Reports for 2008

Striders of Croydon faced strong opposition in the London Cross-Country Championships at Parliament Hill on Saturday. They finished 23rd of the 49 competing teams. Striders were led by Surrey steeplechase champion Matt Morgan who placed 49th of the 260 finishers, covering the 10 kilometre course in 35 minutes 33 seconds. Damian Macenhill was 109th (38.17), Iain Harrison 121st (38.51), Chris Morton 140th (40.11), Darren Piper 156th (41.00) and Simon Ambrosi 157th (41.01). Striders’ women were led by Suzy Yates, who placed 77th of the 154 finishers, covering the six kilometre course in 25 minutes 38 seconds. She was closely followed by club colleague Kerry Backshell who placed 81st (25.44).

It was a very cold Saturday for the 2008 London Cross Country Championships!! A brave band of Striders travelled across the great width of the Thames to the place known as North London!! Excuse my French but it was b!oody freezing walking from Kentish Town tube to Parliament Hill but as I entered the park it was great to see a nice new shiny Striders flag fluttering in the wind in the distance. It really is worth doing a cross country race just to see it!! The ladies race was half an hour before the men's so when I arrived it was obvious the reason I couldn't see Suzy or Kerry was because they were doing a nice hard warm up, they're far too professional to be using the time before a big race to go shopping for xc merchandise!! Ok Darren and myself did buy a nice long sleeve t-shirt each as well which I'm sure you'll see modelled at the clubhouse very soon. As you can imagine there was a high quality field and Suzy and Kerry finished suspiciously close (were you 2 chatting all the way round?) to become the 77th and 81st best cross country runners in London!!

The men's race is a weird 4 lap set up which means every time I started to get close to Chris he had a nice downhill at the end of each lap to pull away from me again and finally with about a lap to go he got scared when he saw me next to him and scurried off into the distance. Darren ran a very sneaky race letting me set the pace for most of it before pulling level with me after I had a dog the size of a thoroughbred stallion step out in front of me!! (Just as I was about to speed up and catch the leaders!!) This meant the pace was starting to pick up in friendly competitive fashion and of course I'm sure there was nothing unsportsmanlike about being forced to the slippery, tight, no grip at all, inside of the last corner as we gave our last burst of energy for the line. I won't bother boring you with which of us finished in front, you can check out the official results which magically hasn't got Darren listed!! (thankfully) Great running from Matt, Damian, Ian H and Chris to complete the team and great thanks to the ladies, including Serena who arrived in time to see us, and Mick doing his duty as official Striders supporter.

Striders of Croydon faced strong opposition in the South of the Thames Cross-Country Association’s inter-club five-mile race at a muddy Lloyd Park on Saturday. They placed 13th of the 24 competing teams. Their first man home was Surrey steeplechase champion Matt Morgan who placed 32nd, covering the course in 32 minutes 26 seconds. Teenager Nicholas Batten had an excellent run to place 60th (34.52). Tony Sheppard was 66th (35.32) with Ian Campbell 74th (36.00) and Neil Furze 87th (37.45). Alice Ewen ran well to place 28th in the women’s race (43.36).

Striders had several runners in the Brighton 10 kilometre road race on Sunday. Their first man home was Duncan Lancashire who placed 27th in a field of more than 2000, recording 33 minutes 38 seconds. Damian Macenhill also ran well for 78th (36.44) while Richard Lee-Smith ran a personal best 37 minutes 09, placing 99th. Another personal best came from Steve Massey who ran 38 minutes 40 for 155th. Club secretary Chris Morton also made the top 200, placing 183rd in 39 minutes 20. Mick Turner ran a personal best 39 minutes 48, just ahead of club colleague Alex Aronberg who recorded the same time. Both Ian and Suzy Yates ran personal bests, with Ian recording 40 minutes 06 and Suzy leading Striders’ women home with 42 minutes 02. She was closely followed by Simon Ambrosi who ran the same time, while club colleague Stephen Harrison was just two seconds behind them. Striders’ second woman home was Serena Stracey who ran 42 minutes 25, finishing together with club colleague Matt Anderson whose time was a personal best.

Duncan Lancashire produced an excellent run to lead Striders of Croydon in the second Surrey Cross-Country League Division Two match of the season, at Esher on Saturday. He placed eighth of the 134 finishers, covering the muddy five-mile course in 29 minutes 37 seconds. Club colleague Matt Morgan also ran well for 15th (30.11), while Justin Macenhill continued his return from injury by placing 31st (31.12). John Foster was 46th (32.15) with team manager Chris Morton placing 56th (32.54). Tony Sheppard was 58th (33.06) with Darren Piper 60th (33.12) and Bob Ewen 71st (33.57). 17-year-old Nick Batten ran well for 76th (34.13) while Steve Massey completed the scoring team in 82nd (34.45). Striders finished sixth in a competitive match, but are currently fourth of the nine Division Two clubs. Walton lead the division with 608 points, ahead of Guildford (651), Epsom (653), Striders (980), Kingston (992), Wimbledon Windmilers (993), Woking (1071), Dulwich (1106) and Elmbridge (1136).

