Fairlands Valley Spartans
The temperature reached double figures and the sun came out for the cross country league fixture in Fairlands Valley on Sunday morning. And it was Fairlands Valley Spartans enjoying themselves in Fairlands Valley Park as about 60 from the club ran the race and many others volunteered to make it a success.
ANDREW PATTERSON from FVS was second in the race in 27 minutes 42 seconds (27:42). ADRIAN BUSOLINI also beat 30 minutes for the almost five miles. He was eleventh in 29:29. CHARLIE WHITE, BRIAN BRACKSTONE and SIMON JACKSON chased each other in at 22nd, 23rd and 24th with 30:15; 30:20 and 30:23. New club captain MIKE JEFFS was 31st in 31:01.
MARIE COLUCCI led in the Spartan women with 40:08. TRACY PEZ 41:47; YUKO GORDON 42:12; JESS CLARKE 43:47 and JAYNE RIDDELL 46:07 completed the FVS women’s “A” team.
A fantastic turnout and wonderful running by Fairlands Valley Spartans which will no doubt boost them in the team standings when they are published.
Altogether about 400 runners from 20 clubs ran three laps, a total of 7.8 kilometres, around the south field.
The full accurate results including team results should be available from the league organisers in the next day or two.
The next cross country league race will be in Watford on Sunday 16th February.
Parkrun Highlights 14th December
With less crazy weather participation in the Stevenage parkrun jumped up to 421 and this Saturday 27 Spartans were running.
Spartan JAY PAPA got to wear the bright red milestone cape as he was running his 50th parkrun. He celebrated in 31 minutes 21 seconds.
CRAIG BACON achieved a new parkrun personal best with 21 minutes 58 seconds and GRANT RAMSAY was in the top five at fourth with 18:31.
Mini-milestones were run by DANIEL VILJOEN 270th parkrun in 25:20; JIM BROWN 180th parkrun and category winner in 27:34; and MATT CLARKE 150th parkrun in 28:35.
A total of 421 parkrunners took part in the Stevenage race.
Many other Spartans were running parkruns elsewhere including MATT NEWTON 20:47 at Gunpowder; KEITH HOOKER 25:35 at Edgbaston Reservoir; MARTIN WOOD 27:40 at St. Albans; TIM ROBINSON 29:22 at Panshanger; CHLOE CHAPMAN 30:30 at Great Denham.
Stevenage Striders Running Club
The latest Parkrun event saw a fantastic turnout from Stevenage Striders, with numerous runners showcasing their dedication and determination across various age groups. Here’s a highlight of some top performances from the event:
- Richard Longley led the Striders with an impressive 21:11 (24th place, VM40-44).
- Keith Dennis followed closely with a solid 22:31 (41st place, VM45-49).
- Storm Moore, in the SW20-24 category, recorded a time of 22:41 (46th place).
- Steve Moore (VM60-64) ran a strong 23:07 to finish in 56th place.
- Tony Randfield, representing the VM65-69 age group, clocked a great 23:13 (59th place).
- Adam Drew (SM20-24) finished in 23:15 (61st place), while Neil Walsh (VM35-39) posted a time of 24:12 (78th place).
- Gemma O’Donnell (SW20-24) ran a solid 26:56, with Aaron Casper (VM35-39) finishing in 27:14.
Other notable performances include Clarence Phillips (28:18), Jessica Ives-Keeler (29:05), and Sophocles Georgiou, who completed the race in 31:18 (244th place).
Among the Striders who completed the course, there were also inspiring finishes from veteran runners like Brenda Smith(VW75-79), with a time of 38:13, and Lloyd Marshall (VM40-44), who crossed the line in 41:22. Thomas Hall, the youngest Strider of the day, completed the course in 1:04:26 (JM10).
The Striders continue to display incredible spirit and resilience, regardless of age or ability, and we couldn’t be prouder of all those who participated.
