Well done Martin.

Jamie Penfold completed the Hastings parkrun in 22:20.

Lionel and Donna Hammond completed the Norwich parkrun in 32:31 exactly together! ❤️

Lee Standen completed the Tonbridge parkrun in 29:43, Lee Gribbin finished in 31:28 chased down by his mum Lisa Gribbin in 31:30.

Sunday saw the A&D 10k race, through the beautiful village of Westwell and back again, it was a challenging course on a rather warm day but everyone did themselves proud today! First over the line for Striders was Simon Pharoah in 38:14, next up was a very smiley Kevin North in 46:46, he was closely followed by Harry Scott who was embracing the heat finishing in 47:06. Jamie Penfold was next knocking 2 minutes off of his previous course time in 51:31, hot on his heels was Dave Winchester in 53:27. Scott Hawkins was making it look easy but insisting it wasn’t in 57:54, he was being chased down by Dan Schwartz to finish in 58:30. David Gadsby was next in 59:55. Amanda James took the crown of first Strider lady in 1:00:46, well done Amanda! Sharon McInnes gave it a sprint finish to get over the line in 1:11:51 and Dee Millen was in disbelief how she was freezing cold at Mondays race and roasting hot today but still getting it done in 1:14:53. Well done everyone ❤️

Heading over to Bristol for the AJ Bell Bristol Half Marathon was Frank Remigio completing the course in an amazing 1:30:19!

Opting for something slightly different a couple of Striders headed over to East Grinstead for a 30.4km sprint triathlon. Richard Randle came in first in 1:41:59 followed by Andrew Cornwell in 1:51:12 – well done guys fabulous work!

What a busy but amazing week, well done Super Striders! If you haven’t already done so check out Julie’s post about the summer of running we have coming up, some exciting events that everyone can get involved in.

Also please start shouting about the Charing 10k it’s getting close and it’s such a fantastic event that we want as many people involved as possible ❤️

Have a great week everyone x

By Sharon Gardner

Race Report W/E 04/05/2025

Good evening everyone, I hope that you’re all enjoying a lovely bank holiday weekend!

Welcome to a new year of being a Striders Member and congratulations to you all for being part of the greatest running club in red 😁 and, as we saw at Victoria Park on Saturday, what a club we are – the photos speak for themselves! We even managed to get a group photo of most of our Spring Marathoners!

Saturday saw us hosting and supporting Parkrun as we do a few times each year. Obviously, it is our reputation for outstanding bakes that has meant it has always been a well attended ‘takeover’, and we were so close to beating the Parkrun record of 450 but fell short by just two!

This week’s Parkrun was a special one for a number of reasons! Firstly, our Introduction to Running group graduation! After a 10 week course, beautifully put together and managed by Julie Foster, with help from one of last year’s graduates, the lovely Cara Linin, our new members graduated by completing the 5k in Victoria Park, receiving graduation certificates and celebrating with well earned cake and Kudos! Well done everyone!

We also had a special guest in attendance, Andy Baines-Vosperber, who was there along with his 24.7kg sand bag that he carries on his shoulders to represent a bag of worries. Andy is a longstanding Samaritans volunteer and the 24.7kg weight is to represent the Samaritans being available 24/7. His ‘Share the Weight’ campaign is, in his own words, ‘a man on a mission to ask a million people to share the weight on his shoulders’, while also normalising asking for help and sharing our worries. Andy wants to spread awareness that we all carry our own invisible burdens, and that it really does help to share them, to reach out for help and talk to someone. Andy has been to many a parkrun and amazingly completed the London Marathon last week, all while carrying the weight on his shoulders, thankfully there are people that are willing to share the weight along the way!

Being the hosts for Ashford Parkrun, we as a club covered all bases; marshalls, pacers, timekeepers, cake monitors and photographers and of course, runners in the field!