Striders’ women faced strong opposition in their second Surrey Women's Cross-Country League Division One match of the season, at Lightwater on Saturday. They were again led by Suzy Yates who placed 50th of the 168 finishers, covering the four-mile course in 27 minutes 36 seconds. Josephine Thompson also ran well to place 56th (28.00), while Faye Stammers was 76th (28.59) and Kerry Backshell 77th (29.06). Steph Upton completed the scoring team in 92nd place (29.48). Striders finished 13th of the 15 competing clubs.

Striders’ B team placed tenth in their category. They were led by Alice Ewen who placed 111th (30.51). The team also included Yasmin Anderson (120th, 31.26), Andrea Jeffries (128th, 31.57), Carmen Somerset (140th, 33.33) and Amalia Da Silva Lima (150th, 34.29).

In the under-13 girls’ race, Striders’ Salma Khan placed 26th, covering the two-mile course in 15 minutes 17 seconds. Her sister Maryan Khan was 37th (16.38).

Striders of Croydon produced a good team performance to place third out of nine clubs in the East Surrey League’s annual cross-country race in Lloyd Park last Saturday.

Striders were led by Surrey steeplechase champion Matt Morgan, who placed ninth of the 98 finishers, covering the undulating five-mile course in 31 minutes 49 seconds. He was closely followed by Abdul Abidi who made a welcome return to Striders colours and placed ninth in 31.51. Striders’ next man home was Iain Harrison who placed 16th (33.30). John Foster also ran well, showing no ill-effects from his efforts in the Abingdon Marathon only six days earlier and placing 18th (33.53), just one place and one second ahead of Richard Lee-Smith. Veteran Dave Batten placed 31st and was first in the over-55 category (35.45), while his son Nick was 37th (36.25). Steve Massey placed 39th (36.54) with Neil Furze 44th (37.39) and Richard Edwards 36th (37.48).

Striders followed this by placing a respectable 15th of 30 teams in the annual Reigate Priory Relays. Their team comprised Stephen Harrison (18.42), Grant Barnes (16.55), Chris Morton (17.18), Darren Piper (17.20), Iain Harrison (16.17) and Mick Turner (18.02).

Dave Batten, of Striders of Croydon, produced an excellent run to take second place in the Surrey Over-55 cross-country championships at Richmond Park last Saturday. He covered the 10 kilometre course in 40 minutes 48 seconds. Club colleague Richard Edwards was 15th in the over-40 race (44.02).

Striders also produced some good performances in the Abingdon Marathon last Sunday. They were led by John Foster, who placed 74th in 3 hours 3 minutes 37 seconds. Club secretary Chris Morton was next home in a personal best 3.10.16, while Simon Ambrosi ran a personal best 3.19.43. Alistair Price made his marathon debut with an encouraging 3.23.58. Striders’ women were led by Suzy Yates, who was the 22nd woman to finish, running a personal best 3.28.39 and lifting herself to tenth place in Striders’ all-time women’s rankings. Her husband Ian was not far behind, recording 3.29.22, while her training partner Kerry Backshell was the 26th woman to finish, recording 3 hours 31.00.

Striders of Croydon produced some good performances in Sunday’s Croydon 10 kilometre road race, organised by Croydon Harriers. Their women’s team placed first while their men’s team placed third, behind South London Harriers and Blackheath. Striders also won the mixed team prize.

Alice Ewen led Striders’ women, placing sixth in the women’s race in 46 minutes 58. She was supported by Carmen Somerset who placed 16th (50.28) and Katherine Selby who was 19th (50.48). Striders’ men were led by Richard Lee-Smith who placed 12th in a personal best 37 minutes 37. Ian Campbell was 15th (37.59) and placed second in the over-40 category. Grant Barnes completed the scoring team in 18th place (38.19).

Several of Striders’ older runners performed well. Colin Cotton was second in the over-60 category (45.04) with Robin Jamieson third (46.45). Alan Dolton was third in the over-50 category (40.32), and Pat Edwards was third in the women’s over-55 category (55.42).

Meanwhile, Striders’ Damian Macenhill ran in the Cabbage Patch 10-mile road race at Twickenham, placing 68th in 61 minutes 20 seconds. Club colleague Iain Harrison was 82nd (61.48). Striders’ first woman home was Tina Macenhill who ran 75 minutes 51 seconds.

Surrey steeplechase champion Matt Morgan led Striders of Croydon in their opening Surrey League Division Two match of the season at Wimbledon on Saturday. He ran very well to place ninth of the 151 finishers, covering the undulating four and a half mile course in 25 minutes 53 seconds. The Macenhill brothers were next for Striders, with Damian placing 35th (27.32) and Justin 39th (27.51). John Foster was 43rd (28.11) with Iain Harrison 46th (28.19) and Tony Sheppard 51st (28.41). Simon Ambrosi was 62nd (29.03), just two places and two seconds ahead of veteran Bob Ewen. Team manager Chris Morton was 72nd (29.21) with Grant Barnes completing the scoring team in 79th (29.45). Walton won the match with 299 points, ahead of Guildford (310), Epsom (370), Wimbledon Windmilers (456), Striders (493), Elmbridge (495), Kingston (527), Dulwich (528) and Woking (615).

