Ashford Striders

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Report by Danielle Moss.

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

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

I hope you’ve all enjoyed the sunshine this weekend!
Picture the scene, Saturday morning, Victoria Park, Ashford. The forecast said sunny, and potential for warmth, but nope, there was a lovely fresh breeze and a covering of cloud hiding that glorious sunshine and sending shivers and goose bumps through the crowds. Perfect for running!
275 people took part in Ashford’s 413th Park Run which was organised by Ashford Tri-Club. Thirty two Striders took part and first of the bunch to finish was Jason Caldwell who flew in at 20:13 with Keith Haynes just behind at 20:37. Then we had Mark Niles; 23:13 and Jamie Penfold; 24:24. Dermot Carr was next, achieving a cracking new PB with 25:26, then was Adam Thomas; 25:30, Terry Sellen; 25:34, Stephen Cleaver; 25:51, and, with a PB, Paul Baker at 25:58! Vicky Stevenson was the first lady strider home, finishing the 5k in 27:07. Siobhan Hagan was next in at 27:56 followed closely by; Tamsin Ritchie; 28:06, Scott Hawkins; 29:01 and, last of the sub-thirties was Sally Davidson-Daniel with 29:37. Jason Brice just missed sub-30, coming in at 30:09, Rebecca Somerford was next with 30:28, then; Catherine Wall; 30:31, Rita Cooke, 30:56 and Sharon Gardner; 32:50. Nadine Lidbury, set a Parkrun PB and came in with a time of 32:13, Victoria Shrubsole, came in at 32:35, and then Mark Archer; 33:03. Neck and neck with a time of 33:04 were Rachel Tomsett and Dee Millen, Mandy Cooper was next at 33:08 then Michelle Brice got a time of exactly 34 minutes. Amanda James came in just two seconds behind at 34:02, then; Rachel Theobald with 35:23, Kevin York; 35:24, Kirsty Theobald; 38:38, Julie Foster; 43:09 and last but by no means least, Justin Burden finished in 47:32.
Although most of the volunteers were provided by Ashford Tri Club, we still had representation from Jason Caldwell, Lorna Cheshire, Sharni Copham and Nicola Crawley. Thanks, as always, to all of the Volunteers.
According to my sources (the Parkrun website) we only had one tourist this week! Brian Marsh was in Tavistock, Devon and took part in the Tamar Trails Parkrun. This Parkrun is a trail through woodland and is in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and part of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site, sounds beautiful! Brian completed the course in a fantastic time of 25:48.
Sunday saw several Striders travelling to Whitstable to take part in the Saxon Shore Half Marathon and there were a flurry of PB’s.
Fastest finisher was Dave Helme, he earned a PB with a time of 2:13:21, next, and with another PB was Rapid Rita! Rita Cooke, continuing fantastic running form came in with a fantastic time of 2:20:15. Chloe Darling came in at an impressive 2:25:38, Peter Broom was next with a superb 2:31:16. Jenny Watts earned a PB with a wonderful 2:37:36, Angie Craffey achieved a fabulous 2:47:05 and just behind, and with another PB, was Hazel Forrester in at a marvellous 2:48:06.
Finally, Mandy Cooper and Ian Watson travelled to Goring Gap (somewhere between the Chiltern Hills and the Berkshire Downs near Reading) to partake in a few scenic, and muddy, miles. Ian tackled the Half Marathon and completed it in a very respectable time of 2:33:45 Meanwhile, Mandy thought it would be fun to run an Ultra! 53, hot, hilly, muddy kilometres in 7:35:49. amazing and a PB, well done.
As always, well done to all of our members who were out in force, running in official events, training for official events, clocking up miles/steps for various challenges or just running for fun! Have a great week everyone.
Report by Sharon Gardner.