Jack Farrant, training hard for a sub 20 minute parkrun, just missed out on his target but was first strider across the line, and 10th overall, with a very respectable personal best time of 20:03. Next was Frank Remigio pacing 20 minutes and coming in with a time of 20:04, and then Adam Booth was third Strider, pacing 22 minutes and coming in with a time of 21:46

They were followed by

Josh Stephens, with a 23:33 PB, Keith Haynes, pacing 24 minutes, came in on 23:54, Jason Wearn 23:56, Elle Weekes 24:46, Konrad Gryniewicz, pacing 26 minutes, came in on 25:29. Mark Niles was next with 25:31, Michael Ruck 25:49, Scott Hawkins, was pacing 28 minutes and came in at 27:58, Daniel Schwartz 28:14, Chloe Darling 28:30, Andy Found 28:49, Amanda James 29:00. Darren Laker, pacing 30 minutes, came in at 29:23, then Jamie Bartlett 29:48. Kat Silvester gained a lovely new personal best with 30:40 and was followed by Catherine Wall with 31:00. Next was Andrew Cornwell 31:37, Michelle Brice 31:52, and then star pacer, Victoria Shrubsole came in at 32:00 on the nose! Next through the funnel was Lisa Gribbin 32:31, Rachel Tomsett 33:10, and Sharon Gardner, pacing 34 minutes, came in at 33:33, Delia Millen was just behind with 33:48, and then hot on her heels was Lin West 33:51. Marion Fitzpatrick came in at 35:12, Jamie Weller 35:35, Vicky Stevenson, pacing 36 minutes, came in at 36:05, Kate Bushell finished in 36:15, Lionel Hammond, doing a lot of sharing the weight, came in at 37:19, Sharon Mcinnes was pacing 38 minutes and came in at 39:07, Helen Rumsey 39:07, and then Nige Terry 39:19. Jason Brice, the last of our pacers, pacing 40 minutes, came in at 40:16, followed by Heather Fraser 40:31, Rita Cooke 40:35, Danielle Mackenzie 40:46, and Rick Newman 41:51. Doing a fine job of tailwalking were Gayle Bailey 59:12, Justine Wearn 59:18, and Nicola Crawley 59:19.

Parkrun Tourism

Angela Craffey completed the Aberbeeg parkrun in 31:04.

Justin Burden, Lee Standen and Laura Clark were in Catford and completed the course in 26:46, 28:37, and 43:48 respectively.

David Helme completed the Dover Waterfront parkrun in 27:32.

Isabelle Froissart was at the Squerryes Winery parkrun and completed it in 31:39.

Eloise Pegg was back on home ground and completed the Whitley Bay parkrun in 26:16(PB).

Last but definitely not least was Martin Whittingham. On a mission to complete his Parkrun ‘Alphabeteer’ challenge, he rounded it off by completing the York parkrun in 42:39.

As we covered the volunteering at Parkrun as a club, under the expert guidance of Edwin, I’ll just say a generalised thank you to everyone in attendance. Volunteers are the crucial element to keep races going so that runners can run them. If you can offer your time to volunteer, it really is massively rewarding and appreciated by all! Thank you!

With a distinct lack of running races this week, I am going to give a mention to four of our members who took to two wheels and cycled for the 15th Anniversary of the Pilgrim’s Hospices Cycle Challenge. There were various distances available with Andrew Cornwell and Vicky Shrubsole taking part in the 50 mile distance, and Richard Randle and Julie Nicholson taking on the 30 mile version – very well done to you all!

Have a great week everyone! ❤️

By Steve Cartwright

A fantastic turnout this weekend saw 53 Striders participating in Park runs across the country.
34 Striders took part at the home course in Ashford, while 19 went on tour to various other parkrun locations.

Leading the Striders home at Ashford was Keith Haynes, crossing the line in an impressive time of 20:49.

He was closely followed by Adam Booth with a time of 21:01, and Mark Niles rounded out the top three Striders with 23:10.

Following them were:
Stephen Rumsey 23:46, Terry (fred) Sellen 24:25, Jamie Penfold 25:52, Daniel Stott 26:09, George Phillips 26:13, Michael Ruck 26:22, Chloe Stott 26:49, Scott Hawkins 28:20, Jamie Bartlett 28:39, Amanda James 28:45, David Gadsby 28:52, Jason Brice 29:31, Rebecca James 30:32, Mathew Norman 30:42, Ross McInnes 30:46, Daniel Schwartz 32:07, Victoria Shrubsole 32:59, Andrew Cornwell 32:59, Elle Weekes 33:40, Michelle Brice 33:42, Amanda Watson 33:49, Sharon McInnes 33:55, Jennifer Watts 34:55, Russ Berliner 35:02, Pauline Tallett 37:47, Helen Rumsey with a PB of 38:39 (Well done!), Nige Terry 39:39, Cara Linin 39:41, Rita Cooke 40:18.

