Fairlands Valley Spartans
The Stevenage Marathon and 40th Anniversary Half Marathon are this Sunday 20th October. They will start from the corner of Grace Way and Martins Way at 10a.m.
There are 900 entries. 500 in the half and 400 in the full marathon.
Fairlands Valley Spartans are a local community running club in Stevenage and are celebrating their 40th anniversary this year. They are the organisers. The half is organised every year but the full 26.2 miles marathon is a bit special. It only takes place every ten years.
ALL the proceeds will go to charity. This year it will be Pancreatic Cancer UK which was chosen by the club in memory of a much loved member.
The finish will be in Hampson Park. The races are open and will include county championships for Hertfordshire.
For more information please visit
Double Double at Cross Country as season launches on 13th October
The first cross country league race of the new season was in Hoddesdon on Sunday and 26 Spartans finished. This was on a multi-lap 7.6 kilometres course with a couple of pinch points.
GRANT RAMSAY was first in for Fairlands Valley Spartans at 26th in 30 minutes 32 seconds. He was in the first 10% finishers. Next came JAY PAPA at 43rd with 31:46.
TRACY PEZ was the fastest female from Fairlands with 38:02 which put her in 137th place overall (men and women). ZOE JACKSON was the club’s next woman with her 40:27 for 182nd.
The club were delighted to finish two complete teams in the men’s and women’s races.
Despite several others being committed to other events before they knew the date 26 Spartans finished. 16 men and 10 women. Eight counted in men’s teams. Five in women’s. The next cross country league race will be on Sunday 27th October.
Chicago Marathon
ALISON and PAUL SHELLEY completed the Chicago Marathon.
Paul went through half way in 1:31:42 and maintained that pace to finish in 3 hours 3 minutes 30 seconds (3:03:30). Alison went through a half marathon in 2:08:12 and then demonstrated Fairlands fortitude to finish in 4:28:14.
PBs at Peterborough Half
DAN HUKIN didn’t think for one second he had this in the locker but a chip time of 1:19:24 gave him a 2.5 minute PB (personal best) that he had had from 2006. Dan was 139th out of the 3,238 finishers in the Peterborough Half Marathon.
In the same race Ross Gallagher’s 1:24:25 a new PB by more than four minutes.
Ross ran with Ashley Johnson and they both got exactly the same time, nice course and perfect conditions. They were 238th and 239th in the race with Ashley fourth in her age group.
Lovely to Run the Royal Parks Half Marathon
HAZEL SMITH and VICKY ARCHER ran the Royal Parks Half Marathon together on Sunday. They both finished in 1:57:49.
Vicky said, “I’ve never run in London before so I really enjoyed the city part of it, especially running up the Mall towards Buckingham Palace! The parks were very pretty but the route was quite congested in places. It was so lovely to run with Hazel and enjoy it together. A lovely run.”
Parkrun Highlights 12th October
There were 468 finishers at Stevenage parkrun and 25 of them were Spartans. They included GRANT RAMSAY second overall with 19:05. MEGAN SUTTON set a new parkrun personal best of 27:34.
MONICA SMITHSON achieved a special milestone. Her 100th parkrun which she finished, with friends, in 40:08. LLOYD DIAS ran his 30th in 38:53 and ROGER BIGGS his 180th in 52:44.
JIM BROWN was first man 70 plus by one second with 28:12 – a highly competitive category!
Altogether 34 Spartans ran parkruns on Saturday.
Spartans elsewhere included YUKO GORDON 22:35 at Storeys Field; PETER SMITH 22:52 at North Yorkshire Water Park and MAURICE BALLARD 28:18 at Castle Park.