This week, for a bit of fun I asked the AI program ChatGPT to write this week’s run report. I had to make a few tweaks to correct inaccurate information (the information it has is a bit out of date), and the result is below. What do you think?
Greetings fellow runners and parkrun enthusiasts! Unfortunately, this week’s Ashford parkrun was cancelled due to a Coronation event taking place in the park. However, that didn’t stop our club members from getting their weekly parkrun fix! Instead, many of them visited a variety of other parkruns across the county and beyond.
First up, we have Rachel Tomsett who ran at the stunning Bedgebury Pinetum, clocking in at a time of 32:53. This beautiful park offers a fantastic backdrop for a run, with its sprawling pine forest and lakes making for a peaceful and scenic route.
Next, we have Mark Niles who took on the Canterbury parkrun, finishing in an impressive 22:19. The course takes in a section of the Crab and Winkle Way, a scenic walking and cycling path that follows the route of an old railway line.
Several Ashford Striders took on the seafront course at Folkestone parkrun, with some impressive performances on display. Claire Green finished with a time of 24:29. David Helme crossed the line in 28:23, followed by Tamsin Ritchie in 29:13. Peter Broom also put in a strong effort, completing the course in 30:47. Hazel Forrester wore a fantastic Burger King costume for the Coronation and completed the course in 37:07, while Danielle Moss finished in 40:26.
At the Fountains Abbey parkrun, Nadine Golding put in a great effort, finishing with a time of 33:15. The parkrun is set in the beautiful grounds of the Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The course takes in some stunning scenery, including a run past the magnificent abbey ruins.
Over at the Kingdom parkrun, Amanda Cooper finished with an impressive time of 30:46. The course is set in ancient woodland near Penshurst.
Heading up the coast to Margate, Kevan Strand led the charge with a speedy 22:36 finish time. He was followed by Hazel Turner (24:45), Dermot Carr (26:50), Siobhan Hagan (27:38), Martin Whittingham (28:40), Justin Burden (29:24), Lisa Gribbin (29:27), Mark Archer (31:56), and Lynnette Whittingham who brought up the rear with a still-respectable time of 57:44.
Sonette Schwartz (35:00) and Lisa Fulcher (37:30) both took on the Mote Park route. This parkrun is set in the heart of Maidstone and offers runners a chance to explore the beautiful Mote Park.
Meanwhile, Nicola Crawley (30:41) and Justine Wearn (38:09) tackled the challenging hills of the Queen Elizabeth parkrun. This course is set in the stunning South Downs National Park and offers runners a real test of their fitness.
Meanwhile, Lee Standen took on the Stretford parkrun, finishing with a time of 35:44. This parkrun is located in Longford Park in Manchester, England.
The Great Field parkrun was no match for Brian Marsh who completed the course in a speedy 24:47. This parkrun takes place in Great Field park which is located in Poundbury, a new urban development in Dorchester, Dorset.
At Walmer and Deal Seafront parkrun, three Ashford Striders put in fantastic performances. Jamie Penfold crossed the finish line in an impressive time of 23:40, followed closely by Richard Randle with a time of 25:30. Delia Millen also had a strong showing, finishing in 32:50.
Last but not least, we had Jack Farrant (23:00), Lucie Shrubsole (30:07), Sharon Gardner (32:07) and Victoria Shrubsole (33:39) taking on the Tonbridge parkrun. This picturesque route takes in the beautiful Tonbridge Castle and River Medway, making it a lovely spot for a Saturday morning run.
The Ashford Striders had a successful day at the races on Sunday, with several runners achieving personal bests.
First up was Keith Haynes, who blazed through the challenging and scenic Rye 5 mile race, taking place in the lanes around Peasmarsh, and finished in an impressive time of 0:33:23, securing 5th place. Nigel Hills closely followed Keith and finished in 0:42:20. Karen Edwards also had a strong showing in the Rye 5 mile, completing the course in 0:52:08.
In the Maidstone Riverside 10k, a fast and flat route along the River Medway, Andrew Maund pushed himself to a personal best time of 0:42:08, while Steve Greatorex finished in a respectable 0:47:20.
Rob Wood and Jamie Bartlett put in impressive performances in the Maidstone Riverside 10 mile. Rob set a new personal best time of 1:19:30, and Jamie Bartlett completed the race in 1:29:05, also achieving a personal best time.
Overall, it was a fantastic weekend for the Ashford Striders, with several runners pushing themselves to new heights and achieving their goals in a range of distances and terrains.
Report by Lisa Fulcher and AI!