Meanwhile Striders’ women faced strong opposition on their return to Division One of the Surrey Women's League, at Banstead on Saturday. They were led by Suzy Yates who ran well to place 49th of the 177 finishers, covering the four-mile course in 28 minutes 20 seconds. Kerry Backshell was next home in 57th place (29.04) with Josephine Thompson also running well for 63rd (29.22). Faye Stammers was 69th (29.40) and Stephanie Upton completed the scoring team in 83rd (30.29).

Striders’ A team placed 14th of the 15 competing clubs in the division, while they showed their strength in depth by having the eighth B team. Their B team runners were: 113 Andrea Jeffries 32.02; 119 Alice Ewen 32.21; 147 Yasmin Anderson 34.50; 164 Samantha Purser 37.09; 166 Kim Ford 37.40. Salma Khan made her debut for Striders in the under-13 race and placed 46th.

Striders of Croydon staged their annual five-mile ‘Switchback’ race on Sunday, over an undulating course in Lloyd Park and Addington Hills. The race was won by Bill Makuwa who covered the course in 28 minutes 26 seconds. He finished just three seconds ahead of Herne Hill’s veteran Vic Maughn, who had led for most of the race and had the consolation of leading Herne Hill to the team prize. Third place went to Striders’ Matt Morgan, who recorded 29 minutes 12.

Striders’ next finisher was Damian Macenhill who placed eighth (31.14). Tony Sheppard, returning after a long absence through injury, was 11th (32.15) while Dave Batten was 18th (33.14). Alan Dolton was 36th (36.47) with Matt Anderson 40th (37.18) and Dave Denton 45th (38.20).

The women’s race was won by Ola Balme of Dulwich, who ran very well to place 19th overall (33.19). She beat Herne Hill’s Helena Laczko by just five seconds. Striders’ women were led by Stephanie Upton who placed 47th overall (38.29). She was followed by Alice Ewen (58th, 41.12); Emily Campbell (67th, 43.36); Kim Ford (75th, 45.58) and Pat Edwards (77th, 46.50).

Striders of Croydon’s track captain Matt Morgan gained his first county title when he won the Surrey 3000 metre steeplechase at Horsham on Saturday. His winning time of 10 minutes 12 seconds saw him finish comfortably ahead of his nearest rival.

Meanwhile, Striders’ road runners faced strong opposition in the Surrey Road Relays at Wimbledon. Their women finished 16th, while their men placed 21st.

For Striders’ women, track specialist Natalie Osher ran the first leg and finished 21st, covering the undulating three-mile course in 24 minutes 04 seconds. On the second leg Laura Wanless gained a place to finish 20th (20.50). On the third leg Steph Upton gained three places, recording 21 minutes 26, and on the final leg Suzy Yates ran 20 minutes 20 to being the team home in 16th place.

Striders’ men were without most of their first-choice runners and had to include five veterans in their team. Paul Weir ran the first leg and placed 22nd of the 24 finishers, recording 20 minutes 56. On the second leg Dave Batten, the oldest member of the team, ran well to gain two places, recording 17 minutes 50. Alan Dolton ran 18 minutes 48 on the third leg, dropping one place, before Iain Harrison gained three places with Striders’ fastest leg of 17 minutes 31. On the fifth place Dave Denton ran 20 minutes 52, dropping three places, while team manager Chris Morton ran the final leg and held 21st place (19.06).

Striders’ multi-eventer Dave Lovell recently set a new club discus record of 24.49 metres at Crawley, beating the previous record set by club colleague Matt O’Hare.

Saturday was a beautiful, hot, sunny day with the ground dry and firm which must mean it's time for cross country! Wait a minute, that doesn't sound right!! I counted a total of 3 tiny puddles on the Wimbledon course and made a point of going through the middle making the biggest splash I could to try and get into the spirit of it all - unfortunately that wasn't enough!! We had a good number of runners for the first Surrey League race of the season with the old regulars, Justin, Damian, Matt, some new faces, Grant, Nick Batten (1st time running with the men) and even dragging some people out of retirement, sorry Tony that's not fair but you did beat me so that makes us even!! The overall quality of the field seemed bigger and better than last year but I think there were a lot of Windmilers as we were running in their manor. The course might have been nicer if it wasn't so dry but in spikes you could feel every little pebble and twig! It was the usual 2 lapper but appeared to be short (how short we're not quite sure) of the supposed 5 miles and ended with a bit of uphill which Yasmin and Kim seemed to think would be the best place to see us all going by - thanks for that, I'm sure we were all looking our best at that point!! Matt Morgan was easily the fastest Strider coming home in 9th place overall on a course that appeared to have been designed for him with a few steeplechase-like trees blocking the path. If you want to run well in a race make sure you've got a train to catch soon after as that seemed to work for Damian, who was so determined to watch England be held to a first half 0-0 that he even beat an out of fitness Justin not too far behind! Next was John Foster, looking good for Abingdon next weekend, Iain Harrison, Tony Sheppard, me, Bob Ewen, Chris M, Grant, Steve Massey, Darren, Dave B, Nick B, Matt, Paul W, Brian … Next Surrey League fixture is 8 November so I will be performing a rain dance every day up until then!!