Stevenage Phoenix Running Club
Handicap 5k race 6
On Thursday 10th October Stevenage Phoenix held its final 5k handicap race of the year, which did not disappoint. Martin Harris claimed the top spot with over 5 mins off his target time. Charlie Day came second with over 4 mins off his target and George Curtin was third was over 3 mins off his target time. The fastest man of the night was Alex Wasley is 18:22 and the fastest woman was Kath Phoenix with 21:59. Mark Blease also earned the CLUB level award for running his fourth race of any distance.
Alex and Kath received trophies for fastest male and female across the whole series and John Harris received the trophy for overall first place!
The evening was a double celebration as it was also the 2nd anniversary of Stevenage Phoenix and the runners celebrated with some post-race cake. It was smiles all round for world mental health day.
Sea to Summit race 3 – Snowdonia
This weekend, Peter Tungate completed the final leg of his trilogy with a 35-mile run, starting from a remote location by the coast near Caernarfon. The first checkpoint was at mile 11, and Pete set off on a stretch of runnable terrain, happily ticking off the miles. After the first checkpoint, he faced his first mountain of the day. Unlike Ben Nevis and Scafell Pike, the terrain remained smooth, allowing Pete to maintain a solid pace, even with the climb.
Reaching the summit of Moel Eilio (nicknamed Mt. E-I-E-I-O), Pete felt great; the weather was clear, the terrain enjoyable, and the views breathtaking. Descending the mountain, he encountered a steep, grassy, slippery section and decided to slide down, overtaking three other runners in the process. However, the tables quickly turned as Pete entered a boggy area, and those he had overtaken saw this and chose a different path.
The next stretch after checkpoint two offered seven miles of beautiful forest trails and lake views leading to checkpoint three at mile 25. This was where the course became challenging, as Pete began the climb up the Watkins Path. As he approached the ridge line, the wind intensified, and mountain rescue guides advised runners to put on full waterproof gear for the approaching harsh weather.
Once on the ridge line, Pete faced 50 mph winds with even stronger gusts, a wind chill of approximately -5, and a narrow ridge requiring scrambles. Suddenly, hailstones began blasting his face, forcing him to seek shelter by a small rock near a steep drop. Fortunately, the hail was brief, and Pete scrambled onward to the summit. As if in celebration, the clouds cleared, offering him a clear, though windy, summit view. With the finish area in sight and only a few miles of downhill left, Pete felt determined to reach it before needing his head torch again.
Descending with the sun setting before him, Pete reflected on the journey—he had completed an epic mountain trilogy, full of highs, lows, beauty, and brutal conditions. He had traversed every kind of terrain, experienced nearly every type of weather, and felt a full spectrum of emotions along the way.
Leicester Half Marathon
Sunday 13th October saw Emma Chapman travel to Leicester for her first half marathon. Beginning and ending against the scenic backdrop of Leicester’s Victoria Park, the popular half marathon route takes runners through the city’s streets and parks. All proceeds from the event are donated to Leicester’s official charity partner, LOROS Hospice. Emma completed the course in 02:37:16. Congratulations on your longest run to date, Emma.
Royal Parks Half Marathon
The Royal Parks Half Marathon also took place on Sunday and seven members of the club ventured down to the big smoke to tackle the flat, scenic course, resulting in PBs and a course record. The Royal Parks Half Marathon is London’s original half marathon. Run on closed roads through four of the eight Royal Parks as well as being the greenest race of its kind in the UK. First home was Mason Simmons in 01:54:31, followed closely by Richard Moore in a PB time of 01:55:04 and Jessica Meadows was right behind them, completing her first half marathon in 01:55:56. Jessica’s strong race time is a new club record for the FS age category. Melissa Tanti was next with a PB time of 02:07:19 and Caitlin Evans also PB’d in 02:11:22. Jon Boe ran his first half marathon and beat his target time by finishing in 02:24:35 and Charlie Day took a whopping ten minutes of his last half, by finishing in 02:38:07. Well done everyone, PBs all round.