Ashford Parkrun
Another Strider take over at Ashford Parkrun this week. In true Strider style, we pulled together, turned out on mass and made Ashford’s 412th park run a huge success!
We had fun loving marshals around the entire course; we had amazing ‘spot on’ pacers and don’t get me started on the cake stall, plus lots of volunteers carrying out the various roles needed on the day.
We truly know how to put on a party/park run.
Big up to everyone who played a part, I honestly hope I haven’t missed anyone. I’m sure you can appreciate there was a lot for me to get through this week so if you so spot the odd mistake, please message me direct and I will correct, thank you.
Volunteers included: Gayle Bailey, Tammy Brooks, Michelle Bryant, Jason Caldwell, Dermot Carr, Richard Coles, Amanda Cooper, Sharni Copham, Nicola Crawley, Chloe Darling, Don (birthday boy) Dewar, Sara Dewar, Paul Dunning, Brian Forrester, Hazel Forrester, Julie Foster, Andy Found, Sharon Gardner, Keith Haynes, Charlie Huyton, Louise Huyton, Katie Exon, Amanda James, Rebecca James, Darren Laker, Ned Golding, Jo Mason, Andrew Maund, Clare Maxlow, Kevin Miller, Rachel Misson Julie Moore, Danielle Moss, Julie Nicholson, Jamie Penfold, Simon Pharoah , Rachel Phillips, Richard Randle, Ashley Robinson, Jason Sanders, Victoria Shrubsole, Vicky Stevenson, Graham Troman, Hazel Turner, Dave Warner, Ian Watson, Jennifer Watts, Justine Wearn, Dave Winchester.
The pacers did a fantastic job with many runners commenting how much they appreciated having someone to run with to set their pace,, so well done all.
The initial time below is their pace time followed by their actual time on the day.
22 Andrew Maund 22:02
24 Keith Haynes 23:57
25-Paul Dunning 25:17
25-Hazel Turner 25:08
26-Richard Randle 26:36
28-Darren Laker 27:54
29-Vicky Stevenson 28:51
30-Mandy Cooper 29:55
30-Andy Found 29:54
32-Rachel Phillips 31:30
34-Sharon Gardner 33:23
36-Justine Wearn 35:51
38-Vicky Shrubsole 36:56
40-Katie Exon 38:46
There were also Strider runners representing the club with some running after they had finished their volunteering role:
Adam Booth 20:32,
Kevan Strand 22:32
Mark Niles 22:58
Terry Sellen 24:30
Nicola Crawley 26:33
Siobhan Hagan 27:09 (PB)
David Gadsby 27:48
Justin Burden 27:50
Scott Hawkins 27:53
Lisa Gribbin 28:56 (PB )
Martin Whittingham 29:24
Rita Cooke 30:34 (PB)
Jason Brice 31:01
Rachel Forrester 31:04
Rachel Phillips 31:30
Sonette Schwartz 33:07
Leigh Freeman 33:24
Rachel Oliver 33:31
Delia Millen 33:47
Michelle Brice 33:49
Peter Broom 35:15
Lisa Fulcher 35:34
Rachel Theobald 37:29
Kevin York 37:30
Danilelle Moss 43:24
Richard Coles 44:09
Lynnette Whittingham 1:03:08
Julie Foster 1:11:20 (tail walker)
Sharni Copham 1:11:53 (tail walker)
Big thanks also to Baz for taking some fantastic photos around the course
Surprise, surprise no park run tourism this week; massive thanks to everyone for giving up their Saturday morning at Ashford.
Finally, a massive thanks to our fabulous run leader Ned, who flawlessly organised us all, which made for a successful Ashford Striders Park Run takeover.

Monday1st May
Some Striders chose to spend their Bank Holiday Monday running the
Furley Page Whitstable 10k.
First across the line representing Ashford Striders and with a nice new shiny PB was Jack Farrant in an impressive time of 48:28. Next coming in together just under the hour was Kay Hunt and Adam Thomas in 59:37. Lucie Shrubsole recorded a time of 1:02:32, Sharon Gardner 1:05:27 Vicky Shrubsole 1:08:28. Finally, another fabulous PB was achieved by Delia Millen with 1:09.
Fabulous running everyone
So that concludes this weeks mammoth run report I’m off to have a lie down in a dark room now, just after I’ve had a glass or two of wine.
Have a great week of running everyone x
Report by Justine Wearn