Striders of Croydon faced strong opposition at Wimbledon on Sunday in the annual Belgrave 5 kilometre road race. This incorporated the Surrey Championships and was the final event in this year’s Surrey Road League.

Striders were led by Simon Ambrosi, who placed 47th in 18 minutes 46 seconds, just one place and one second ahead of club colleague Richard Lee-Smith. Veteran Dave Batten ran well for 64th (19.23) and was third in the over-50 category. He was closely followed by Darren Piper (65th, 19.24); Nick Batten (69th, 19.30); Mick Turner (75th, 19.40) and Chris Morton (77th, 19.42).

Striders’ women were led by Yasmin Anderson who was 45th in the women’s race (23.46). Kim Ford was 57th (26.49) with Julie Shew 62nd (29.17). Pat Edwards placed 65th (29.47) and was third in the over-55 category. Striders’ women placed ninth in the team event, while their men were twelfth.

Striders of Croydon’s women’s team did well to take second place in the final Rosenheim League match of the season, at Tooting on Wednesday. Andrea Jeffries was second in the 1500 metres (5.55.7), while Kim Ford was second in both the shot putt (5.71) and the long jump. Yasmin Anderson ran well for third in the 400 metres in a personal best 74.5 seconds. Striders’ women placed second in the final league table, behind Serpentine but well clear of the other five competing clubs.

Striders’ men faced strong opposition and had to settle for fifth place in their match. Team captain Matt Morgan ran well for third in the 2000m steeplechase (6.43.7) and fourth in the 1500 metres (4.27.7). Justin Macenhill also ran well for third in the 800 metres (2.07.2), while Duncan Lancashire was third in the A 3000 metres (9.16.9) and Steve Massey was third in the high jump (1.30). James Buchanan was fifth in both the 100 metres (13.3) and 200 metres (26.3). Nick Batten set a club under-20 record of 2.14.4 when placing fifth in the B 800 metres.

Matt was our only representative in the first league fixture. He did well in all 3 races winning the steeplechase and being runner up in both 5000 and 1500m. Holland finished 2^nd to Havant by 7 points. No competitors in both hurdles races proving costly. This season we have combined with Redhill & Surrey Beagles and Dorking & Mole Valley as a composite team and have a pool of good athletes to call upon. Hopefully they are able to compete when needed.

A good all round performance at distant Southampton meant Holland again finished 2^nd to Havant. A home match for Eric though where he won the B Steeplechase and was 2^nd in the B pole vault. Matt again ran well winning both the A 5000m and steeplechase. With more competitors this year we comfortably covered all slots and everyone gets the chance to compete as non scorers in all events – a new innovation this season to encourage more competitors to participate.

Striders of Croydon’s talented distance runner Duncan Lancashire produced another excellent performance in the Elmbridge 10 kilometre road race on Sunday. He placed seventh of the 603 finishers in a personal best of 33 minutes 40 seconds, lifting him to fifth place in the club’s all-time rankings. Justin Macenhill also ran well to place 27th (35.25), while his elder brother Damian was 75th (38.45). Alex Aronberg was 83rd (39.05) and Alistair Price was 136th (41.06). Striders’ leading woman was Karen Macenhill, who placed 447th overall in 53 minutes 38 seconds. The team was completed by Karen Peake (465th, 54.52), Susan Haynes (525th, 58.36) and Julie Shew (527th, 58.40).

On the previous day, Striders had had 24 finishers at the Elmore 7-mile road race, organised by South London Harriers. Striders’ first finisher was Richard Lee-Smith who placed 22nd of the 273 finishers, recording 45 minutes 15 seconds. He was followed by club secretary Chris Morton (25th, 45.45) and veteran Bob Ewen (27th, 46.06). Striders’ first woman was Suzy Yates who placed 81st (52.13). She was followed by Josephine Thompson (90th, 53.21) and Stephanie Upton (92nd, 53.44).

Striders of Croydon held their annual club handicap for the Goodall Trophy last Wednesday, on a hilly five-mile course starting from their Sandilands clubhouse. The trophy was won by Peter Shew who covered the course in 38 minutes 10 seconds, substantially faster than the handicappers had predicted. The fastest time was recorded by Ian Campbell who ran 31 minutes 05 seconds. Richard Lee-Smith ran 31 minutes 26, while veteran Bob Ewen was third fastest with 32 minutes 08. The fastest woman was Faye Stammers who ran 35 minutes 50, with the next fastest being Yasmin Anderson (38.39) and Alice Ewen (39.01).

