Fairlands Valley Spartans
Fairlands Valley Spartans packed into Stevenage’s Cromwell Hotel on Friday to celebrate their champions for 2024. For racing awards were centred around two big blocks of races. The short series was based on 1500 metres, 5K, 5 miles and 10K races throughout the year and the ones that counted were the best three out of the four. Then the long series was similar but based on 10 miles, half marathon, 20 miles and full marathon (42.2 kilometres or 26.2 miles). Awards were made to the first three men and women purely based on speed and based on age related percentages.
So the female open short contest was won by ASHLEY JOHNSON with 76.8%, followed by MARIE COLUCCI on 62.9% and SALLY REEVE on 59.9%.
YUKO GORDON scored an incredible 101.3% in the female age graded table with JAYNE RIDDELL second on 69.0% and SHARON CROWLEY third with 66.1%.
Moving up the to the open long series for women. SAMANTHA TOPHILL won with 54.2%. Marie Colucci was also second in this series. She scored 53.4%. CHLOE CHAPMAN was third with 50.1%.
Onto the women’s Age Graded Long and this was also won by Yuko Gordon. This time with 98.6%. ALISON SHELLEY was second on 62.7% and SHARON CROWLEY third with 58.8%.
In the Male Open Short contest ANDREW PATTERSON was first with 79.7%; MIKE JEFFS second with 72.9% and JAY PAPA third with 67.5%.
Moving onto the Male Age Graded Short series SIMON JACKSON won with 84.1%; PAUL SHELLEY was second on 81.9% and GRANT RAMSAY third with 79.3%..
Andrew Patterson won the men’s “open long” with 79.8%; DAVID HARRIS-CHERGUIT was second with 72.2% and MIKE JEFFS third on 68.4%.
In the Age Graded Long series for men SIMON JACKSON was first with 81.3%; PAUL SHELLEY second with 77.9% and STUART ARCHER third with 70.6%.
Looking through the open results it’s not surprising that ANDREW PATTERSON is the Spartans overall male champion and MARIE COLUCCI the overall female champion. With two wins out of two Andrew becomes the Spartans club champion.
The club likes to recognise improvement the Most Improved Spartan – Male was Mike Jeffs and the Most Improved Spartan – Female was JUDY KING. RunTogether Starter of the year was PETER SACH.
There were lots of prizes for running fast but there were also prizes for being incredibly helpful.
The Chair’s Award went to CALANTHA CHAPMAN; the Head Coach Award to ANDY PRIOR; the President’s Award to MICHAEL O’KEEFE and the “Cathy Craig Spartan of the Year” award, which is voted on by club members went to MIKE JEFFS. Mike is the new men’s captain.
Twenty’s Plenty for Spartan Threesome
Three Spartans tackled the Essex 20 mile race on Sunday. A little chilly and breezy on Debden Airfield but PENNY SCHENKEL set a new personal best for the distance.
DAVE COOK was first in with 2:13:47 and 95th out of the 466. A careful JIM BROWN came in 396th with 3:15:23. Last year Penny ran this distance in 3:50:16. This year 3:45:52 so that’s a personal best by 4 minutes 24 seconds (4:24).
There are various 20 mile race options this weekend including the county championships which will be in Hillingdon.
In the Debden 10K Spartan SIMON HAIGH was first man 60 plus with 46 minutes 12 seconds (46:12).
Thirsk Pete
PETE SMITH ran the Thirsk 10 mile race in 1 hour 19 minutes 5 seconds (1:19:05).this morning.
Bath Half
And BECKY RAYNER ran the Bath Half Marathon on 16th March in 2 hours 57 minutes 58 seconds (2:57:58).
Parkrun Highlights Saturday 15th March
A total of 538 parkrunners were at the 392nd Stevenage parkrun and 36 were Spartans. took part. 36 Spartans.
