Ashford Striders

Ashford parkrun

Plenty of Striders decided to take a break from Christmas preparations and take advantage of the dry and mild weather to go for a run in Victoria Park. 

Adam Booth was first Strider across the line with a new personal best time of 18:34 – well done Adam! Keith Haynes was next with a time of 19:31, and Dan Green was third Strider, with a time of 20:55.

They were followed by Jack Farrant with a PB of 21:57, then Justin Burden 23:59, Claire Green 24:37, Hazel Turner 25:22, Terry Sellen 25:34, Graham Troman 25:43, Katie Fox 28:08, David Gadsby 28:39, Jason Brice 28:45, Rachel Phillips 28:50, Jo Mason 29:05, Amanda Cooper 29:06, Aimee Donohue 29:07, Pauline Tallett 29:31, Amanda James 29:41, Rachel Tomsett 30:15, Don Dewar 30:26, Josh Stephens 30:32, Darren Laker 30:43, Scott Hawkins 30:45, Charlotte Housden 31:02, Catherine Wall 32:12, Rachel Forrester 32:29, Siobhan Hagan 32:31, Michelle Brice 32:50, Lisa Fulcher 32:55, Peter Broom 33:09, Rita Cooke 33:16, Michelle Bryant 33:22, Sharon Gardner 33:24, Victoria Shrubsole 33:34, Delia Millen 33:35, Sharni Copham 33:38, Brian Forrester 34:34, Leigh Freeman 36:15, Clare Maxlow 37:13, Rachel Oliver 37:40, Lee Standen 37:41, Julie Foster 38:41, Hazel Forrester 39:54 and Danielle Moss 56:11

Volunteering were: Justin Burden, Jason Caldwell, Don Dewar, Peter Heckel, Simon Jackson, Richard Randle and Terry Sellen

Parkrun Tourism

Plenty of Striders travelled a fair distance this weekend, some of whom were using the excuse of visiting family to take in some parkrun tourism.

Two Striders headed across the Irish Sea.  Dermot Carr visited the Republic of Ireland to complete a parkrun in the lovely St Anne’s Park in Dublin in 28:28. Cherith Wright went to Northern Ireland to Ecos parkrun in Ballymena and finished in 22:49

Several Striders went to Northern  England.  Nadine Golding completed her third run at picturesque Fountains Abbey parkrun in North Yorkshire, and gained a PB for the course of 31:54. Jamie Penfold went to Jesmond Dene parkrun in Newcastle upon Tyne, a hilly course which even includes steps! He finished in 25:45.  Paul Baker and Tamsin Ritchie travelled to Stockton-on-Tees to run Wynyard Woodland parkrun, an out-and-back run along the route of a former railway line. They finished in 27:13 and 28:08 respectively.

Closer to home, Nicola Crawley and Justine Wearn opted for a seaside run this weekend, running at Eastbourne parkrun in 29:00 and 31:16 respectively.  John Latter was also by the sea at Folkestone parkrun, finishing in 31:41, and Isobel Phillips completed the Walmer and Deal Seafront parkrun in 31:18, along with George Phillips in 31:20.  Mark Niles went for a muddy run around Squerryes Winery parkrun near Westerham in 51:21.

No races this weekend, so it just remains for me to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

A week before Christmas and the super Striders were out in force this weekend fully festively clothed.

The conditions for parkrun on Saturday were perfect with no rain and not too chilly.  A good number of Striders were there at Ashford with Ashley Robinson using the conditions to gain a PB of 33.16

Parkrun Tourism

Winning the award for the furthest travelled Strider was Adam Booth who took part in the Dunedin parkrun in New Zealand a full 13 hours before us finishing in 21.14.

Justin Burden was in North London to take part in the Finsbury parkrun and completed the course in 24.13

Staying in Kent, Tamsin Ritchie completed the Canterbury parkrun in 30 minutes exactly and Nicky Crawley travelled to Dover Waterfront finishing in 27.10. Richard Randle, Amanda Cooper and Dee Millen completed the Sittingbourne parkrun in 27.17, 28.33 and 34.11 respectively.