Well what an amazing and inspirational weekend of running we have had, I hope all the runners, supporters and volunteers are still feeling the high (if not a little achy and tired)!
Ashford parkrun
First things first, we shall start with parkrun. Keith Haynes was the first Strider to cross the line at our local parkrun in Victoria Park with another amazing time of 20:42 but close on his toes was Adam Booth who finished in 20:44. Jamie Penfold achieved a PB with a time of 23:32, Claire Green went through the tunnel at 24:32 and Terry Sellen crossed the line 5 seconds later in a time of 24.40. Stephen Cleaver achieved a time of 25.40, Nicola Crawley came home in 26:18, next with times of 26:35, 26:46 were Mark Niles and Darren Laker and finishing the sub 27 pack was Jason Sanders who got to the line in 26:51. Vicky Stevenson achieved a finish of 28:48, Chloe Darling ran home in 29:11 and Catherine Wall finished in 30:31. Achieving a PB and getting so close to a sub 30 parkrun was Rita Cooke who ran to the finish line in 30:52. Peter Broom achieved a time of 30:49, next to cross in 34:36 was Jennifer Watts and finally the tail walker pack (some where getting a train to London that night) consisted of Siobhan Hagan (1hr 42s), Rachel Misson (1hr 43s), Lisa Gribbin (1hr 56s), Michelle Bryant (1hr 57s), Rachel Tomsett (1hr 58s), Sally Davidson-Daniel (1hr 1m 14s) and Lisa Fulcher (1hr 1m 21s).
Well done everyone and a big thank you to this weekend’s parkrun volunteers, Kevan Strand, Dermot Carr, Sharni Copham and Lee Standen.
Parkrun Tourism
We had a few striders travelling further afield for their parkrun fix:
Tasmin Ritchie visited Canterbury parkrun and finished in a time of 30:28.
Mandy Cooper ran around a beautiful scenic and picturesque Phoenix parkrun in 32m.
Vicky Shrubsole and Sharon Gardener completed the first of their weekend’s 5k’s at Malling parkrun and finished with times of 33:49 and 33:50 respectively.
Justin Burden took a trip to Greenwich and crossed the parkrun line in 24:59.
And finally Justine Wearn and Jason Wearn got a parkrun in whilst collecting numbers for a special race the next day and completed Mile End parkrun in 29:50 and 29:51.
Howletts 5k
Competing in a local race on Sunday round the beautiful Howletts wild animal park were Jack Farrant who ran in with an impressive time of 23:09 and was followed by Sharon Gardener in 33:28 and Vicky Shrubsole in 34:42.
A huge well done on your race especially with the unapologetic Howletts hill, tackled twice on route.
Virtual London Marathon
Eight striders decided to take on the marathon distance with a virtual challenge. Fantastic achievements all round you superstars!
Staying local was Jamie Penfold who achieved a brilliant PB and completed 26.2 miles in 4hr 24m 20s. Some mean feet achieving a PB marathon distance running solo.
Also remaining local was Angie Craffey who battled through recent injury to still compete virtually on the day and finished her marathon with a wonderful time of 6hr 1m 15s.
The Midnight Marathoners decided to not only tackle their virtual marathon through the night but also travel into the city to complete the London Marathon route in reverse. The team consisted of Siobhan Hagan, Lisa Gribbin, Rachel Misson, Becky Somerford, Hazel Turner and Aimee Donohue who reached their finish at Greenwich Park in 7hrs 30m with the motto of start together, end together. Huge well done ladies, that challenge took some mental and physical determination.
London Marathon 2023
Now we reach the London Marathoners, the day was pretty incredible and very humbling (even if the weather wasn’t overly kind), crowds lined the streets supporting with cheers and claps. Every Strider who was at the start line reached the finish line to collect their well earned medals in inspirational fashions. It takes true grit to take on the challenge of lots of hours, lots of miles and maybe some blood sweat and tears were shed along your journey so you all should be hugely proud of yourselves. You can also say you competed in Mo Farah’s final farewell to the London marathon, iconic. To the first timers, welcome to the marathon club (of course the best running club still remains Ashford Striders).
First home for Striders was Jason Wearn who, running for charity crossed the line down the Mall in a fantastic time of 3hr 48m 20s. Richard Barnes was the next Strider to reach the wonderful sight of the home stretch finished in 4hr 21m 25s. Well done. Dave Winchester who got a little TV fame before the day for his inspiring health and fitness journey achieved a finish time of 4hr 23m 11s which also happened to be a PB Just incredible. Achieving another sub 5hr marathon was our Chair, Andy Found after having completed Brighton just a couple of weeks ago, finished London’s 26.2miles in 4hr 32m 51s. Are you taking a break now?
Richard Coles recorded a marathon PB finishing the route in 5hr 1m 47s. Huge well done for your achievement. Also achieving a PB was Graham Troman who ran the streets of London in a time of 5hr 3m 18s. Just brilliant, well done.
Getting the title of the first female finisher for Striders was Sarah Martins who finished with determination in 5hr 37m 11s. Great time. Lisa Fulcher who seemed to not have a smile leave her face round the whole route finished in a brilliant 5hr 49m 32s. Our golden ticket Martin Whittingham got our clubs spot on the start line, having his name pulled out the hat at the clubs 2022 AGM, completed the amazing race in 5hr 54m 13s, huge well done Martin and thank you. The final member of the Strider family to complete their race in a PB time of 6hr 12m 30s was Sarah George. Congrats.
I hope everyone who competed this weekend have their medals hung high and enjoy some rest, it is much deserved.
Finally a little shout out to all the members that supported or volunteered at water stations and charity cheer points in the city yesterday, the runners really appreciate the boost and the race couldn’t go ahead without the efforts of the volunteers. So well done and give yourselves a big pat on the back.
Report by Kirsty Theobald.

