Stevenage Striders Running Club
It was another chilly weekend, but that didn’t stop our local athletes from braving the elements and achieving some fantastic results. A huge well done to everyone who got out and made the most of the frosty weather!
In Saturday’s parkruns, there was plenty to celebrate, including an impressive performance by the Striders, with four of their runners finishing in the top 10.
The spotlight on Sunday shifted to the Fred Hughes 10 Mile Race in St Albans. For the second consecutive week, an event faced a last-minute route adjustment due to icy conditions. However, the alternative course—a challenging and undulating 10 miles through the picturesque countryside—didn’t stop several Striders from delivering standout performances.
Among the highlights was Helen and Charlotte Moye crossing the finish line together with a time of 1:34:07. It was a particularly memorable day for Charlotte, who not only competed at this distance for the first time but also set a personal best (PB).
Neil McKinnon also had reason to celebrate, achieving a PB of 1:30:24. Reflecting on the race, Neil described it as “a really enjoyable 10 miler through country lanes.” While there wasn’t a medal waiting at the finish line, runners were rewarded with a banana—and a pleasant event t-shirt.
A huge congratulations to Helen, Charlotte, Neil, and all the Striders who tackled the Fred Hughes 10 Mile Race and made the most of the wintry conditions.
Here’s to another successful weekend for the Striders!
Fairlands Valley Spartans
Amazing ADRIAN BUSOLINI has finished the Montane Winter Spine Race. He finished in just over 134 hours (134:02:24) – so nearly 34 hours to spare. Spartan Adrian was 42nd out of the 78 who finished. 82 others started but did not make it to the finish.
The Montane Winter Spine is widely regarded as Britain’s Most Brutal endurance race. It’s a non-stop, 268 mile (432 kilometres) race along the most iconic and demanding national trail in Britain; the Pennine Way. Beginning from Edale in Derbyshire, runners have a time limit of 168 hours to reach the elusive village of Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish Borders. They climb over 10,000 metres as the route crosses some of the most beautiful but difficult terrain found in England, including the Peak District, Yorkshire Dales, Northumberland National Park, Hadrian’s Wall and the Cheviots. It’s a truly epic challenge that will tests physical resilience and mental fortitude. The up to 150 participants will experience the full intensity and ferocity of the British Winter including deep snow, storm force winds and driving rain.
Spartan Adrian started from Edale, Derbyshire at 0800 on Sunday 12th January and had to be finished at Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish Borders by 0800 on Sunday 19th. He encountered daytime temperatures between zero and 10 degrees but night times between minus ten and plus degrees.
County Ten Championships
Eight Spartans, four women and four men, ran the Hertfordshire County 10 Mile Championships on an undulating course in St Albans on Sunday. They were incorporated in the Fred Hughes 10 event. Chilly but nothing like the freezing conditions at the Hatfield 10K last week.
Under the hour for ten miles is always a great achievement and Spartan SIMON FRASER did it with 58 minutes 13 seconds (58:13) which gave him 42nd place out of the 1,012 finishers.
Next came MICHAEL FISHER in 1:05:33 and MATTHEW NEWTON in 1:11:05.
YUKO GORDON was second woman 70 plus with 1:18:40.
JIM BROWN ran what he called a “magic time.” He couldn’t do it last year but wondered if he could beat 90 minutes. It wasn’t looking good at five miles – 45:25 – but a big effort in the second half saw him cross the line in 1:29:59 for a season’s best. Achieving a target by one second is a bit magic, one second the other way would be very disappointing.
Then there was ANNE TRYSSESOONE with 1:31:27. PENNY SCHENKEL improved on her last attempt by more than two minutes to finish in 1:41:06.
SHARON CROWLEY was almost four minutes faster than the time she ran at Buntingford at the end of 2024 with her 1:53:18.
The next county championship will be the Watford Half Marathon on Sunday 2nd February 2025. Includes the county championships for seniors (all adults, men and women).
Parkrun Highlights Saturday 18th January
A small increase ion temperature saw attendance jump up by nearly seventy at Saturday’s parkrun in Stevenage. There were 544 finishers including 24 Spartans. CAROLINE CROFT ran her 100th parkrun in 33 minutes 15 seconds. GRANT RAMSAY was top ten with 18:52 and ASHLEY JOHNSON was a top ten woman with 23:13.
There were 22 Spartans at other parkruns including a first visit to the Oaklands College parkrun for JANE WADEY. She definitely recommends trail shoes for this one. It was a two lap course which Jane reckons was 60% mud. She finished in 39:21.
Jane added, “As I’m a member of the deaf park run runners, I knew that there would be BSL (British Sign Language) at Oaklands college park run this weekend. I offered to volunteer but as they said they had enough I decided to run instead. It was the inaugural event and was opened by the High Sheriff Annie Brewster JP and we were welcomed by the Principal of Oaklands College.
There were 254 in attendance with various local clubs represented. The course was quite muddy in places so trail shoes might be a good idea. It is two laps, some of it is on paved paths but then you run around the edge of the rugby fields and through the woods but on the whole it is pretty flat.”
Stevenage Phoenix Running Club
Wild Running: Dark Skies Surry Hills (10 mile and caniX)
On Saturday 18th January, Jodie Kantas, Ian Harvey and goodest boy Presley experienced the thrill of a night trail run in the Surrey Hills. Held in Dorking and passing through the scenic Denbies Estate, the invigorating event supported the Dorking Area Food Bank. They navigated woodland paths under the stars, using the race as a training run to test their lighting equipment, with a watch time of 01:50:07.
The night wasn’t all smooth sailing as “we had a few problems at the beginning with a light, it wasn’t bright enough, so we had to stop and figure it out. It was good to follow the reflective markers and feel our way around the woods. I love running in the dark. It’s very calm and peaceful and all you can hear are your footsteps” remarked Jodie. Presley proved to be top dog on the night, claiming 1st place in the caniX (although a mix up meant that his medal was given to another four-legged participant, and he was given the medal for 2nd place).
Run Rebel: BrighTEN 10
On Sunday 19th January, three Phoenicians took on the challenge of 10 miles along the chilly Brighton seafront. The inaugural event by Run Rebel saw PBs all round for Alex Wasley, Martin Wasley and Melissa Tanti. According to Melissa, “the route was relatively flat with the exception of a mountainous climb at the turnaround point by the Marina”. Alex Wasley came first in the under 20s age category in an impressive time of 01:06:41, also breaking the male senior club record. Next up was Melissa Tanti in 01:32:31 (one second faster than her target time and shaving 8 minutes off her last 10 mile race). Martin Wasley completed the trio, smiling as he crossed the finish line in 01:44:36. The team then treated themselves to a well-deserved three course meal at a local restaurant.
ParkRun Headliner
On Saturday 1st February, Stevenage Phoenix will be headlining at Stevenage ParkRun. We will also be facilitating a donation collection for Knebworth Food Bank.
Donation drop off point: Bon Jovi corner, near the cycle hub (what three words: globe.rings.spin)
Items in urgent need (but not limited to):
Cereals
Coffee/tea
Long life milk
Pasta/rice
Squash
Sugar
Toilet and kitchen roll
Toiletries
Washing powder
