This week brought our first real taste of summer heat, and with it, the club’s first big weather challenge of the season. Undeterred, the majority of members got out there to clock up the miles and even some PBs! Let’s get to it.
Ashford Striders Charing 10k 2023
Ashford Striders hosted their annual 10k on Friday the 9th. Billed as an “evening racing delight”, the day’s high of 22ºC was still cooking off as the runners lined up near Charing School. Nonetheless, Tony Scott tells us it was a fantastic scenic run with stunning views. And Torben pays tribute to our 19 racers — “good FRC turnout followed by recovery drinks in Bookmakers arms”.
| Runner | BIB | Category | Gun time | Chip time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Bryant | 35 | Senior Male | 00:40:33 | 00:40:32 |
| Torben Jessen | 134 | Male Vet 60 | 00:40:56 | 00:40:54 |
| Martin Murray | 172 | Senior Male | 00:43:10 | 00:43:08 |
| Stuart Erskine | 83 | Male Vet 40 | 00:45:27 | 00:45:25 |
| Rebecca Powney | 188 | Senior Female | 00:46:16 | 00:46:14 |
| Joseph Carroll | 42 | Male Vet 40 | 00:46:17 | 00:46:14 |
| Anh-Van Whitby | 252 | Female Vet 50 | 00:47:10 | 00:47:07 |
| Jason O’Callaghan | 180 | Male Vet 40 | 00:48:12 | 00:48:09 |
| Gavin Dodwell | 72 | Male Vet 50 | 00:49:04 | 00:49:00 |
| Louisa Eede | 80 | Female Vet 45 | 00:49:28 | 00:49:25 |
| Philip Bridges | 30 | Male Vet 50 | 00:49:35 | 00:49:31 |
| Richard Fowles | 93 | Male Vet 55 | 00:49:46 | 00:49:40 |
| Marie Brazier | 29 | Female Vet 45 | 00:51:32 | 00:51:28 |
| Diane Parsons | 182 | Female Vet 45 | 00:52:47 | 00:52:43 |
| Christian Gilbert | 102 | Senior Male | 00:53:57 | 00:53:54 |
| Anthony Scott | 210 | Male Vet 50 | 00:54:20 | 00:54:16 |
| Gary Brazier | 28 | Male Vet 50 | 00:54:45 | 00:54:42 |
| Deborah Dunham | 73 | Female Vet 50 | 00:57:57 | 00:57:51 |
| Rachel Smith | 216 | Female Vet 40 | 00:58:28 | 00:58:24 |
Not content with one scorching race, Tony returned to the Ashford area for another 10 kilometres of scorchio on Sunday for the Tenterden Run 10k, coming in at 1:00:38. It was, as Tony says, “undulating”, as is his preference.
Southend Half Marathon
On Sunday, further to the west, Southend Half Marathon hosted Henry Axon and Amy Owen who put the “power” in “power couple”. It may be called Southend-on-Sea, but it could’ve been Southend-en-flambé, peaking at 27ºC. That didn’t stop Henry from smashing into 6th place overall in 1:17:29! And it didn’t stop Amy from driving in a finish time of 2:24:55!
Lake District Ultra Challenge
Not to be outdone, Ron Bell laced up in the Lake District for a 50k ultra trekking from Kendal to Lake Windermere! As he describes it, he ran “up some horrendous hills, elevation 4,275ft, rugged terrain, and 27ºC heat.” Final results are yet to be published as of writing, so we’re more than happy to accept Ron’s version of events culminating in a stonking 8:36:46! Sounds to me to like the real heat was the fire in your belly, Ron.
Neil Adams’s Pint-Sized Fun Run
A full-hearted FRC salute to the runners who showed up on Sunday in support of Neil Adams’s London Marathon Oxfam fundraiser, the Pint-Sized Fun Run. This friendly bimble, hosted by Folkestone Beer Shop, saw runners trace their path from the beer shop and back over 5.68km, a metre for every millilitre in a cold pint of beer. And some of those paths traced were very inventive, with awards going to the most creative routes on GPS, including Paul and Jacob Henwood, and John Lawrence, who together scrawled “OXFAM NEIL” on the western side of the Leas!
parkrun
Challenge Cup action continues as Round 2 is underway at Folkestone parkrun through 8 July. You can catch all of the latest updates over on the parkrun Challenge Cup event page. In the meantime, here’s the week’s roundup of parkrun action across the club.
Folkestone parkrun
Harry LAWSON 15:32, Stephen MALE 17:17 (PB!), Prakash GURUNG 17:53, Krzysztof KLIDZIA 18:19, Ian MERRICK 18:39, Thomo MURRAY 19:08 (PB!), Jacob HENWOOD 19:17, Tristan BRUCE 19:23, Nick BRYANT 20:26, Philip HEATHFIELD 21:33, Paul BARTLETT 21:40, Torben JESSEN 22:07, Olwen COCKELL 22:09, Hazel GREEN 22:24, Kev HOWSE 22:51, Darren PHILIP 22:54, Thomas ASPINALL 22:56, Deborah JEFFERY 23:15, Vicky SCOTT 23:29, Linnaea STOCKALL 24:02, Catherine O’CONNOR 24:24, Louisa EEDE 24:35, Gavin DODWELL 24:37, Alan RANDALL 24:39, Rob HILL 25:10, Anthony SCOTT 25:11, Richard PICKERING 25:13, Phil HAINES 25:15, Philip MAULL 25:19, Richard FOWLES 26:56, Trudi CURD 27:07, Sylwia TOKARSKA 27:10, Paul HANNAY 27:49, Liam CUMBER 27:54, Carolyn LEWIS 28:05, Rebekah NEWTON 28:32, Sonia MARKWELL 29:49, Debbie DUNHAM 29:51, Jane WREN 29:54, Rachel SMITH 30:32, Kate LANCEFIELD 30:35, Deirdre COOMBS 31:06, Diane PARSONS 31:56, Sue ELKINS 33:16, Rachel YORKE 34:21, Kevin WHITBY 35:50, Kayleigh CUMBER 40:27, Brian DAVIS 42:01
Walmer and Deal parkrun
Dave BOWERMAN 23:44
Lews Castle parkrun
Nick STEELE 20:38
North Yorkshire Water Park parkrun
David BOTTING 24:46
Pegwell Bay parkrun
Philip BRIDGES 25:39
Margate parkrun
Andrew TREMAIN 27:46
Raphael parkrun
Henry AXON 25:58
Amy OWEN 35:03
Durham parkrun
Eleanor PRIESTLEY 24:44
Ashford parkrun
Trevor DEVOOGHT 18:29 (PB!)