On Sunday there was the Kent Christmas Cracker 5 mile in Deal. Some lovely Christmas costumes were on display and some fabulous personal bests were achieved. Keith Haynes was first Strider to finish and also came first in his age group in 31.55 (PB), he was followed by Jack Farrant in 37.16 (PB).  George Cromwell achieved a personal best of 45.15. Mandy Cooper and Ian Watson were next through in 46.12 and 47.38 respectively. Rebecca James was next to finish in 52.36 followed by Vicky Shrubsole with 55.25, Lucie Shrubsole in 55.38, Sharni Copham in 58.20 and Dee Millen in 59.01 (PB). Richard Randle and Julie Foster completed the Strider representation in 1.00.54 a personal best.

With only 15 sleeps until the big day, festive races have been hotting up this week, with many a Strider dressing up in festive gear to complete races of varying distances.

Taking on a midweek run this week was Martin Whittingham, who took on Chase the Moon 5k at QE Olympic Park, completing it in 34:44.

On a very wet Saturday morning, Ashford Striders took charge of Ashford parkrun helping support our fabulous Introduction to Running graduates and covering all the volunteer positions. 32 striders completed the wet and soggy puddle ridden course. 50 parkrun milestones were completed by Andy Found and Dee Millen, Rick Newman completed his 10th parkrun being guided around by Leigh Freeman.  Our Introduction to Running graduates who completed their first ever parkrun were Josephine Levett 30:44, Luke Saunders 31:17, Sam Saunders 32:52, Cara Linin 35:48, Gary Linin 36:08, Amy Campbell 47:45 and continuing their parkrun journeys were Katie Gates 35:37 and Laura Clark 44:13. Fantastic running.

You can see the full parkrun results here https://www.parkrun.org.uk/ashford/results/latestresults/

STRIDERS ON TOUR – PARKRUN TOURISM

East End parkrun, New Zealand

Travelling the furthest this week was Adam Booth who took part at East End – New Plymouth parkrun in New Zealand, finishing in an impressive 19:25, let’s see if he can improve on that next week Down Under at Dunedin!

Rheinpark parkrun, Germany

Mandy Cooper combined a festive trip to Koln with an essential bit of parkrun tourism and completed Rheinpark parkrun in 28:51

Oxford parkrun

Rachel Tomsett travelled to Oxford parkrun and finished in 39:53

Folkestone parkrun

Finally, closer to home, Hazel Turner and Siobhan Hagen ran Folkestone parkrun in 24:40 and 28:32 respectively.

RACES

Maidstone Harriers Turkey Run

Travelling the short distance to Maidstone, we had a small selection of Striders taking on the 7.5 mile Turkey run, many dressed for the occasion. Richard Randle 1:09:44, Sharon Gardener 1:24:29, Nicola Crawley 1:26:06, Nadine Golding 1:26:06, David Holland 1:30:49, Andrew Cornwell 1:31:38. Pulling a PB out the bag were Charlotte Housden 1:21:22, Alison North 1:30:49 and Dee Millen 1:36:30. Well done to everyone, your outfits looked amazing.

Chatham Maritime Christmas Dash 5k

Taking on their first ever race were our Introduction to Running graduates Andrea Marsh and Bex Schweizer completing the 5k course in 36:06 supporting each other all the way and achieving Andrea a PB. Great running ladies.

Pilgrims Hospice Santa Run

In an event that sees everyone dress up as Santa, we had a selection of striders running 3 different distances along Herne Bay Seafront. Amanda James completed the 10k in 1:05:41. Andy Found, Vicky Stevenson and Martin Whittingham completed the 5k in 34:55, 35:22 and 39:00 respectively.

In her first ever event, Lynette Whittingham completed the 3k run, supported by fellow Striders in 32:36, gaining herself a PB. Well done all.