Yet again, a huge thanks goes to those who volunteered this weekend, because without you, parkrun simply would not happen.

Special thanks to:
Jason Caldwell, Angie Craffey, Lisa Fulcher, Danielle Moss, Jason Sanders, and Hazel Turner.

Parkrun Tourism

Lisa Gribbin and Rachel Misson took on the two laps at Brooklands Parkrun, running on hard paths around the former runway, taxiway, a go-kart track, and through the woods. Lisa completed the course in 34:04 and Rachel in 34:06 — a brilliant effort on an interesting and varied course.

Kevan Strand completed the Gunnersbury Parkrun in 21:45.

Taking a scenic route around the lake at Leybourne Lakes, Delia Millen finished in 34:16, closely followed by Donna Hammond in 34:17. Richard Randle carried the “weight of the world on his shoulders” but still crossed the line strongly in 34:22.

Over to the coastal town of Margate where Justin Burden completed the Margate parkrun in 27:16, Lee Standen in 29:23 and Laura Clark in 57:26. At the Queen Elizabeth Parkrun Martin Whittingham finished in a time of 45:46.

Taking a trip to Norfolk, Eloise Pegg completed the Thetford parkrun in 29:12 and Harry Lockhart hot on her heels in 29:13.

Heading up to Salford for a scenic warm-up before the Manchester Marathon, a group of Striders tackled the Peel Parkrun — and it proved very aPEELing indeed!

David Martins led the team home in 33:39, closely followed by Jason Wearn in 33:40.
Not far behind were Nicola Crawley and Justine Wearn, crossing together in 53:21, with Sarah Martins just a few strides later in 53:28 and Nadine Lidbury in 53:38.

A great team effort and a perfect way to shake off the pre-marathon nerves! Bananas? No. Brilliant? Absolutely!

With Manchester coinciding with the London Marathon, April 27, 2025, became the largest day of marathon running in UK history, with a combined 90,000 runners participating across both events. This unprecedented occurrence highlighted the UK’s vibrant running culture and the growing popularity of marathon events nationwide. The Marathon is more than a race—it’s a celebration of human endurance, community spirit, and generosity.

While many eyes were on the capital, two Striders took on the challenge at the Not the London Marathon Run event.

Amanda Watson completed the half marathon in a time of 2:31:41, putting in a determined performance across a tough course. Meanwhile, Ian Watson tackled the 10-mile race, finishing strongly in 1:53:22.
Both runners were rewarded for their efforts with monster-sized medals, a fitting prize for a fantastic morning’s work.

Flying slightly under the radar but quickly spotted by fellow Striders, Heather Fraser and Debbie Samson successfully completed the Virtual London Marathon.

The duo covered the full marathon distance in 9:10:23, raising money for charity along the way.
This challenge was not just about completing the miles — it was a true test of self-motivation, self-awareness, and understanding that sometimes the greatest achievements come from giving back, even when you’re not at your best.
A truly inspirational effort from Heather and Debbie, demonstrating real spirit.

“All the world’s a stage” — and in Stratford-upon-Avon, Kay Hunt and Adam Thomas gave standout performances at the Shakespeare Marathon, each achieving a personal best.
Kay powered through the historic streets to finish in a fantastic 4:24:02, while Adam crossed the line in a brilliant 4:40:00, both runners delivering outstanding efforts worthy of a standing ovation.

A superb day of running in the Bard’s backyard — and personal bests to prove it!

The usual forecast for Manchester as a cool and cloudy day turned into a sun-soaked stage for Strider success — and the team shone brighter than ever.

First to seize the spotlight was Simon Pharoah, storming across the line with a phenomenal personal best of 3:18:14. A brilliant run that set the tone for the day! Kevin North followed with a sub 4 hour with a scorching run of 3:56

Hot on his heels, Jason Wearn delivered a strong finish in 4:01:00, with Dave Winchester following in 4:31:24 — an incredible achievement having already conquered the Brighton Marathon just weeks earlier.