Congratulations to everyone who got out and ran this weekend. Also a huge thankyou to everyone who gave up their Sunday to marshal at the Kent Spring Marathon today. Your efforts were greatly appreciated and the feedback from Nice Works and the runners about you all was absolutely amazing so well done, you are all absolute superstars.

Saturday was Parkrun day and Striders were out in force as usual. We will start at Ashford where Andrew Maund took the first Strider place romping home in 20:07. Jamie Penfold was next in the Strider pack with 24:32 followed by our first Strider lady Tamsin Ritchie with 26:18. Paul Baker earned himself a new PB with 26:23 (well done Paul !!) followed closely by Dave Helme in 26:38. Graham Troman recorded a 27:06 finish with David Gadsby next in 27:46. Jason Brice sneaked in under 30 mins with 29:57 just ahead of Rachel Forrester who hit the 30 minute mark exactly. 30:25 was the time for Jayne Hatton followed by Lee Standen in 31:09. Peter Broom completed in 32:18 and Dee Millen 34:06. Brian Forrester came through in 34:13 just ahead of Clare Maxlow in 34:43. Leigh Freeman and Lisa Fulcher were next with respective times of 35:06 and 36:28 with Carole Thomas following them with 37:06. Julie Nicholson and Julie Foster completed with 38:54 and 41:43 respectively and then the injured Amanda James in 47:23. Mark Niles completed in 49:48 followed by Jennifer Watts and Danielle Moss with respective times of 50:01 and 50:23. Hazel Forrester completed the Ashford Strider Line up with a time of 50:23.
As usual a huge thanks to the volunteers who this week included Kevan Strand, Sharni Copham, Simon Jackson, Adam Booth and Terry Sellen.

Onto the Tourists this week and Grovelands in Enfield saw Justin Burden finish in 24:46 followed by Dermot Carr with 26:47. Siobhan Hagan completed in 28:40 and Sally Davidson-Daniel 30:20. Lisa Gribbin and Rachel Misson rounded up the Strider contingent with respective times of 31:41 and 31:46.
Nicola Crawley and Justine Wearn took a trip to the seaside and visited Hastings Parkrun. Both managed sub 30s with 26:39 and 29:11 respectively.
Bedgebury was the venue of choice for Vicky and Lucie Shrubsole and they completed the trail course in 35:10 and 35:12 respectively.
There was some truly outstanding results at various races this weekend. Mandy Cooper and Ian Watson made the long trip over to Northern Ireland to tackle the Giants Causeway Coastal Trail Run on Saturday and they both smashed the tough 20 mile course with Ian finishing in 4:57:12 and Mandy in 5:28:02.
We had competitors in action at the Kent Spring events on Sunday. Adrian Green was outstanding in the Marathon with a brilliant time of 3:34:14 and proudly collected the V60 trophy and equally brilliant was Keith Haynes who completed the half marathon in 1:37:28. As we all know, that is a really tough course so a huge well done to both of them. A special mention also to Lisa Gribbin who went round the course as sweeper giving encouragement to the last runners on the course and she came round in 6:40:50.
Last but very much not least. Congratulations to Hazel Turner. Hazel struggled through injury and illness in her marathon training but today smashed the Manchester Marathon with an outstanding time of 4:21:23. Huge congratulations to you Hazel that is an amazing achievement.
Once again congratulations and Thankyou to everyone who ran, volunteered and supported this weekend, you did yourselves and the club very proud indeed. Have a great week.
Report by Andy Found.