It’s been a great week to be a Strider. Well done to everyone who helped in our final parkrun takeover of 2023. Keep on running and don’t forget…..those who run together, have fun together! 🏃🏼‍♀️😂

Unfortunately the bad weather and ice put paid to a lot of running this weekend but on the bright side it makes my job tonight a lot easier. Every Cloud…..
Super Strider title this weekend goes to Elle Weeks. Elle smashed her 10K PB this weekend with a superb time of 55:27 at the Victoria Park 10K in London. It’s the first time Elle has got under the hour for a 10K so massive congratulations to her. She was joined at the race by Siobhan Hagan who ran 55:37 and Michelle Bryant who finished in 59:26. Well done ladies !!

Ashford Parkrun fell victim to the weather but a few hardy Striders still managed to get their weekly 5K fix elsewhere. Banstead Woods welcomed Justin Burden, Nicola Crawley and Justine Wearn. Justin was first over the line in 24:26 with Nicola finishing in 32:57 and Justine in 33:52.

Folkestone saw four Striders at the start line. George Phillips took pole position with 26:04 followed by Richard Randle with 26:19. Amanda Cooper went round in 28:36 and Dee Millen completed in 33:02.

Mark Niles tackled the Swanley Parkrun and managed a very respectable 22:09 whilst Lucie Shrubsole and George Cromwell went to Quakers Walk and finished in 29:07 and 29:08 respectively, Obviously a case of ‘Ladies First’ through the funnel, very gallant George !!

Well that’s all folks. I hope you all have a great week 😍

There has certainly been a chill in the air this weekend, with the sound of windscreens being scraped from all around prior to the main event – Parkrun! It was actually a lovely weekend for running, once the muscles and extremities had acclimatised to the frosty air. Ashford Parkrun saw a good Strider turnout and a couple of PB’s to boot!

Adam Booth was first for Striders in a time of 18:46 with Keith Haynes taking it easy today and coming in at 19:30! Jack Farrant continues his fine form with another PB – 22:08! (sub 22 next week Jack?) Next in and first lady Strider was Cherith Wright, passing through the funnel at 22:55. Daniel Schwartz came in next with another PB of 23:45 – well done Daniel! Terry Sellen came in at 24:33; Hazel Turner, 25:21; Scott Hawkins, 26:27; Stephen Cleaver, 26:31; Dave Helme, 26:44; Darren Laker, 26:45; Amanda James, 28:53 and George Cromwell with 28:57. David Gadsby finished the 5k in 29:05, with Don Dewar coming in at 29:18. Tamsin Ritchie and Siobhan Hagan finished a second apart at 29:37 and 29:38 respectively. Vicky Stevenson completed the course in 30:21, Cathie wall at 31:15; Rita Cooke, 31:37; Rachel Forrester at 32:00 exactly, Rachel Oliver, 32:37 and a second behind was Ian McCutcheon with 32:38. Vicky and Lucie Shrubsole finished a second apart at 32:54 and 32:55 respectively with Sharni just behind at 33:05. Dee Millen was next to finish in 33:30, Leigh Freeman, 34:07; Brian Forrester, 34:17; Jennifer Watts, 35:02 and rounding off for Striders at Victoria Park was the lovely Julie Foster coming in at 38:20.

Volunteers at Ashford included Jason Caldwell, Amanda Cooper, Don Dewar, Peter Heckel, Richard Randle, Terry Sellen, and Kevan Strand – Thank you so much, your efforts are appreciated by all!

Parkrun Tourists!

We’ll start with the furthest travelled and this week’s winner is Jamie Penfold who travelled to the homeland and braved the bitey North Sea wind at Whitley Bay, completing their Park Run in 23:55!

Rachel Tomsett ran at Dartford Heath and completed their run in 30:16.

Lisa Fulcher went to beautiful Bedgebury for their hilly 5k and completed it in 38:15.

Mark Niles was at Kingdom Parkrun and finished in 23:14

Last but by no means least, Justin Burden was in Woolwich for the Thames Path Parkrun and completed it in 23:13!