Flying the flag for the Strider ladies, Lisa Gribbin battled the heat to finish in an excellent 4:48:42, showing true grit and determination.

Adding to the celebrations, Darren Laker smashed his personal best with a time of 4:56:11, while Nadine Golding 5:02:58, Nicola Crawley 5:11:41, David Martins 5:22:34, Tyree Spicer 5:35:55, Sarah Martins 5:41:00 , Justine Wearn 5:44:50 all crossed the line, completing an unforgettable day for the Strider family.

It was a marathon of sunshine, spirit, and superb running — with every finisher a star in their own right.

Under the blazing London sun, Striders took on one of the world’s most iconic marathons — and showed nothing short of extraordinary courage and determination.

A group of enthusiastic Striders were ready and waiting at Water Station 3, cheering on every runner, providing much-needed refreshment, and delivering an incredible boost of energy and encouragement along the way.

First across the famous finish line was Adrian Green, delivering a brilliant run to clock 3:39:22.
Not far behind, Konrad Gryniewicz battled through the heat to finish in 4:11:05.

Leading the Strider women was Eleanor Weekes, running a superb race to cross the line in 4:13:31, closely followed by Jennifer Davis in 4:33:19.

Andy Found battled through the tough conditions to complete his marathon journey in 4:58:51, but hot on his heels was Jayne Hatton, digging deep and surging to the line to secure a memorable personal best of 5:00:44.

A special celebration was in order for George Cromwell, who achieved a fantastic personal best with a time of 5:18:22.

Hazel Winchester finished next in 5:22:25, followed by Maria Chapman in 5:34:25.

Sharon Gardner showed real grit, finishing in 5:36:50 despite her phone and watch failing mid-race — a true testament to mental strength.

Jamie Weller added another highlight to the day, smashing a personal best with 6:20:44, and Jason Sanders completed the epic journey in 6:31:33.

Every Strider who crossed that finish line not only conquered the distance but overcame the intense conditions, the mental battles, and the pressure of the moment.

It was a day of grit, glory, and Strider pride in the heart of London.

For those completing a marathon, it was more than a race; it was a testament to the human spirit’s capacity to endure, inspire, and unite. You showed determination, hope, and triumph.

As every Strider crossed the finish line, you not only achieved personal milestones but also contributed to a collective narrative of perseverance and inspiration.

Remember that pain fades, but pride lasts forever.

Every mile was a victory. Every step, a story. You wrote something unforgettable out there. Go Striders Go!

If there are any mistakes or any additions please let me know

By Jayne Hatton

After what has been a beautiful weekend weather wise we’ve seen yet another great round of results from Striders here and over the pond in Paris!

To start with Parkrun a total of 45 Striders attended a Parkrun on 12/04/25, 37 at Ashford and 8 on tour.

Ashford Parkrun

Simon Pharoah was first strider across the line with a time of 18:08, followed by Adam Booth with a time of 21:38, and Dan Green third strider, with a time of 22:21

They were followed by

Terry (fred) Sellen 23:58, First lady Strider was Linda-jean Delport 25:11 followed by Mark Niles 25:44, next up was Chloe Stott in 26:05, Daniel Schwartz 26:17, Carole Thomas 26:28, Josh Stephens 26:45, then Scott Hawkins in 27:07, and hot on his heels was Elle Weekes in 27:08, Michael Ruck 27:19, David Helme 28:54, David Gadsby 28:57, Jason Brice 29:21, Rachel Phillips 29:27, Joe Fowler 29:33, Eloise Pegg 29:43, Harry Lockhart 29:44, Vicky Stevenson 29:45, Catherine Wall 30:50, Tamsin Ritchie 30:58, Peter Broom 31:31, Jayne Hatton 31:40, Don Dewar 31:46, Amanda Watson 31:59, Rebecca James 32:00, James Gray 33:10, Penny Grigg 35:50, Lin West 37:23, Maria Chapman 37:34, Clare Nunn 39:57, Helen Rumsey 40:04, Martin Whittingham 41:42, completing tail walking duties was Paul Diddams on his 100th Parkrun in 53:24 and Pauline Tallett 53:25.

