Fairlands Valley Spartans
Five brave Spartans tackled the county cross country championships for seniors on Saturday 4th January. Men ran 11.75 kilometres and women 8 kilometres. All before the snow landed.
In the women’s race JAYNE RIDDELL was 42nd in 45 minutes exactly. First Spartan in the men’s race was ADRIAN BUSOLINI at 24th in 41:29. Then came MIKE JEFFS 46th in 43:25; PETER GENTLE 61st in 48:23 and DAVID ACKERY 78th in 1:08:01.
Senior means runners age 20 or over. There will be a cross country championships for veterans in a few weeks. Date to be announced.
First Ultra of the Year
Spartan John NELMS joined 300 other runners and completed the 43 mile country to capital ultra marathon on Saturday. Starting in Wendover on top of the Chilterns, the course winds down 20 miles through the hills to Denham where it picks up the grand union canal. Runners then have a further 23 miles to get to the finish near Paddington in central London.
The weather was kind this year with a light frost meaning minimal mud on the hills and John completed the 43 mile route in 9 hours 25 minutes.
This is his eighth appearance at this event and his 108th marathon (or longer event) overall.
Regent’s Park 10K
In horrible conditions Spartan SIMON FRASER ran Sunday’s Regent’s Park 10K by Mornington Chasers in 36 minutes 57 seconds (36:57).
New Year’s Eve 10K
The New Year’s Eve 10K in St Albans was a lovely way to end the year.
The event was over before the wind and the deluge. Spartan JAY PAPA beat 40 minutes when he finished 42nd in 39:57.
TIM ROBINSON was 453rd in 56:46 and PAUL HOLGATE 679th in 1:09:22.
All 802 finishers were offered a free glass of Prosecco to celebrate.
By Wednesday the New Year’s Day 10K in Hyde Park was postponed due to the conditions but the Stevenage parkrun went ahead.
Parkrun Highlights New Year’s Day and Saturday 4th January
There were an amazing 2,686 runs including more than 166 by Spartans at the five Stevenage parkruns held over the Christmas and New Year period. A big thank you to all the volunteers.
Will the weather stop it? Won’t it? The go ahead was not given until 8a.m. and still 509 people turned up to run the New Year’s Day special parkrun in Stevenage. 33 of them were from Fairlands Valley Spartans.
ADRIAN BUSOLINI has a good win at Stevenage parkrun with his 17:18. MEGAN SUTTON set a new parkrun personal best of 27:14.
SAMANTHA SUTTON ran her 100th Stevenage parkrun in 34:15. So far she’s run 174 parkruns altogether.
Elsewhere in Letchworth Spartan JOHN HARRIS was 12th in 24:10 and SUZY HAWKINS 22nd and second woman with 26:04. There were 102 finishers in Letchworth.
Then on Saturday 4th January another 530 runners turned out for Stevenage parkrun.
Some highlights from Stevenage –
SIMON JACKSON and GRANT RAMSAY were both in the top ten with Simon second in 17:59 and GRANT RAMSAY fourth in 18:41.
New member LORRAINE HILL was the fastest female from Fairlands with her 27:05.
KEITH HOOKER ran his 30th in 27:25; CLAIRE EMMERSON her 170th in 29:25; MAURICE BALLARD his 30th in 29:48; TRACY HAYGARTH her 150th in 29:48; REBECCA RAYNER her 10th in 45:29 and ROGER BIGGS his 190th in 48:36.
PENNY SCHENKEL two days away from starting her marathon training ran her 100th Stevenage parkrun, her 111th overall, in 31 minutes 41 seconds.
Elsewhere ROSE and SAM SUTTON enjoyed some parkrun tourism at Hove Promenade. Rose finished in 31:20 and Sam in 32:15. MONICA and STEVE SMITHSON were at Luton Wardown. Monica finished in 32:46 and Steve in 36:05.