There were only two races that we had members competing in this weekend, first of those was the South Downs Trail Run, a Half Marathon starting at Goodwood Racecourse and going through the South Downs National Park. Both George and Isobel Phillips completed the race and finished together in 2:35:06.

Finally, we had a rowdy rabble out in Benidorm, wreaking havoc (probably), sampling the wines and devouring the carbs, oh and doing a bit of running (in matching kit!).

There was a 10k option and Sarah Martins completed this race, finishing in 1:10:33.

And then there was the Half Marathon! First to finish was Ned Golding in 2:22:20, with Nic Crawley seconds behind in at 2:22:28. Justine Wearn came in at 2:25:26 and Jason Wearn finished in 2:28:43 – well done to you all, it looked like you’ve all had a great weekend!

That’s it for the report this week, have a great week everyone 😊

Run in the Dark

We start the report this week on a Friday night as Simon Pharoah took part in the Run in the Dark 10K which started at Battersea Park. Simon completed the race in a time of 44.40 which was a personal best for him.

Ashford parkrun

On another soggy Saturday 180 runners, joggers and walkers met at Victoria Park to start their weekends the right way.

Adam Booth and Keith Haynes went head to head to be the first Strider to finish with Adam piping Keith to the post in 19.33 with Keith seconds behind in 19.35. Dan Green was just behind them in 22.06 with Cherith Wright being the first lady back celebrating a personal best of 22.23. Mr parkrun Terry Sellen was next in 24.22 with Brian Marsh hot on his heels in 24.33. Dermot Carr, (25.23) Claire Green (25.53), Jason Brice (28.41), Rachel Tomsett (29.10) and Simon Pharoah (29.34) all came through in under 30 minutes, Amanda James, David Gadsby and Catherine Wall were next in 30.03, 30.37 and 30.39 respectively. Michelle Brice (32.54), Tamsin Ritchie (33.03) Dee Millen (34.10), Leigh Freeman (36.31), Lisa Fulcher (37.02) and Laura Clark (38.12) complete the Strider line up.

Not forgetting the marshals that make it possible each week, so a big thank you to Don Dewar, Peter Heckel, Simon Jackson, Mark Niles, Terry Sellen and Kevan Strand.

Parkrun Tourism

Minehead parkrun

Taking a break from his weekend of discoing, Dave Helme was in Minehead and completed the parkrun in 28.02.

Norwich parkrun

Celebrating another personal best, Julie Foster completed the Norwich parkrun in 37.29.

Finsbury parkrun

A few Striders travelled to North London to take part in the Finsbury parkrun. Jamie Penfold finishing first in 24.44, followed by Hazel Turner in 27.04, Siobhan Hagan in 36.39 and Michelle Bryant in 36.45.

Eastbourne parkrun

Daniel and Sonette Schwartz were in Eastbourne and finished in 25.13 and 29.23 respectively.

Dover Waterfront

An away parkrun proving popular with Striders and this week Lee Standen travelled to Dover to complete the parkrun in 32.05.

Footscray Meadows parkrun

Justin Burden was the sole Strider at the Footscray Meadows parkrun and he finished in 24.47.

Hastings parkrun

Rachel Misson braved the coastal elements and completed the Hastings parkrun in 30.22.

Beckenham Place parkrun

Nicki Crawley and Justine Wearn both completed the Beckenham Place parkrun together in 36.09.

Hartfield Honey Run half marathon

Adrian Green ran through the mud in Ashdown Forest to complete the half marathon in a fantastic time of 1.56.56

Marden half marathon

Mandy Cooper was the sole Strider taking part in the Marden half marathon and completed the course in 2.10.10

Coastbuster 10 mile and 10K

Travelling to Ramsgate on Sunday morning was Nicki Charles who completed the 10K in 1.07.59. Completing the 10 mile distance was Dermot Carr in 1.31.31, Hazel Turner in 1.33.19, Katie Fox in 1.40.42 (pb) Siobhan Hagan in 1.42.02, and Michelle Bryant in 1.50.14.