Striders of Croydon produced some good performances in the fifth Rosenheim League match of the season, at Tooting on Wednesday. Duncan Lancashire improved his own club 3000 metre record with a time of 9 minutes 08.8 seconds, finishing fourth in a high-quality race. Justin Macenhill ran well for second place in the 800 metres (2.07.2), while team captain Matt Morgan was third in the 1500 metres (4.19.4) and later ran a personal best 9.25.0 in the non-scoring 3000 metres. Fourth places went to Stephen Harrison in the 200 metres (27.0), Eliot Osher in the 400 metres (54.6) and the 4 x 200 metre relay team (1.49.8).

Herne Hill won a very competitive match with 60 points from Belgrave (59), Hercules-Wimbledon (57), Croydon Harriers (38), Striders (37), Serpentine (37) and South London Harriers (13).

Striders’ women again did well to place third and hold onto second place in the overall league table. Yasmin Anderson showed her versatility with third places in both the 800 metres (3.00.8) and the shot putt (4.12), and completed a busy evening with second place in the B 3000 metres (13.25.4). Club colleague Andrea Jeffries was third in the A 3000 metres (12.55.1).

Two days earlier, Striders had produced another good team performance in their final Southern Veterans league match of the season, at Croydon Arena. Their men placed third in the match, and finished the season in third place of the seven competing clubs. This is the first time since 2002 that Striders have finished the season in the top three. Striders gained good points from the 3000 metre steeplechase, where Darren Piper was second in the A race (11.43.5) with newcomer Grant Barnes winning the B race (12.01.6). Earlier, Grant had placed second in the A 800 metres (2.14.3) with club colleague Steve Massey second in the B race (2.35.2). Colin Cotton placed second in the over-60 race with a club age-group record of 2.45.0. Bob Ewen placed third in the 2000 metre walk (12.06.4), with Mick Turner winning the B race (12.16.1) and Dave Hoben second in the over-50 race (13.18.8).

For Striders’ women, Maggie Statham made a welcome return to club colours, winning the over-50 women’s 5000 metres in 21 minutes 52.3 seconds. Kim Ford placed third in the women’s 2000 metre walk (14.49.3) and discus (10.16), and fourth in the shot (5.91). Linda Daniel placed fourth in the women’s A 800 metres (3.03.7) with Karen Macenhill third in the B race (3.21.8). Striders’ women finished fifth in the match, just seven points behind Dorking, and were sixth in the final league table.

Duncan Lancashire, from Striders of Croydon, produced an excellent run in Sunday’s Dysart 10 kilometre road race at Petersham, which incorporated the Surrey Championships, and was the fourth event in this summer’s Surrey Road League. Duncan placed sixth of the 464 finishers in a personal best of 33 minutes 57 seconds, lifting him to eighth place in Striders’ all-time rankings.

Striders’ next man home was Justin Macenhill, who placed 29th (36.33). Simon Ambrosi was 56th in 38.57, just one place and four seconds ahead of club colleague Damian Macenhill. Darren Piper was 75th (39.50) with club secretary Chris Morton 78th (40.00). Veteran Bob Ewen ran well to place seventh in the over-50 category and 81st overall (40.06). Steve Massey also made the top 100 in 94th place (40.57).

Striders’ women were led home by Tina Macenhill who placed 273rd overall (48.36). Alice Ewen was 307th (50.17) while Karen Macenhill completed the scoring team in 362nd (53.56). In the team event, Striders’ men placed ninth of the 21 competing clubs, while their women were eleventh.

Simon Ambrosi's report from the Dysart Dash

A nice sunny morning seemed to bring out all the Striders yesterday for
the Dysart Dash. With a 9 o'clock start the sight of all those yellow
and green vests must be a bit much for anyone who'd drunk one too many
the night before!

The start was a bit congested trying to avoid cars and runners and a
couple of quick sharp corners means you have to go off fast to be in a
good position going into the tow path. It is possible however to go off
too fast especially when you're being dragged along by team mates. The
combination of Damian in front and Darren behind me meant I did the
first K in 3.40 (little bit quick for me) but like a true runner I
refused to admit I'd pay for it later and just pushed on.

I'm sure last year when we got onto the road section we were running on
the pavement on the other side of the road to take advantage of the
racing line but that didn't seem to happen this year and I didn't want
to look like I was trying to cheat so reckon we actually ran further
than we could have got away with, don't know if anyone else took more
advantage of the wide road. It was good to have Serena shouting support
at regular intervals with a baby in a pram (not hers surely!)

Performance of the day has to go to Duncan who not only came 6th overall
(helping Striders come 9th in the team results) went under 34 minutes
for the first time, got a PB and sneaked ahead of Tony Sheppard by 1
second in the Striders all time 10K. (He still got beaten by a vet 40
though, I expect better next time!) I know Chris wasn't too pleased
with his time after a good Near as Damn it in the week but was nice to
see they rounded down his time to 40.00. I'm sure he'd also be quietly
pleased to pip Bob Ewen and to make sure her Dad didn't get too
depressed Alice Ewen decided to keep behind him in her first race for a
while!!