Starting off with a shoutout to everyone who tackled Cross Country on Sunday morning! It was fantastic to see some fresh faces joining the action and embracing the challenge. The wet and muddy route tested everyone! Well done to everyone who took part—true Strider spirit in action!
Olympic Park Chase the Moon 10k
Adam Hough travelled into London for the Olympic Park Chase the Moon 10k. He said he absolutely adores this course and was happy to be back after returning to running after a 6 month break. He finished in a awesome time of 37:20! Fantastic Adam!
Phoenix Christmas Jumper Half Marathon
Peter Monk and Marc Hagland headed back down to Walton-on-Thames for a festive event by Phoenix Running. This was Marc’s 83rd and final half marathon of the year. Both Peter and Marc crossed finish line together in 2:34:25 earning themselves a cool Christmas jumper medal.
Great work!
London Ten
Sharnie Davidson took on the London Ten at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, a fantastic closed-road running event hosted by the RunThrough Foundation. Known for its inclusive approach, this free-to-enter race offers places through a ballot system.
Sharnie crossed the finish line in 49:36, sharing that she was “glad to be getting back to it.” A great performance, and a wonderful way to get back into the running scene—well done, Sharnie!
Walkern Santa Dash
Andrea and David Skidmore brought festive cheer to the Walkern Santa Dash, a fun-filled 4-mile run where participants don Santa costumes. Adding to the holiday spirit, runners enjoyed a refreshing mulled wine at the halfway point.
David claimed 1st place overall, celebrating with his free winner’s pint of Guinness. Not to be outdone, Andrea secured the title of 1st Lady, earning another mulled wine to toast her success. It sounds like a fantastic event, perfect for a larger Striders’ morning outing. Congratulations to Andrea and David for their performances!
Stevenage Phoenix Running Club
Steeple Chasers Santa fun run
On Sunday 15th December two Phoenicians travelled to the nearby village of Guilden Morden to take part in the Steeple Chasers Running & Cycling Club’s annual Santa fun run. Amy Whitby and Wendy Summerbee opted for the 5k distance and were suitably dressed for the occasion. The route was mostly on road with a small off-road section and all proceeds went towards supporting Pancreatic Cancer UK. Amy commented that it was “a lovely run with a very warm welcome by The Steeple chasers running and cycling club, cheering us over the finish line with a medal and cake”. Amy and Wendy ran the race together with a gun time of 33:57.
RunThrough’s London TEN
RunThrough’s London TEN, presented by Asics was London’s first ever completely free to enter closed road running event! Places were in high demand, however 5,000 runners (including four Phoenix members) were lucky enough to bag themselves a place through ballot entry. The 10k route wound its way around the Olympic Park passing the Velodrome and running on the running track, with the event village at the home of West Ham United, the London Stadium. Ashley Bates noted that “there were a few short, sharp hills in the first part of the route, otherwise it was nice and fast”. First home was Katie Mitham in 53:56, followed by Ashley Bates in 58:24 and Neil Homewood in 58:46. Charlie Day was buzzing with his PB time of 01:11:21.
Cross Country League Race 4 – Stevenage
Cross Country Race 4 was organised by Fairlands Valley Spartans and took place on Sunday 15th December along the grassy terrain of Stevenage Showground. It was an undulating and muddy 3-lap affair, but the sun was shining and spirits were high.
The results will be released later this week, but well done to Aaron Reynolds, Caitlin Evans, Emma Mead, Graham Eden, Jodie Kantas, Katka Laughton, Lisa Liversidge, Martin Wasley, Melissa Tanti, Neal Crawley and Richard Moore for taking part. Emma Wick, Jon Boe and Lorraine Wyatt also did a brilliant job of marshalling.
ParkRun
This week saw quite a bit of tourism with 16 runners at six locations and Men’s captain, Conor O’Neill claimed ninth place out of 78 runners at Westmill. David “the snail” Poulter celebrated his 50thmilestone in style. The question is, how will this be topped for David’s 100th milestone?