Parkrun Tourism

Harry Scott completed the Dover Waterfront parkrun in 21:42. The week after a marathon that is some achievement! 

Lisa Gribbin completed the Levengrove parkrun in 28:14.

Lionel Hammond went solo against his and Donna’s pact and completed the Leybourne Lakes parkrun in 26:37, he was joined by Nicola Crawley and Justine Wearn who tailwalked in 56:30 and 56:31.

Jamie Penfold completed the Squerryes Winery parkrun in 28:00.

Justin Burden completed the Sunny Hill parkrun in 30:09 with Laura Clark coming across the line in 44:26.

Well done park runners and thank you once again to the volunteers – events can’t go ahead without support of the community.

Now Sunday and over the channel to Paris we had a trio of Striders completing the Paris Marathon! As soon as Andrew and Richard figured out the directions to the start line they were ready and raring to go Union Jack shorts and all! Richard Randle stormed across the line in and awesome 4:41:52 sprinting straight to his train home! Following after Richard were Vicky Shrubsole and Andrew Cornwell who crossed the line together in 5:51:34, gaining an awesome PB for both! Bravo l’équipe

Back in Kent and we head over to Canterbury with Micheal Davies at the Canterbury Riverside 10km. Micheal crossed the line in 45:52. Gaining a course PB and an age category award, well done Micheal.

Finally we had the Kent Spring Marathon and Half Marathon. This undulating course is a test for even your seasoned runners so the results I’ve seen today are truly spectacular! I feel privileged to have seen you all run today and I must say you were all looking very strong as you passed us by! First Strider over the line for the Half Marathon was Simon Pharoah in 1:24:01 earning himself a course PB! Next up with a half marathon PB was Steve Rumsey with a brilliant time of 1:53:00, chasing Steve down were Dave Winchester and Chloe Winham, Dave fresh from the Brighton Marathon in a time of 1:54:20 and Chloe with a fantastic PB and first lady strider in 1:54:23! Next up and running together were Harry Lockhart and Eloise Pegg with Harry stepping over that line a fraction quicker with 2:12:26 to Eloise’s 2:12:27! Final tandem pair were Megan Clare and Mat Norman completing their very first half marathon, and what a one to choose, in an awesome Personal Best time of 2:22:20! Well done to everyone on their half marathons today.

Final mention goes to Henrike Grund, not only was she the lone Strider to complete the Kent Spring Marathon with a Personal Best but she managed to knock a huge 15 minutes off of her course PB! Well done Henrike!

Fantastic performances everyone. I’m proud to be an Ashford Strider this weekend. ❤️

Keep putting one foot in front of the other and getting it done.

By Jamie Penfold

Good morning you lovely people.  How the devil are you?  Well it’s the morning after the day before and a few of us are feeling a bit sore and sunburnt.  But what a day it was.  More of that to come.

As ever we’ll start with parkrun.

A total of 54 Striders attended a Parkrun on Saturday, 43 at Ashford, and 11 on tour.

We’ll start at home in Ashford.

Neil Wood was first strider across the line with a time of 21:39, followed by Dan Green with a time of 22:30, and Terry (fred) Sellen third strider, with a time of 24:10.

They were followed by George Phillips 25:12, Claire Green 26:30, Scott Hawkins 26:52, Mark Niles 27:36, Harry Scott 27:54, Jamie Bartlett 29:38 and David Gadsby 29:49.  Then came Catherine Wall 30:52, Tamsin Ritchie 31:10, Rebecca James 31:15, Peter Broom 31:53, Victoria Shrubsole 32:01, Andrew Cornwell 32:02, Amanda Watson 33:20, David Martins 33:21, Richard Randle 33:21, Robert Harris 33:24, Delia Millen 34:40, Katie Fox 34:54, Jason Brice 35:04, David Holland 36:21 and Jennifer Watts 36:34. 