Altogether 45 Spartans ran parkruns on Saturday. Some others were NICOLA KENNEDY 24:12 at Hunstanton Promenade; SUZY HAWKINS 25:43 and NICK GILL 31:12 at Letchworth; JAY PAPA 30:16 at Huntingdon; TIM ROBINSON 31:42 at Westmill; MICHAEL O’KEEFE 32:31 at Henlow Bridge Lakes; CHRIS HOLLAND 34:57 and DAVID SUTTON 39:09 at Rutland Water; and MATTHEW NEWTON 36:15 at Grovelands (Enfield).
Cross Country
The team results are in and as predicted by the much greater Spartan participation and performance the club did much better in the recent cross country league race. On the day the men’s “A” team were third out of 20 clubs and the “B” team were also third in that category. The men’s masters (veterans) were second. In the series the FVS men have moved up to fifth and the male masters up to third.
The women’s team were ninth out of 20 clubs on the day helping to give the club a combined fifth that morning.
The next cross country league race will be in Watford on Sunday 16th February.
Stevenage Striders Running Club
Records Broken and Strong Starts to the New Year
Stevenage Striders are off to a flying start in 2025, with members achieving personal bests, seasonal bests, and impressive performances in multisport events and road races. Here’s a roundup of their recent accomplishments:
Buntingford 10 Success for Helen and Peter Moye
• Event: Buntingford 10 (10-mile road race)
• Date: 31st December 2024
Helen and Peter Moye closed out 2024 in spectacular style at the Buntingford 10, achieving remarkable results:
• Helen Moye: 1:24:02 (Personal best, season’s best, and course best)
• Peter Moye: 1:06:16 (Personal best, season’s best, and course best)
Their performances capped off a successful year for both athletes and set a high bar for 2025!
St Albans 10k: Family Achievements and Fast Finishes
The St Albans 10k on New Year’s Eve saw strong showings from several Striders:
• Peter Moye: 39:21 (Personal best)
• Charlotte Moye: 53:22 (Personal best)
• Helen Moye: 53:27 (Paced Charlotte to her PB)
Additionally, Adam Mead ran his season’s best time of 1:05:42, describing the course as one of his favorites. While not a personal best due to holiday indulgences, Adam celebrated his second-fastest 10k ever, signing off 2024 in style with a glass of fizz at the finish line.
Richard Longley closed out 2024 with an exceptional performance. The flat, fast course and ideal running conditions set the stage for Richard’s personal best and course best. Despite a staggered start on the narrow course, he navigated it with confidence, finishing in an impressive time of 43:35.
TriFitX: New Challenges for Adam Hough and Sarah Kinsella
Striders Adam Hough and Sarah Kinsella took on the innovative TriFitX Challenge, a hybrid multisport event combining endurance and functional fitness. The event featured a 400m swim, 1.5km row, 5km bike ride, 3km run, and a 400m farmers carry.
• Adam Hough: 39:32 (First time at this distance)
• Sarah Kinsella: 45:57 (First time at this distance)
Both athletes tackled this demanding challenge head-on, stepping out of their comfort zones and demonstrating immense strength and determination.
The Stevenage Striders have started 2025 with energy, grit, and fantastic results across a variety of events. Congratulations to all participants on their achievements! Here’s to more successes and personal bests in the months ahead.
Stevenage Phoenix Running Club
St Albans 10k
On Tuesday 31st December, ten Phoenicians travelled to St Albans to take on the NYE 10k. First home was Conor O’Neill, with a PB time of 44:42, shaving several minutes off his time from last year. Next was Martin Harris with 45:21, Richard Moore with 46:23, Jodie Kantas with 46:35 and Katie Mitham with 47:33 – all personal bests! Jodie’s time also broke the FV35 club record. Coming in under the hour mark was Ashley Bates in 56:15 followed by Gemma Holloway in 59:18. John Harris ran the course in 1:03:14, Denise Ricot in 1:08:42 and Lacey Harris finished with a smile in 1:10:49. The runners had a well-deserved glass of bubbles to celebrate their wins.
ParkRun
Runners battled the wind and the ice this week with the blustery New Years Day event and the icy weekend just gone. Despite the weather, Myles Hammersley and Aaron Reynolds started the year strong with ParkRun PBs this Saturday 4th.