A special mention goes to Spartan PAUL JENNINGS who ran his double century, his 200th parkrun which he finished in 33:01. That’s a significant mini or arbitrary milestone. He should be running round the park with a 250 cape by the middle of next year. TRACY HAYGARTH and DEBBIE BLANTERN ran their 160th parkruns, in 38:58 and 33:09 while STEVE WELLS ran his 150th in 22 minutes exactly.
Altogether 47 Spartans were at parkruns. Spartans at other parkruns included WILLIAM MORLEY 18:51 at Storeys Field; PAUL MOULD 21:01 at Henlow Bridge Lakes; SIMON HAIGH 25:41 at Westmill; MARTIN JACOB 25:51 and LINDA GEORGE 31:26 at Barnsley; ANTON McCALLA 30:01 at Market Harborough; NICK GILL 30:14 in Letchworth; DANIEL SUTTON 30:32 at Rutland Water; JONATHAN JONES 36:23 and DZENANA TOPIC 36:47 at the Wimpole Estate.
Stevenage Striders Running Club
Our incredible club members put in some serious mileage, tackling everything from 10K races to gruelling 20-mile challenges—and even a back-to-back half marathon!
A total of three Striders took on 10K races, while four pushed through the half marathon distance. Meanwhile, three fearless runners stepped up to the 20-mile challenge, showcasing sheer determination and endurance. And let’s not forget those dedicated athletes who powered through training runs in preparation for upcoming spring races—race day is approaching fast, and they’re putting in the work to be ready!
One of the standout moments of the weekend was the 47 Striders who showed up in force for the Stevenage Park Run and joined a fellow Striders as they celebrated a huge mile stone of 100 park runs. Seeing so many runners out together, embracing the challenge and supporting one another, truly embodies the spirit of our club.
Spartan DEKA Mile
Adam Hough tackled the intense Spartan DEKA Mile. It was a fast-paced, furious challenge, but Adam excelled, clocking a time of 21:34—his personal best and season’s best—and reclaiming the number one spot in his age group.
Milton Keynes Festival of Running
The MK Festival saw multiple Striders taking part, with notable performances across various distances:
· Neil McKinnon stormed the 10k race with a personal best of 51:49, demonstrating the incredible gains he has made after a year of dedicated Strider training—knocking a massive 10 minutes off his time!
· Jim Callaghan took on the 20-mile challenge, finishing in 2:53:36, earning a season’s best and securing second place in his age group.
· Adam Mead also ran the 10k, finishing in 1:05:55. He focused on pacing consistency rather than finish time, leaving him feeling strong and confident going into the summer race season.
· Steve Kinsella completed the MK 20 Mile in a personal best time of 3:15:22.
Bath Half Marathon
Two Striders took on the historic streets of Bath:
· Richard Longley finished in 1:38:32, navigating through the massive crowd of runners. While just missing out on a PB, he enjoyed the electric atmosphere and the testing climb in the last 1.5k.
· Matthew Robinson had a phenomenal race, achieving a personal best of 1:19:26. He capitalized on the early downhill section and maintained his pace for a strong finish on the final climb.
Phoenix Running Events
Peter Monk completed two back-to-back half marathons over the weekend, finishing the Spring Half Marathon in 2:29:35 on Saturday and the Rinky Dink Pink Half Marathon in 2:26:43 on Sunday. Remarkably, the Saturday race marked his 120th official half marathon!
Marc Hagland also completed the Rinky Dink Pink Half Marathon in 2:34, bringing his half marathon count to 89.
ATW Debden 10k
Sarah Dennis had an outstanding race, setting a personal best and a course best with a time of 1:09:33. She navigated a windy course and dodged a few giant potholes, enjoying every moment of the challenge.
ATW Essex 20
Keith Dennis tackled the 20-mile distance for the first time, securing course, season, and personal bests with an impressive 2:39:36. Despite the mental challenge of five laps, he appreciated the wide course and perfect weather conditions.
