Folkestone Running Club members enjoyed another successful and varied weekend of competition, recording impressive performances across track, road, trail and open-water events.
At the Kent Masters Track & Field Championships in Medway, Helen Webb made a memorable track debut, competing in her first ever track races. On Saturday she won gold in the Women’s V40 800m with a time of 3:01, before returning on Sunday to claim a second gold medal in the 1500m, finishing in 5:58.
Also competing at the Kent Masters Championships in Gillingham on Sunday, Simon Ramsay produced a dominant display, winning both the V40 100m and 400m titles. He clocked 12.85 seconds for the 100m and 54.51 seconds for the 400m to secure a double gold medal success.
On Saturday, several club members enjoyed the unique challenge of the Howletts 5K, a race that winds its way through the zoo grounds. Nicole Dodd finished as second female overall in an excellent time of 23:25, earning herself a cuddly cheetah prize as part of the event’s quirky rewards. Julie Apps completed the course in 26:39, while Rachel Thompson also represented the club. Runners described the race as a memorable experience, sharing the course with views of elephants, monkeys and tigers, with competitors asked to slow to a walk near the tiger enclosure to avoid disturbing a mother and her cub. The unusual setting made for a truly unforgettable 5K.
Club member Marie Brazier completed a major personal milestone at the Serpentine 2-Mile Swim in London on Saturday. Finishing in 1:17:17, the furthest swim she has ever undertaken, Marie also completed the prestigious London Classics challenge, having previously finished both the London Marathon and the Prudential RideLondon 100-mile cycle event. She proudly received her London Classics medal at the finish.
Further afield, Martin Murray took on the Copenhagen Half Marathon on Sunday. Despite some strong gusts along the course, he recorded an impressive official time of 1:54:15 on the famously flat Danish route.
Meanwhile, Mel Powell and Royd Powell travelled to the Peak District for the Tissington Half Marathon Weekend, held along the scenic former railway line between Parsley Hay and Ashbourne. Showing remarkable stamina, both runners completed half marathons on consecutive days. On Saturday, Mel finished in 2:19:58 and Royd in 2:21:08. They returned on Sunday to do it all again, with Royd improving to 1:53:43 and Mel finishing in 2:04:50.
It was another outstanding weekend for Folkestone Running Club members, demonstrating the club’s breadth of talent across a wide range of sporting disciplines and distances.
This weeks parkruns:
Riddlesdown parkrun
David Gillett 20:11
Ashfor parkrun
Guy Slingsby 17:35, Dave Bowerman 20:28, Andrew Noble 20:32, Martin Salmon 25:10, Julie Slingsby 32:51
Maidstone River Park parkrun
Don Gilliland 30:42
Dover Waterfront parkrun
Nikki Goodwin was the 2nd Female in a time of 21:11, Jennifer Heathfield 25:59, Paul Hazelgrove 30:29
Weedhouse Moor parkrun
Brian Austin 31:47
Birkenhead parktun
Jake Harvey 43:48
Delamere parkrun
Anh-Van Whitby 28:50, Kevin Whitby 28:58
Weymouth parkrun
Henry Axon 26:36, Any Axon 29:49, Beth Goodchild 37:28
Leybourne Lakes parkrun
Anna Thomsen 20:03
Bognor Regis parkrun
James Springett 22:07
Amager Strandpark parkrun
Jacob Henwood 22:26
Folkestone parkrun
Kirsty Wilson had a storming run finishing as the first female back in a time of 20:20. Also running; Krzysztof Klidzia 19:16, Dan Mccarthy 19:45, James Barney 20:23, Ian Merrick 21:04, Nicole Dodd 21:37, Vicky Scott 21:52, Darren Crew 21:57, Jake Brazier 21:57, Paul Bartlett 22:03, Stuart Erskine 22:29, Jason King 22:42, Phil Haines 22:42, Joseph Carroll 22:45, David Weekes 22:50, Louisa Eede 22:54, Ian Vousden 23:01, Louise Hagger 23:03, Darren Philip 23:36, Andrew Gardiner 23:52, Simon Coffey 24:04, Asim Rai 24:13, Catherine O’Connor 24:20, Caroline Curtis 25:21, Anthony Scott 25:44, Miles Gawthorp 26:09, Kate Evans 26:22, John O’Hara 26:43, Diane Parsons 26:52, Alan Randall 26:58, David Botting 27:56, Lara Parsons 28:03, Jody Stoakes 29:31, Julie Gibbs 31:09, Rachel Thompson 31:47, Victoria Edwards 32:21, Rachel Yorke 33:23, Rosie Smissen 33:50, Hilary Collins 33:51, Jane Wren 33:55, Carolyn Lewis 33:57, Malcolm Gibbs 36:23, Kate Lancefield 37:14, Lauren Hart 40:28, Helen Merrick 49:34, Trudi Curd 49:43