Cross Country League Race 1 – Hoddesdon
This weekend kicked off the first Cross Country season for Stevenage Phoenix and what an enjoyable first race! The mostly flat, grassy route was just shy of 5 miles and we had nine runners attend. Well done to Andy Chapman, Conor O’Neill, Damla Akkul, Emma Mead, Katka Laughton, Lisa Liversidge, Neal Crawley, Phil Gover and Stella Toresse.
North Chiltern 50k
This weekend Jodie completed her first official 50k race in 5 hours, 50 minutes, and 24 seconds, finishing 11th among female participants and conquering an elevation gain of 2,589 feet. The race began at Putteridge Bury, winding through Barton Springs, Pegston Hills, Offley, and around Lily. It was a true trail run, mostly on muddy fields and featuring challenging hills.
Despite developing painful blisters from the 14k mark, Jodie persevered, determined to run the last 10k—typically the most difficult stretch when fatigue sets in. She was thrilled to stay consistent and maintain her pace, especially pleased to finish under the 6-hour mark.
Stevenage Striders Running Club
With just one week to go before the Stevenage Marathon and Half Marathon, our members have shown no signs of slowing down. From parkruns and races to cross-country events, Striders have been out in full force. Here’s a summary of the past week’s highlights!
Parkrun Roundup
Our members have been busy touring various parkruns, with some impressive performances:
- Helen Moye ran Rickmansworth parkrun, finishing in 25:37.
- Ken Marshall completed the Minehead parkrun in 26:57.
- Russ Andrews narrowly broke the 25-minute barrier at Aldenham parkrun, finishing in 24:58.
- Teresa Sutherill took 1st in her age category at Pavilion Gardens parkrun with a time of 27:18.
- Buttons Thompson clocked in at 26:40 at Wimpole Estate parkrun.
- Richard Longley and Sarah Dennis both ran their first-ever parkruns, finishing in 22:19 and 43:32, respectively – welcome to the parkrun family!
- Steve Moore finished 1st in his age grading once again with a time of 22:17 and a 74.57% age grading.
- Tony Randfield secured 1st in his age category with a time of 23:30.
- At the Stevenage parkrun, Marc Cecil stormed to a new personal best of 17:55, finishing 1st overall. Jamie Cecil also secured a new PB of 19:18, earning 4th place.
- Chairperson Chris Rowlands set a new parkrun PB with a time of 20:06 and an impressive 75.79% age grading, earning him a spot in the parkrun hall of fame.
Weekend Races
Our members tackled half marathons across the country, achieving some fantastic results:
- Marc Hagland completed the Great Eastern Run in Peterborough, finishing in 1:59:30, his fastest time since 2017. Amazing effort, Marc!
- Paula Heyes made a triumphant return from injury at the Royal Parks Half, finishing in 2:58:52. What a comeback, Paula!
- Fiona Davies also ran the Royal Parks Half, clocking in at 2:17:13. Great job, Fiona!
- Andrew Manning celebrated a birthday with a PB at the Luton Half Marathon, crossing the line in 1:36:13. Brilliant running, Andrew!
- Matthew Robinson finished the Chelmsford Half Marathon with a rapid time of 1:27:41. Congratulations, Matty!
- Our dedicated coach Chrissie Thomas completed her 78th half marathon at Luton in 2:34:50, inching closer to that 100 milestone. Keep going, Chrissie!
Spartan Achievement Overseas
Strider Adam Hough traveled to Hvar, Croatia, for the Spartan Trifecta, earning his X4 lifetime Trifecta with these remarkable times:
- BEAST: 3:29:25
- SPRINT: 1:18:03
- SUPER: 2:11:50
Cross Country Action
The Striders showed strength in numbers at the cross-country race in Barnet, with a team of 14 members tackling the slightly muddy course. Great work, everyone! The next cross-country race will take place on 27th October in Royston, so keep an eye out for more details.
Good luck with your final preparations for the Stevenage Marathon and Half Marathon, and keep up the fantastic work, Striders!