Link to results below but in summary:

Age Cat.
Pos Name Club Time Group Pos
1 Stuart Major Newham & Essex B 32.42 SM 1
6 Duncan Lancashire Striders of Croydon 33.57 SM 5
29 Justin Macenhill Striders of Croydon 36.33 SM 22
56 Simon Ambrosi Striders of Croydon 38.57 SM 38
57 Damian Macenhill Striders of Croydon 39.01 SM 39
75 Darren Piper Striders of Croydon 39.50 SM 46
78 Chris Morton Striders of Croydon 40.00 M40+ 21
81 Robert Ewen Striders of Croydon 40.06 M50+ 7
94 Stephen Massey Striders of Croydon 40.57 M40+ 25
187 Mick Turner Striders of Croydon 45.14 M40+ 50
254 Robin Jamieson Striders of Croydon 47.46 M60+ 8
261 Tom Littlewood Striders of Croydon 48.09 SM 102
265 David Denton Striders of Croydon 48.24 M40+ 66
273 Tina Macenhill Striders of Croydon 48.36 L35+ 32
286 Michael George Striders of Croydon 49.08 M50+ 34
307 Alice Ewen Striders of Croydon 50.17 SL 27
362 Karen Macenhill Striders of Croydon 53.56 L35+ 40
370 Peter Shew Striders of Croydon 54.51 M50+ 46
375 Martin Gourlay Striders of Croydon 55.20 M40+ 87
379 Paul Weir Striders of Croydon 55.59 M40+ 88
389 Patricia Edwards Striders of Croydon 56.52 L55+ 6
399 Kim Ford Striders of Croydon 57.58 L45+ 21
413 Susan Haynes Striders of Croydon 59.43 L35+ 50
417 Julie Shew Striders of Croydon 60.14 L35+ 52
445 Andrew Thatcher Striders of Croydon 66.08 M40+ 95
447 Karen Connor Striders of Croydon 66.58 L35+ 61

Matt Morgan's phenomenal recent form continued at Saturday's Banstead Woods 5K time trial. He won the race with a personal best time of 16.51 in wet and slippery conidtions.
Meanwhile Striders of Croydon produced some good performances in the fourth Rosenheim League match of the season, at Tooting on Wednesday. Yasmin Anderson gained a narrow victory in the women’s A 100 metres, winning by just one-tenth of a second with a personal best of 15.5 seconds. Club colleague Natalie Osher ran the same time in the B race, although she was beaten by her opponent from Herne Hill, and also placed fourth in the A 200 metres with a club record 32.1 seconds.

For Striders’ men, Matt Morgan had a successful evening, placing second in the 400 metre hurdles (70.4), third in the 1500 metres (4.19.7) and fourth in the A 3000 metres (9.30.7). Eliot Osher ran well for third in the 400 metres (54.8). Striders’ 4 x 200 metre relay team of Osher, Morgan, Nick Batten and Stephen Harrison placed fourth (1.49.3), just one-tenth of a second ahead of local rivals Croydon Harriers. Earlier, Nick Batten had set a club under-20 1500 metre record of 4.43.7, while his father Dave had set a club over-55 3000 metre record of 10.55.8. Dave Lovell placed sixth in the 200 metres, equalling the club over-45 record of 28.7 seconds. He also competed in the 100 metres, shot and javelin.

Striders’ women placed third in the match and retained second place in the overall league table. Striders’ men were fifth of the seven competing clubs, and slipped to fifth in the overall league table.

Three days earlier, in the Epsom 10 kilometre road race, Matt Morgan had run a personal best 34 minutes 57 seconds, lifting him to equal 15th place in the club’s all-time rankings. Club colleague Suzy Yates ran a personal best 43.54, also lifting her to 15th place in the club's women’s rankings.

Striders of Croydon’s leading middle-distance runner, Duncan Lancashire, produced an excellent performance in the third Rosenheim League match of the season, at Tooting on Wednesday. He set a club 3000 metre record of 9 minutes 15.3 seconds, finishing a close second behind Will Cockerell of Belgrave. Striders’ talented teenager Eliot Osher also ran well in the 400 metres, finishing a close third in a club under-20 record of 54.3 seconds. Striders’ 4 x 200 metre relay team of Lancashire, Osher, Dave Lovell and Stephen Harrison ran well to finish third (1.49.6). Earlier, Harrison had placed fourth in the triple jump (7.78). Matt O’Hare placed fourth in the discus (23.64) and also set a club record in the shot of 8.05 metres, finishing fifth. Striders’ youngest competitor, Nick Batten, set a club under-20 record of 10 minutes 52.6 in the 3000 metres.

Striders’ women were short of numbers, but Yasmin Anderson had a successful evening, recording two new personal bests. She placed fourth in the 1500 metres (6.07.3) and equal second in the high jump (1.05). Her efforts ensured that Striders’ women finished fourth in the match, and stay second in the overall league table, while their men finished fifth of the seven competing clubs.

Striders of Croydon faced strong opposition in the annual Dorking 10-mile road race on Sunday, which incorporated the Surrey Championships. Their women placed tenth, while their men were 12th of the 45 teams to finish.

Kerry Backshell had an excellent run to finish twelfth in the women’s race and third in her age group, covering the undulating course in 72 minutes 13 seconds. Stephanie Upton was 50th (80.38) with Tina Macenhill not far behind in 58th (82.02). Karen Macenhill completed the scoring team in 126th (92.17).