ATC 666 Trail Run

Not too far to travel for this race to Ashford Tri Club’s nice and muddy 666 Trail Run at Kings Wood. Completing the 6.66 miles was Jason Kennedy in 1.05.33 which was a personal best, Jack Farrent in 1.07, Chris Wicks in 1.13.10, a personal best and Hazel and Dave Winchester in 1.15.58.

With nobody admitting to having raced this weekend 😀, this week’s report is a round up of Saturday’s action across various parkruns.

The weather on Saturday was in stark contrast to the last two soggy weekends – dry and sunny and decidedly chilly, but good conditions for running.

Our local Ashford parkrun was back to its usual turnout with the improved weather. Keith Haynes was in his familiar position as fastest Strider, finishing in 19:50. The next two Striders both earned new PBs this week, both of them making huge improvements to their parkrun times in a relatively short period: Jamie Penfold with a time of 22:49 and Cherith Wright our first lady finisher with 23:26.

Three more of our speedier runners were next: Justin Burden 23:43, Terry Sellen – 24:03 and Jack Farrant – 24:43. Aimee Donohue also came in with a new PB of 25:33, followed by Simon Pharoah – 26:09 and Andy Found – 26:09

Katie Fox is on her 3rd parkrun but has improved her time with each run, she finished in 26:43. Richard Randle was next with 26:52, then Scott Hawkins – 28:25, Kevin York – 28:34, Darren Laker – 28:36, David Gadsby – 28:44, Don Dewar – 29:10, Amanda James – 29:39, Rachel Tomsett – 29:50, Catherine Wall – 30:51, Michelle Brice – 32:20, Lisa Fulcher – 32:57, Delia Millen – 33:34, Brian Forrester – 33:42, Lee Standen – 33:57, Jennifer Watts – 34:11, Hazel Forrester – 34:41, Sara Dewar – 35:34, Rachel Oliver – 37:07, Julie Nicholson – 37:13, Julie Foster – 37:32, Leigh Freeman – 41:23 and Danielle Moss – 55:07

Huge thanks as always to our members who volunteered at Ashford parkrun: Justin Burden, Jason Caldwell, Sharni Copham, Don Dewar, Sharon Gardner, Peter Heckel, Terry Sellen, Kevan Strand and Hazel Turner

Parkrun tourism
Two Striders took on Canterbury parkrun’s undulating course: Tamsin Ritchie finished in 29:45 and Laura Clark ran 38:15

Mark Niles went to Kent’s toughest parkrun at Lullingstone, finishing with an impressive 24:36 and 10th position overall.

A group of Striders travelled to Dover Waterfront parkrun’s flat and fast (weather depending!) course. Daniel Schwartz was first home for the club with 24:25, then Sonette Schwartz – 29:23, Rachel Misson with a course PB of 30:20, Peter Broom – 32:02, Michelle Bryant also with a course PB of 32:04, Martin Whittingham – 33:16. Lynnette Whittingham, who continues to knock minutes off her parkrun times, earned a new overall PB of 55:30, backed up by Dermot Carr also with 55:30

Lastly we have perennial tourists Nicola Crawley and Justine Wearn notching up another new venue at South Norwood parkrun. These ladies took on the mixed trail and path course in South London, finishing in 31:44 and 32:59 respectively.

Well done to all our parkrunners this weekend!

Also on Saturday was the club’s AGM, which included the annual club awards, followed by the Christmas party. Well done to those who won awards this year and it was great to see a well attended meeting and enjoy the food and dancing afterwards! 🕺🎈🍾

