Hot and sunny conditions provided a stunning but testing backdrop for the 15th Folkestone Coastal 10K on Sunday morning, as 903 runners—85 from Folkestone Running and Athletics Club—took to the town’s exposed seafront course.
With temperatures rising quickly and little shelter from the sun, the race proved a challenge of pacing and endurance. Despite the demanding conditions, Folkestone RC produced an exceptional set of results across all categories.
Leading from the front was Tom Bean, who claimed an impressive third place overall in 34 minutes 25 seconds. His performance, achieved in the heat, helped secure the men’s team prize alongside strong runs from Simon Ramsey (37:13) and Ian Merrick (37:56).
In the veteran categories, Paul Bartlett delivered a standout run to claim first V50 and a personal best of 38:10, while Krzysztof Klidzia was first V60 in 38:38. David Hitching continued the theme of success, finishing as first V55 and recording a new personal best of 42:04.
The women’s race also saw an excellent showing from the club, with Manda Gurung finishing second overall in 41:07. Her performance led the Folkestone women’s team—completed by Vicky Scott (42:54) and Catherine O’Connor (46:01)—to secure the team prize. Veteran honours went to Hilary Collins, first FV65 in 54:39, and Deirdre Coombs, first FV70 in 1:02:27, both managing the warm conditions with experience and determination.
Across the field, runners had to adapt to the heat, making the strong number of personal bests particularly notable. Amy Axon impressed with a new PB of 50:22, while Belinda Hitching set a new best of 54:04. Deborah Parmenter recorded her fastest-ever time at the event with 51:52, and Caron Inder achieved a significant personal best of 1:03:38, improving by more than three minutes.
The strength in depth of the club was once again evident, with a large number of runners producing solid performances despite the challenging conditions.
Folkestone RC finishers:
Tom Bean 34:25, Simon Ramsay 37:13, Ian Merrick 37:56, Paul Bartlett 38:10, Krzysztof Klidzia 38:38, Nicholas Steele 38:47, Phil Hayes 38:51, Nick Bryant 39:15, Torben Jessen 39:33, Thierry Bal 39:42, Baver Dag 39:47, Harry Wall 40:15, James Barney 40:57, Manda Gurung 41:07, William Parry 41:53, David Hitching 42:04, Thomas Aspinall 42:49, Vicky Scott 42:54, Miles Gawthorp 43:01, Joseph Carroll 43:07, Peter Sheridan 43:11, Dan McCarthy 43:53, Jon Thompson 44:51, Catherine O’Connor 46:01, Jason O’Callaghan 46:23, Adam Ward 46:46, Louisa Eede 46:45, Karl Letchford 47:29, Sebastian Voiss 47:45, Jake Brazier 47:11, Ian Vousden 47:54, David Tetlow 48:50, Stuart Erskine 49:09, Punaiu Gurung 49:09, Andrew Gardiner 48:39, Martin Salmon 49:26, David Smyth 49:44, Danny Tomlinson 49:11, Meg Scott 49:11, Peter Christensen 50:29, Amy Axon ran a new PB of 50:22, Martin Murray 51:07, Ron Bell 50:59, Kayleigh Ridgwell 51:41, Clive Allon 51:21, Vicky Parker-Smith 50:54, Deborah Parmenter ran her fastest Folkestone 10k in 51:52, Oscar Christensen 53:20, Aldous Hosking 53:22, John O’Hara 54:03, Alan Randall 54:31, Claire Tetlow 53:53, Caroline Curtis 53:54, Belinda Hitching ran a new PB of 54:04, Julie Apps 54:24, Diane Parsons 54:11, Hilary Collins 54:39, Marie Brazier 54:42, Lara Parsons 54:43, Rebecca Stevenson 55:08, Anthony Scott 56:01, Pam Allon 55:23, Andrew Smith 55:41, Gary Brazier 56:41, Layla Dmonte 57:51, Luke Hicks 57:52, Philip Bridges 58:52, Aurora Brown 58:58, Sophie O’Callaghan 1:00:40, Gail Turbutt 1:01:00, Rachel Smith 1:01:19, Trudi Curd 1:01:44, Deirdre Coombs 1:02:27, Julie Slingsby 1:03:10, Maria Felicetti 1:02:31, Amie Howard 1:03:10, Caron Inder 1:03:38 (a PB by 3:33 mins), Kate Miller 1:04:09, Julie Gibbs 1:05:45, Victoria Edwards 1:08:59, Sarah Silver 1:08:04, Lauren Hart 1:10:28, Malcolm Gibbs 1:10:16, Dominic Shepherd 1:14:31, Kate Lancefield 1:13:18.
Further afield, Folkestone RC athletes were also in action over the weekend. At the Hastings 5 Mile race, Darren Crew was undeterred by the heat as he ran a personal best of 32:05—his fastest time at the distance in a decade—while Jody Stoakes finished strongly in 40:27.
On Saturday, Stephen Deeming took on the demanding Embrace Ultra Three Castles 50km race, following the scenic Medway Valley Walk from Rochester to Tonbridge. He completed the ultra-distance challenge in an impressive 7:37:47, finishing on the Tonbridge athletics track.
With strong sunshine, coastal views and resilient performances throughout, it proved another memorable weekend for Folkestone Running and Athletics Club, showcasing both competitive success and the determination of its runners across a range of distances.
This Weeks parkruns;
Pegwell Bay parkrun
Sylwia Tokarska 27:36
Pontypool parkrun
Andrew Noble 22:43, Lesley Taylor 24:35
Ashford parkrun
Caroline Curtis 25:48, Henry Axon 26:49, Amy Axon 29:26
Walmer and Deal Seafront parkrun
Martin Salmon 24:30, Don Gilliland 25:47, Caron Inder 34:35
Dover Waterfront parkrun
Philip Bridges 30:12
Birkenhead parkrun
Jake Harvey 40:40
Hilly Fields parkrun
Kate Evans 26:33
Dartford parkrun
Sarah Silver 33:17
Haga parkrun
Jacob Henwood 29:48
Folkestone Parkrun
Reuben Lau 20:03, Thomas Murray 20:52, James Springett 20:58, Krzysztof Klidzia 22:08, Phil Haines 22:56, Jonathan Arana-Morton 23:03, Ian Vousden 23:18, Joseph Carroll 23:20, Jake Brazier 23:28, Andrew Hadlow 23:42, Anthony Leyton-Thomas 23:53, Tristan Bruce 24:16, Louisa Eede 24:24, Ian Merrick 24:44, Guy Slingsby 25:08, Jane Wren 25:30, Deborah Parmenter 25:37, Marie Brazier 26:09, Jason King 27:00, Tom Bean 27:05, Lara Parsons 27:12, Ron Bell 27:50, John O’Hara 27:53, Diane Parsons 27:55, Miles Gawthorp 28:08, Simon Burvill 28:11, Anthony Scott 28:12, Chris Addison 28:46, Alan Randall 29:02, Layla Dmonte 29:15, Rebecca Stevenson 29:32, Trevor Devooght 29:45, Richard Fowles 29:54, Kevin Whitby 30:05, Neil Adams 30:08, Anh-Van Whitby 30:12, Philip Maull 30:17, Jason Herridge 30:32, Rebekah Newton 30:36, Jonathan Drinkwater 30:55, Rachel Thompson 30:57, Lisa York 32:31, Paul Hazelgrove 32:55, Jason Crockford 34:26, Catherine-Anne Curtis 34:38, Debbie Fowles 35:57, Brian Davis 37:23, Kate Lancefield 49:54, Trudi Curd 50:26, Julie Gibbs 52:10, Malcolm Gibbs 52:12