Unusually we begin this week’s report on Friday and it certainly was a Good Friday down by the sea in Folkestone.
Folkestone 10 Mile
As the sun came out the Folkestone 10 mile race got underway and a plethora of PBs ensued. Justin Burden was the first to cross the finish line in 1.24.02 followed by David Helme in 1.32.06(PB) and Dermot Carr in 1.34.49 (PB). Siobhan Hagan was the first lady Strider back notching up a 10 mile PB, knocking an amazing 15 minutes off of her time in the same race as last year in 1.36.17. Following Siobhan was Pauline Tallett in 1.38.49, Scott Hawkins in 1.39.33 (PB), Rachel Misson in 1.41.53 (PB) and Clare Maxlow in 1.54.06 (PB).
Saturn Solar System Run
Ruth Goddard began her Easter weekend in Runnymeade, completing her 50th marathon in 6.50.00.
Ashford Parkrun
262 runners, joggers and walkers spent their Easter Saturday taking part in the Ashford parkrun. Not a Strider but Marshal Smith got a hero’s welcome following his Brighton Marathon win who came along to pace 25 mins As always, a great Strider turnout. Andrew Maund notched up a new PB and was the first Strider to complete the 5k in 20.00 exactly, Keith Haynes wasn’t far behind in 20.53 followed by Jack Farrant who got a PB in 22.49. Up next was Jason Kennedy in 24.19 and David Helme in 27.19. Jo Mason was the first Strider lady to finish in 28.16 with David Gadsby a couple of seconds behind in 28.18. Sally Davidson-Daniel collected a shiny new PB in 28.19 followed by Don Dewar in 28.30, Amanda James in 29.48, and Rachel Forrester in 30.02. Siobhan Hagan and Martin Whittingham were almost neck and neck in 30.46 and 30.47 respectively. Delia Millen and Richard Randle were next through in 33.12 and 33.13 respectively. Hazel Forrester finished in 33.28 followed by Peter Broom in 33.35. Leigh Freeman was close behind in 33.52 followed by Rachel Theobald and Kevin York who both finished in 34.18. Jennifer Watts was next through in 35.06, followed by Julie Nicholson who celebrated a PB in 36.07. Danielle Moss finished in 40.44, followed by Mark Niles in 45.34 and Lynette Whittingham in 1.04.37.
A big thank you to the Striders that volunteered, Lisa Fulcher, Jason Caldwell, Dermot Carr, Sharni Copham, Jayne Hatton, Terry Sellen and Kevan Strand.

Parkrun Tourism
Maidstone Parkrun
Travelling up the M20 for the Maidstone parkrun was Rachel Phillips finishing in 33.30
Mote Parkrun
Taking part in the Mote Park Parkrun was Justin Burden and Amanda Cooper, who finished in 26.09 and 29.08 respectively.
Malling Parkrun
Not far away, Victoria and Lucie Shrubsole completed the Malling parkrun together in 33.29.
Shorne Woods
Travelling to Shorne Woods parkrun was Tamsin Ritchie and Paul Bacon Baker who completed in 27.14 and 27.17 respectively followed by Nicki Crawley 27.57, Justine Wearn 31.34 and Jason Wearn 31.36.
Folkestone
Going the other way down the M20, was Kate Stroud who took part in the Folkestone parkrun in 26.48.
Ganger Farm
Moving further afield Rachel Tomsett completed the Ganger Farm parkrun in 31.29
Gorleston Cliffs
Travelling to East Anglia, Julie Foster completed Gorleston Cliffs in 42 minutes.
Zuiderpark parkrun
This week’s tourism winner who obtained his parkrun Z at the Zuiderpark parkrun in the Netherlands was Lee Standen in 28.22.
Report by Danielle Moss