Remember, remember, the 5th of November it’s bonfire weekend and wow did some striders put on some sparkler-ing displays of dedication this weekend. The weather was a game of two halves with the rain deciding to come down on Saturday with more force than the fountains and rockets being used to light up the sky that night.
Ashford parkrun
We had a handful of striders turning up to Victoria Park to run (or swim as the weather was more appropriate for) the 5k round the park.
Keith Haynes was our 1st strider lighting up the finish line in a time of 20.22. Jack Farrant followed in a time of 22.25 with Terry Sellen finishing the course in 24.49. Daniel Schwartz ran through the finishers tunnel in 25.43 with Christopher Wicks hot on his heels finishing in 25.56. Jason Brice got a time of 27.04, David Helme finished in 28.26 and Don Dewer ended the 5k route bang on 29.00. Amanda James was our 1st female of the morning, achieving a time of 30.06 followed by the girls, Rebecca James (32.33), Rachel Oliver (34.22) and Danielle Moss (48.21). I hope you all managed to dry off in a reasonable time after being out in those torrential downpours.
A big thanks to this weeks bright stars, Jason Caldwell, Lisa Fulcher, Nadine Golding, Sharon Gardener, Peter Heckel and Kevan Strand. I am not sure whether you are more crazy than the runners standing out in that, but huge appreciation goes for your time and support.
parkrun Tourism
If staying local to run in a Storm wasn’t mad enough, we had Strider representation at six other parklakes (I mean parkruns).
I’m not a 100% sure a coastal parkrun would have been the 1st choice for many but this bunch decided to give it a shot and tackle Dover parkrun. Dermott Carr crossed the line 1st in 26.33, Siobhan Hagan finished in 31.38, Lisa Gribbin was close behind in 31.51 with Rachel Misson finishing only 3 seconds later in 31.55. Rachel Thomsett (32.29), Richard Randle (35.51) and Dee Millen (35.32) also fought against the 40mph winds to finish.
Nicola Crawley and Justine Wearn were just as brave venturing to East Brighton parkrun, finishing the course in 30.05 and 33.02 respectively.
Elsewhere Adam Booth completed Milton parkrun in 21.00, Peter Lane finished West Park in 28.09 and Justin Burden went over to Charlton parkrun finishing the 5k in 24.07.
Well done each and everyone of you! You all definitely showed a lot of flare.
Movember
November brings Movember with many races and events taking place throughout the month to raise funds and awareness of men’s health including prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention. If you want to support or know more please visit:- https://uk.movember.com/about/foundation
Two striders travelled to Herne Bay on Saturday to complete in events being held by Mo-running.
Simon Pharoh took on the 10k option completing the race in a brilliant 48.46. Whilst Tara Louise completed the half marathon distance in an amazing PB sub 2hrs time of 1hr 56.53. Spectacular performances by both. Well done.
Races
Sunday is the normal race day this Sunday was a little quieter than the previous weeks for races however we did have one strider gaining a medal.
Pauline Tallett took part in the Bideford 10mile race completing the tough event in 1hr 42.08. Well done Pauline. Great run.
Report by Kirsty Theobald.