Striders’ men were led by Damian Macenhill who placed 55th (64.57). Club secretary Chris Morton was 92nd (67.42) with Mick Turner 98th (68.01) and Alistair Price completing the scoring team in 107th (68.42).

Striders’ B team placed 26th. Darren Piper was 135th (69.35) and was followed by Steve Massey (144th, 70.19), Robin Jamieson (224th, 76.08) and Steve Smith (244th, 77.21).

Five members of Striders of Croydon gained medals at the Surrey Veterans Championships at Kingsmeadow Stadium on Saturday. Dave Batten won the over-55 800 metres (2.28.5), while Dave Hoben won the over-55 3000m walk (20.08.7). Both these performances were club records for this age-group. Striders’ oldest competitor, Kevin Burnett, won six medals in the over-65 category. He was second in the 100 metres (18.8), 200 metres (36.5), shot (6.41) and discus (20.43), and was third in the hammer (17.43) and javelin (15.70). Alan Dolton was second in the over-50 5000 metres (20.37.3). Matt O’Hare was third in the over-35 javelin with a club record of 30.75 metres, and also took third in the discus (21.51).

Striders of Croydon produced an excellent team performance in their Rosenheim League match at Croydon Arena on Wednesday. Their women did very well to take second place, just one point behind winners Serpentine, while their men were third of the seven competing clubs. For Striders’ women, Serena Stracey gained valuable points with an unexpected win in the discus, where her best throw of 12.44 beat her nearest rival by just one centimetre. Sophie Shaw ran well against older rivals, placing second in the 3000 metres with a club under-17 record of 13 minutes 06.7 seconds. Yasmin Anderson placed third in the same race (13.09.3). Natalie Osher placed third in the 400 metres with a club record 74.2, and also took third in the 800 metres (2.48.5). Serena, Sophie, Yasmin and Natalie finished the evening with second place in the 4 x 200 metre relay (2.17.9).

Striders’ men were again led by Matt Morgan who gained an emphatic win in the 1500 metres, recording a personal best 4 minutes 22.1. He also took second place in the 400 metre hurdles (74.6). Eliot Osher placed second in the 400 metres with a new club under-20 record of 55.8 seconds. Dave Lovell had a hectic evening, placing second in the high jump (1.30), fourth in both the long jump (4.27) and 100 metres (14.6), and fifth in the 200 metres (29.1). Striders’ 4 x 200 metre relay team of Nick Batten, Dave Lovell, Matt Morgan and Steve Harrison placed second (1.52.1), narrowly behind local rivals Croydon Harriers.

Two days earlier, Striders had also placed third of seven clubs in their Southern Veterans League match at Croydon Arena, just two points ahead of fourth-placed Kingston. Their leading scorer was Justin Macenhill who gained a convincing win in the over-35 3000 metres (9.33.0), having earlier placed second in the 800 metres (2.06.2). Both these performances were club over-35 records. Striders gained good points from the 3000 metres with Bob Ewen placing second in the over-50 race (11.09.7) and Steve Massey second in the over-35 B race (11.45.6). Striders’ women were short of numbers and had to settle for fifth place, just one point ahead of sixth-placed Sutton. Kim Ford showed her versatility by tackling three events; she placed third in the shot putt with a club over-40 record of 5.84 metres, and also placed fourth in the javelin and fifth in the long jump.

Oh Buddy Where Art Thou?
Starring: Chris (Buddy) Morton, John (I'm no ones buddy) Foster, Mick (Front Runner) Turner, Bas (GPS) Sharif, Ian (Eggman) Campbell, Elene (Van girl) Kayum, Mick (The Driver) George, Tom (you can leave me in the Serpentine bus) Littlewood, Duncan (3rd place) Lancashire, Don (we'll win it next year) Kayum, Dave (substitute) Shaw and Simon (2 pint) Ambrosi.

Saturday
7:00am I was standing in Sandilands car park wondering what I was doing as the van that was to become my home for the next 48 hours pulled up. A band of 11 brave, stupid, athletes were all assembled and ready to write an epic 220 mile episode in the striders of Croydon history books. Before anyone had a chance to wake up properly and realise what they'd actually got themselves into we were off to Hampton Court for the start of the 2008 Green Belt Relay.

7:45am You could see the look of fear and intimidation in the eyes of the other 27 teams as the now famous Striders of Croydon tour bus arrived. This was probably the first and only time the whole team would be together.

7:50am Bas went off to find the loo.

8:10am Bas returned from the loo, apparently 'talking to people' but the look on his face suggested he was already a bit worried about racing 2 days in a row.

8:30am Due to Marathon inflicted injuries I'd decided quite early that I wasn't going to be able to run on both days but luckily Dave Shaw agreed to do the first 13 miles. We cheered him off and all jumped in the van, we were the first to leave, on schedule and looking good - who said this race couldn't be done with only 1 minibus!!