We then had Rachel York 37:31, Kevin York 37:32, Aimee Donohue 38:00, Clare Nunn 39:32, Stephen Cartwright 53:20, Nadine Lidbury 53:21, Sharon Gardner 53:22, Rita Cooke 53:24, Justine Wearn completing her 250th parkrun with 53:27, Nicola Crawley 53:28, Sarah Martins 53:29, Ross Mcinnes 54:05, Sharon Mcinnes 54:06, Pauline Tallett 54:07, Daniel Schwartz 56:07 and Julie Nicholson 59:43.

So let’s head out on the road with Parkrun Tourism.

Lisa Gribbin headed to the woods and completed the Bedgebury Pinetum parkrun in 32:30.  Down on the coast Simon Pharoah completed the Dover Waterfront parkrun in 22:07 followed by Rick Newman 39:45.

A bit further down the coast in Hastings was Lionel Hammond completing the Hastings parkrun in 26:02 with Donna Hammond completing it in 32:14.

Isabelle Froissart completed the Pegwell Bay parkrun in 30:13 with Rachel Tomsett completed it  in 32:42.

On the old tank training grounds in Hampshire Jamie Penfold completed the Hogmoor Inclosure parkrun in 29:53. Up in London Justin Burden completed the Wimbledon Common parkrun in 27:57 followed by Laura Clark in 43:38.

Winning the prize for  furthest distance travelled was Maria Chapman completing the Zuiderpark parkrun, Den Haag in 40:14.

So to the weekends races.  The sun came out, bibs pinned to tops and the starters gun went off.

Starting overseas on Saturday we had Elle Weekes who completed the Magaluf Half Marathon in 1:55:54.  Well done Elle.

And now to Sunday beginning with the London Landmarks Half Marathon.

We had 5 Striders taking part on the streets of the capital.  First over the line was Kat Silvester with a PB time of 02:26:54. Then came Ross and Sharon McInnes who also bagged PBs and crossed the line together with a time of  02:28:53 followed by Dee Millen with 02:31:26 (PB).  Finally we had Heather Fraser with a superb effort of 03:12:28.  Well done you guys.

So now down to the South Coast and sunny Brighton for the 10K.

First over the line were George Cromwell and Lucie Shrubsole (PB) with a time of 59:10.  They were followed by Sharon Gardner who crossed the line with 01:03:30 and then Andrew Cornwell and Vicky Shrubsole who crossed together with 01:04:11.  Well done.

And finally the Brighton Marathon.  As one of those who took part in this, it’s safe to say the conditions were brutal especially in the streets of Hove.  The heat made it a tough race but the Striders dug in.

We had 20 runners in the event.  First Strider across the line with a time of 03:28:26 and a PB was Frank Remigio.  Well done Frank!  He was followed by Keith Haynes with a time of 03:33:09.

We had three more runners coming in in under 4 hours all with PBs; Steve Greatorex 03:43:07, Harry Scott 03:48:47 and Dave Winchester with 03:59:28.

First lady home was Emma Konstantinou with a PB of 04:14:16.  She was closely followed by Jack Farrant with a time of 04:26:50 which was also a PB.  Then came Jamie Penfold with a time of 04:32:29.  Harry Lockhart was next with a PB time of 04:44:31.

We then had Jason Brice with 05:01:24, Rob Harris with 05:02:30, Rose Hardy-Barrett with 05:13:57, Thomas Rogers with 05:13:57 (PB), Aimee Donohue with 05:20:01, Josh Stephens with 05:20:01, Stephen Cartwright with 05:28:02 (PB), Michelle Brice with 05:32:00, Rachel Tomsett with 05:37:06, David Helme in 05:38:40 and Dermot Carr for one last time as a Strider with 05:39:02.

Finally we had the terrific trio of Ombéline Marone-Hitz with 06:11:29, Ash Robinson with a PB of 06:31:08 and Lucey Townsend with a PB of 06:34:15. 

Fantastic efforts all round.  Anybody fancy a run today?

By Rebecca James

Another great week of running was had, with some lovely sunshine to brighten up the week!

A total of 44 Striders attended a Parkrun on 29/03/25 , 35 at Ashford, and 9 on tour.