Ashford Parkrun celebrated its 10th birthday on Saturday and Striders galore were there to mark the occasion. Jack Farrant was our first runner over the line, finishing in 22:16 and bagging a new PB. Well done Jack! Dan Green was next in 22:39 followed by Justin Burden with 23:17. Jamie Penfold got close to his PB with 23:24 and Cherith Wright kicked off a brilliant weekend for her by taking the First Lady Strider place with 24:16. Daniel Shwartz went round in 26:39 with Claire Green close behind in 27:03. Scott Hawkins achieved a 27:48 finish and Graham Troman 28:12. Mandy Cooper and Darren Laker were pretty close with 28:38 and 28:45 respectively whilst Don Dewar and Vicky Stevenson battled it out behind them with Don just nicking it with 29:33 to Vicky’s 29:35. Jason Sanders and Chris Wicks completed the sub 30s with respective times of 29:51 and 29:56.
Amanda James showed she was finding her pre-holiday form again. She just missed the sub 30 goal with 30:01 (and she promised me she didn’t walk!). Nic Crawley continued her comeback after injury with a 30:48 finish and David Gadsby got round in 31:07. Jo Mason and Justine Wearn were also pretty close. They were probably chatting about the previous weeks Beachy Head exploits and finished with respective times of 31:32 and 31:38. Sharni Copham completed in 33:11 ahead of Rachel Tomsett in 33:43. Lisa Fulcher, Sara Dewar and Michelle Brice were the next Strider trio through the funnel with times of 33:53, 34:18 and 35:12 followed by Dee Millen and Jennifer Watts in 35:24 and 35:25. Siobhan Hagan came through in 35:46 followed by Martin Whittingham in 35:50 and Michelle Bryant in 36:03. Rachel Oliver noted up 37:00 exactly with Julie Foster following in 38:03. Laura Clark completed in 38:33 and Tailwalker Dani Moss rounded the Ashford results up with 58:40.
Volunteers, to whom we are eternally grateful, were Peter Broom, Jason Caldwell, Dermot Carr, Nic Crawley, Don Dewar, Sharon Gardner, Lisa Gribbin, Siobhan Hagan, Simon Jackson, Dani Moss, Richard Randle, Terry Sellen, Kevan Strand and Justine Wearn. A big thanks to you all!
Striders on tour this weekend included Lee Standen who was at Pymmes and completed that in 33:56. Sally Davidson-Daniel completed Tonbridge in 31:05 and Dartford was the choice for Mark Niles and he finished in 22:26.
Sundays main event was obviously the A&D 10 & 5 mile races but we did have a couple of strays. Lorna Cheshire took on the SVN Werewolf Ultra Marathon and completed that in 6:21:27 to earn herself a PB. Well done Lorna! Dave Helme chose to do the Bedgebury Half Marathon and completed in 2:27:28.
Onto the Ashford action and once again Striders were well represented with some choosing to really get into the Halloween spirit with some brilliant costumes being worn by our runners. The course was also flooded in places which only adds creditability to the outstanding performances from you all.
Halloween 10 Mile The notable individual performances were headed by an incredible run by Cherith Wright who achieved a PB of 1:20:14 and a podium place as third lady. Congratulations Cherith. Everyone is extremely proud of you! Three more of our runners also achieved a ten mile PB in the form of Jamie Penfold (1:25:40), Jason Kennedy (1:26:30) and Dermot Carr (1:28:38). Congratulations to you all. Also competing in the ten miler and all putting in great performances were Kate Stroud (1:32:37), Richard Randle (1:34:37), Hazel Winchester (1:35:20) and Dave Winchester (1:35:21).
The Halloween 5 mile also turned up some great Strider results. Notably were Keith Haynes (33:09) who won his age group category. Nigel Hills (40:19) a PB and also first place in his age category and Shiny 5 mile PBs for Justin Burden (39:12), Julie Foster (1:04:06), Pauline Tallett (49:08)and Dee Millen (59:55). Great running all of you and those PBs are well deserved.
The remaining Strider contingent in the 5 mile event finished as follows: Simon Pharoah (42:37), Dan Schwartz (44:32), Sonette Schwartz (52:40), Siobhan Hagan (52:42), Josh Stephens (53:34), Michelle Brice (54:44), Michelle Bryant (55:33), Sharon Gardner (1:00:07), Adam Thomas (1:00:08), Vicky Shrubsole (1:00:09), Jack Farrant (1:00:09) and Sharni Copham (1:00:10).
Once again, well done everyone on a remarkable weekend for our club!
Report by Andy Found.

I hope that you’ve all had a great week, and made the most of today’s sunshine after what can only be described as a bit of a wet one for much of this week! As usual, this weekend has been jam-packed with runners running and walkers walking, at official races, at various Parkruns, and also, just for ‘fun’.

