Stevenage Striders Running Club
0 to 5k Graduation Park Run
Saturday morning saw 14 Stevenage Strider 0 to 5k graduates take to the start line of the Stevenage park run to celebrate with the rest of the Stevenage Striders along with the community as they all successfully completed their park run.
The commitment and dedication shown by each of the graduates over the 9 weeks was so admirable and encouraging to us all. A phrase used often by Carmien the 0 to 5k coach “trust the process” was put perfectly into practice by each of the graduates. As we all know hard work and commitment to your training will always bring you success and that was displayed perfectly by each of these amazing graduates, a massive congratulations to them all.
- Anthony Geaves 26:21
- Katie Taylor 35:19
- Anna Geaves 36:13
- Rick Ingels 36:16
- Sandeep Parmar 36:44
- Sarah Dennis 37:37
- Lorraine Park 38:34
- Maureen Freshman 39:02
- Corinne Morfill 40:02
- Luigina Hamer 40:37
- Tim Cash 41:30
- Caroline Goodchild 43:23
- Sarah Williams 43:25
- Amy Cass 43:54
Stevenage Striders club 5 mile Handicap Series
Sunday saw the Stevenage Striders take to the cycle paths for their annual 5 mile handicap series which kicked off at 10:00am. 38 runners took to the startline.
The race kicked off on the public footpath outside Ridlins Track, with runners making their way along the familiar 10k route. Following the cycle path, they moved along the A602, passed the football club, and navigated through the showground before turning right down Six Hills Way. The course took them under the underpass, up Six Hills Way, and left through the next underpass towards St. Nicholas School. From there, they circled back at the show ground and retraced the same path to the finish.
The day was filled with spirit, determination, and plenty of milestones! Awards were given to the top three finishers and to the fastest male and female. Every runner received a participation medal for their incredible efforts!
Race Results:
1st Place – Sarah Bolger
2nd Place – Catherine Gooding-Williams
3rd Place – Jim Whitehead
Fastest Female – Lina Mi (37:19)
Fastest Male – Marc William Cecil (29:29)
Fairlands Valley Spartans
Nearly forty Fairlands Valley Spartans ran the club’s handicap races in Stevenage on Sunday Morning. They had a choice of Bryan Moore Ten or the Paul Maguire Five. All were raising funds for Pancreatic Cancer UK.
Best for Martin at St Neots
On Sunday Spartan MARTIN JACOB ran the St Neots half in 1:45:56. There were a couple of steep hills along the route, but the last 6k was a smooth downhill and ideal for a fast finish. Martin took 47 seconds off his personal best (PB).
JAY PAPA was under 90 minutes with 1 hour 28 minutes 42 seconds for 109 out of the 1111 finishers and WENDY THARANI came in with in 2:07:39.
Shillington Shuffle
It was a sunny Sunday start for the Shillington Shuffle from Barton Le Clay. The route went straight up the Barton hills! Then through the villages of Lilley, Pirton, Howell, Lower Stondon, Meppershall, Shillington, Hexton and back to Barton.
Spartans Sharon and Mike Crowley finished in 8 hours 29 minutes; Paul Holgate in 8:53 and Mike Newbitt in 9:45.
Both Sharon and Mike were awarded their S-S-S Triple Challenge, for completing the Shillington Shuffle, Steppingley Step and Sundon Saunter.
Parkrun Highlights 16th November
30 of the 510 at the 373rd Stevenage parkrun were Spartans. This week FVS had two in the top five with GRANT RAMSAY who ran his 150th parkrun and was fourth with 18:43 and KIRK NDUGU fifth with 18:57.
KAREN ELLIS was fastest female from Fairlands with 25:29.
A major parkrun was achieved by PAMELA VILJOEN who ran her 250th parkrun in 29 minutes 58 seconds (29:58). FIONA CLARKE ran her 201st in 27:53.
STEPHANIE MAYFIELD ran a new parkrun personal best (PPB) of 29:13 for the 5K and ELIZABETH CROWLEY a new PPB of 29:37.
Recording his 80th parkrun STEVE PLATT finished in 29:53.
JIM BROWN was aiming for sub 28 and despite congestion in the last 800 metres made it with three seconds to spare. 27:57 and 200th position.
Spartans elsewhere included MATT GIFFORD 20:49 at Great Denham; JOHN HARRIS with 21:23 at Sandy water, Llanelli; SUZY HAWKINS 22:27 and second woman at Watermeadows, Towcester; MAURICE BALLARD 28:00 at Castle Park, Bishops Stortford; MIKE REYNOLDS 28:16 at Panshanger; LUCY FIELD 28:20 at University Parks; MARIA SWIFT 28:42 at Bug Hunter Waters, Cambridge; NICK KLEANTHOUS 29:07 at Preston Park, Brighton; ANNABELLE WHITE with 30:03 at St Albans; CHRIS HOLLAND 30:41 at Rutland Water; CHLOE CHAPMAN 31:38 at Ifield Mill Pond near Crawley; NICK GILL 32:24 at Letchworth; JONATHAN JONES 35:46 and DZENANA TOPIC 35:57 at Wimpole Estate.
Stevenage Phoenix Running Club
RunThrough, Alton Towers 10k
On Saturday 16th November, Joanna Heasman and Zoe Shreeve travelled to Alton Towers Theme Park for a thrill-seeking weekend. Zoe and Jo ran the 10k race together and completed the course in 01:00:44. Jo remarked that “the race was very hilly and hard, but a really good vibe. The price of the ticket also enabled free access to all park rides with a max 15 mins wait! A perfect day… only 36,000 steps.
Coastbuster 10k
On Sunday 17th November Jon Boe tackled an undulating out and back route for the Coastbuster 10k. The race started in Ramsgate and then went along the seafront towards Broadstairs before returning to Ramsgate for a breezy finish. Jon completed the course in 01:02:30 with a fantastic medal to mark the achievement.
LDWA Shillington shuffle
The Shillington Shuffle is a triennial challenge – taking place every third year. On Sunday 17thNovember, Head coach, Emma Mead and Deputy Head Coach, Lisa Liversidge took on the challenge, opting for the full 26-mile route and completed it in 05:44:43 (watch time). They were rewarded with a beautiful course and perfect weather conditions, though it was a challenging one! Just 2 miles in, they found themselves climbing up Barton Hills, only to be met with a stunning view and a rainbow.After a while, they faced another climb up Galley Hills and then another up to Warden Hill. A final ascent in Lilley pushed their endurance, but after that, the route levelled off, giving them a chance to enjoy some much-deserved downhill sections. Near the finish, they spotted a tree full of mistletoe—a lovely reminder of the approaching festive season.
Brighton 10k
10ks proved popular this weekend as on Sunday 17th November, Simon Lodge also took on a seafront 10k, this one being in Brighton. Simon’s time of 36:55 was not only a season’s best for him, but also a new MV50 club record and he has become the first Phoenician to reach an age grade of over 85%.
ParkRunThis week we had 12 runners at 4 locations. Well done to Lacey Harris and Richard Moore for their ParkRun PBs.