ASHFORD PARKRUN

First across the line, with a shiny new PB on his 50th parkrun was Jack Farrant in 20:24. As if smashing marathon training wasn’t enough, we’ll just throw in a 5k PB too – congratulations Jack! Following behind was Dan Green in a time of 22:14, and Josh Stephens with a time of 24:20. Coming next was Thomas Rogers in 24:49, Terry (fred) Sellen with 25:32 and Linda-jean Delport in 26:10.

Mark Niles completed the course in 29:04 and David Gadsby in 29:47. Over to the 30’s club, we have Tamsin Ritchie in 30:25, Catherine Wall in 30:44 and Ross Mcinnes in 30:48 (another ‘taking it easy’ parkrun Ross?😉) Robert Harris completed parkrun in 31:39 and Amanda Watson in 32:26. Victoria Shrubsole just pipped Andrew Cornwell to the line, both finishing in 33:00 and 33:01 – ladies first I’m sure! Chloe Darling finished in 33:22.

Coming next was Jason Brice, including parkrun in his last long slow run before Brighton next week, finishing in 35:07. Victoria Corby was close behind in 35:11. Also marathon training and making sure parkrun isn’t forgotten, was Michelle Brice in 35:21 and Rachel Tomsett in 35:23 – completing parkrun amongst their long runs!

Maria Chapman in 35:53, Peter Broom in 36:45, Sharni Weller in 37:19 and Lin West in 39:13. Clare Nunn was shortly behind in 39:14, followed by Lee Standen 39:29, Jennifer Watts 39:41 and Julie Foster 40:45. Helen Rumsey is excelling in her I2R and completed the parkrun course in 40:50. Rick Newman, being guided by his daughter finished in 42:34. Last but certainly not least, we have this week’s tail-walker, Julie Nicholson finishing in 1:00:03.

As always, a huge thank you to everyone who took the time to volunteer – Adam Booth, Stephen Cartwright, Don Dewar, Sara Dewar, Julie Foster, Peter Heckel, Simon Jackson, Harry Lockhart, Ombèline Marone-Hitz, Julie Nicholson, Eloise Pegg and Stephen RUMSEY.

PARKRUN TOURISM

Justine and Jason Wearn, accompanied by Nicola Crawley headed down to Dover Waterfront Parkrun. Jason finished first in a time of 22:52, followed by the Justine and Nicola who gave their legs a rest after long runs on Friday and walked the course finishing in 49:41 and 49:42.

Lionel and Donna has an early wake up call to head down to completed Great Yarmouth North Beach Parkrun. Lionel finished in 33:23, with Donna behind in 49:26.

Justin Burden and Laura Clark completed the Gunnersbury Parkrun. Justin finished in 28:07, with Laura behind in 42:09.

Danielle Moss enjoyed a walk around the Maidstone River Parkrun and completed the course in 53:41. Good to see you back Dani!

Dermot Carr completed the Nonsuch parkrun in 31:07 – sadly one of his last runs as a Strider due to moving away! We hope to still see you around at some races soon and will always remember you and your awesome hats!🦑

HOWLETTS RHINO 5k🦏

Runners at Howletts Rhino 5k this morning ran round Howletts Wild Animal Park, and supported The Aspinall Foundation in their vital conservation work. This year’s race edition will be celebrating and supporting the rewilding of three black Rhinos in Tanzania by TAF.

5 fabulous Strider’s took part, taking in all the wonderful wild sights! First over the line in a time of 28:47 was Lionel Hammond. Following behind was Donna Hammond finishing in 35:30. Eloise Pegg and Harry Lockhart were next over the line, with times of 36:28 and 36:29. Last but not least, Lucy Townsend finished in 36:57. Well done everyone!

Aside from park runs and races, there has been a huge amount of you completing your LSR’s! Some of you have reached your longest distances yet and you are doing amazing! Those doing Brighton have their lap of honour very fast approaching. I wish you all the very best, stay positive, remember you’ve trained hard for this, and enjoy! ‘A marathon is hundreds of miles, the finish is just 26.2!’ YOU’VE GOT THIS!!🙌❤️

As you may have already seen, membership renewals are due by 1st April 2025. Please ensure you renew to continue running with us all! Reminder emails are being sent to you all today, please check your spam to ensure it is not missed.

Well done to you all for another week of running! See you all next week!✌️