We’ll start, as ever, with Ashford’s results. The weather was wet, but not freezing, and there was a bit of a headwind in places so well done to all who braved Victoria Park to clock up another Parkrun. Keith Haynes was first Strider in, with a Sub 20 time of 19:36, next in and with a lovely PB was Adrian Green at 20:21, Jamie Penfold came in next at 23:42, Terry Sellen at 23:54, Jack Farrant dragged himself round the course in 24:02, Simon Pharoah, 25:48; Daniel Schwartz, 25:49, Jamie Bartlett, 26:04; Jason Kennedy, 26:12; Andy Found, 26:48; Frank Remigio, 27:04; Dave Helme, 27:41. First Lady Strider through was Elle Weekes in 28:09; Jason Sanders was next in 28:48; Kevin York, 29:05; Nicola Crawley, 29:23; Vicky Stevenson, 29:37; David Gadsby, 30:03; Amanda James, 30:46; Lee Standen, 31:33; Hazel Turner, 31:34; Justine Wearn, 32:38; Michelle Brice, 33:35; Sally Davidson-Daniel, 33:51; Jennifer Watts, 35:09; Hazel Forrester, 35:10; Laura Clark, 37:44 and then Rachel Tomsett rounded off the Strider’s massive, coming in with a time of 40:57!
Volunteers this week included Jason Caldwell, Nic Crawley, Don Dewar, Sara Dewar, Julie Foster, Simon Jackson, Richard Randle, Terry Sellen and Justine Wearn, heartfelt thanks to all who volunteer, meaning that Parkrun can go ahead! If you can volunteer, it’s a great thing to do. You also have more chance of getting on Santa’s good list, so, you know, definitely worthwhile!
Parkrun Tourism
Brighton and Hove – Justin Burden completed this course in 22:48
Eastbourne – We had 3 Striders representing the club in Eastbourne; Dermot Carr came in at 25:36 followed by Lynette Whittingham at 50:55 and Martin Whittingham at 52:35.
Margate – Mark Niles completed this coastal Parkrun in 22:15.
Foots Cray – Lisa Fulcher attended this 5k and came in at 36:50, also earning herself a 2nd female in age group and 33rd position overall!
Dover Waterfront – Tamsin Ritchie ventured to Dover, completed the run in 27:30 and then went home to a lovely stew!
Beachy Head Ultra Marathon
Saturday saw some of our hardcore members brave the weather, the mud and the hills over 50km, all for a tiny little medal! (Spoiler, it was HUGE!)
Mandy Cooper crossed the line first in 8:32:58. Siobhan Hagan, Lisa Gribbin and Rachel Misson all came over the finish line together in 8:36:58. Amazing work, well done!
Beachy Head Half Marathon
Sunday and still in Beachy Head, beautiful sunshine had chased away the rain but it wasn’t enough to dry up the mud bath. Jayne Hatton, still trying to cling on to wearing shorts, had to resort to Capris (and long sleeves) as there was a distinct Autumnal chill in the air! According to my sources, we had nine Striders completing the Half Marathon with first to cross the line Jason Kennedy, in 2:11:48. Next in and chuffed with his course PB was Ian Watson at 2:33:16. This next lot all came through the finish together so there are seconds between them, neck and neck were Andy Found and Dermot Carr 2:56:34, Jayne Hatton, still buzzing from her Bruges PB last week, was next with 2:56:36, Justine Wearn was a second later with 2:56:37, then Jo Mason with 2:56:38. Jason Wearn finished with a twirl flourish in 2:57:12 and then Rachel Tomsett came over the finish in 3:05:19! Well done to all! Beachy Head 10K One Strider completed this race, Pauline Tallet, who came in on 1:07:27, well done Pauline!

Maidstone Half Marathon
To round off this weekend’s races, we finish in Maidstone for the half Marathon where we saw five of our members take part, 3 of whom earned themselves shiny new PB’s! Graham Troman finished this race first, completing it, with a PB, in 2:00:36, Daniel Schwartz was next with a finish time of 2:03:42 and another PB. Chloe Darling, also earning a PB, came in at 2:25:32, Scott Hawkins finished in at 2:27:41 and then, last but by no means least was the lovely Sonette Schwatrz, completing the race in 2:28:03
That’s all from me for now, just a quick reminder, the clocks go back next week so we’ll get an extra hour before the Halloween 5 and 10 milers on Sunday, don’t forget or you’ll be hanging around Towers school for an extra hour. Have a great week everyone and may see you at various club events during the week!
Report by Sharon Gardner.