8:55am After a slight diversion through an NHS car park it was time to drop off Tom for the 2nd leg and Mick T who was Dave Shaw's buddy. At this point it's probably worth giving some background to the concept of 'buddies'. It was decided that as we only had one mode of transport and so runners may be hanging around after they'd run each person would have a buddy who would be responsible for making sure they had their bag with food, change of clothes waiting for them at the end. This reminded me of science lessons at school when your lab buddy was responsible for making sure the other person didn't gas the class or set fire to the school with a bunsen burner - this was far more important! The next hour in the van involved several conversations which really didn't involve much more than, 'Are you my buddy? Who's my buddy? Have I got a buddy?'

9:45am We're all in the van and Bas has got his shorts on!

10:02am First phone call of the day, 'Dave Shaw has finished in 92 minutes looking fresh and we're being beaten by the gay team'.

11:15am A strong unpleasant smell started spreading through the van as Ian started munching one of his many egg snacks.

12:30 not only did we have to drive and run the length of the M25 but there was also the job of marshalling. This was something we excelled at, not sending anyone in the wrong direction and I was bitterly disappointed that there wasn't an award for this at the end.

13:00 Best result of the day, Duncan finishing in 3rd place on the 4th leg!

13:30 Ok, here's where it all started to go a bit pear shaped. Because of having to drop off runners, collect runners, drop off buddies, collect marshals and a lot of double backing with the van there was a lot of reliance on traffic and the now infamous GPS!! This meant that one slight hiccup could cause a major disaster. The hiccup was Ian being dropped off a couple of minutes last for his start, the major disaster being Ian then getting lost, having to return to the start, Elene missing her start, half the team being scattered somewhere across the home counties and Striders of Croydon being disqualified from the race! This was probably the lowest point in sporting history since Wayne Rooney got a red card for 'accidentally' standing on the private parts of some Portuguese footballer in the World Cup!

16:00 My memory is a bit hazy of exactly what happened over the next couple of hours as no one seemed to know where anybody else was so was quite relieved to be dropped off at the end of Chris's stage to wait for him to finish. Luckily it was next to a pub and because it was raining and there was nowhere else to go we were forced to go inside in search of shelter. It was a very pleasant pub, little bit posh looking given that we were so close to Essex!

17:00 Still in the pub, laughing at Chris grabbing for his phone every time there's a sound that vaguely resembles a ring tone. The stress levels were being cancelled out by the beer levels and we were determined to make sure the stress didn't win as we were getting reports of various Striders catching lifts in various different Serpentine, Ranelagh and other team buses.

18:00 So the position is, me and Chris in a pub in Letty Green, Tom and Duncan in a pub in Hartford, Don and Elene in a pub in … wait a minute I though this was supposed to be a running race, not a weekend binge drinking!

19:00 Phone call from Bas, 'We're here in the van, you can come outside'. I go outside, no sign of anyone so give him a call back. 'It's ok Simon I can see you now and walking towards you.' I'm outside a pub in the middle of a country lane with nothing to see for miles and starting to get very confused by the conversation with Bas. It turns out it wasn't me he'd seen but they were on their way so me and Chris finish our pints and wait outside.

20:00 Next thing I know we're back in the same pub with a drink in our hands, I'm sure something very similar happened after one of the cross country races and never worked out how that happened either!

23:30 Bit of food and more drink later we're in the minibus for a nice short drive to the hotel. Apart from nearly running out of diesel and driving 2 junctions of the M25 in the wrong direction we finally arrived at our beds about half past midnight in the middle of a Purley Wayesque leisure park complete with pubs, clubs and all those other places hip young things go to.

00:45 Headphones in and sleep!

Sunday
06:00 After ending a problem filled Saturday on a bit of a downer having only run 8 of our 11 legs we were determined to make Sunday much better. This was to be achieved in 2 ways. Firstly heading off before the rest of the World was awake and secondly only worrying about getting people to the start of their legs then letting them use all their skills to get to somewhere further along the route.

8:00 After the day before it was a great relief to be out in the fresh air about to run. I had a special moment on the start line when I discovered the runner next to me was in the other team that had been disqualified. The first leg of the 2nd day was 10.5 miles, this would be the furthest I'd run since the marathon and with a number of injuries wasn't too hopeful of finishing. I started off nice and slowly with a couple of other runners, my other big fear had been getting lost so decided it was much better to stick to someone who looked like they knew where they were going. It was a nice sunny morning but too early to be too hot as we raced around the Essex countryside. I got a bit of confidence after 4 miles when I wasn't feeling any pain and started to pick up the pace a bit. I felt even better when me and the guy I was running with worked out 2 runners in front had taken the wrong turning!

9:15 Finished my leg, bit sore but didn't seem to affect my running too much. There was a much more laid back feel in the minibus with Don doing his best to get rid of all our runners in other team buses so we didn't have to do so much driving back and forth.

12:00 It was a shame we had such a disaster on Saturday because Sunday showed how well we could have done getting people to their starts at the right time and everyone having a good run. Notably Duncan getting his second 3rd place of the weekend, John giving his all even with his injury and Ian finishing what was probably the toughest leg of the whole weekend up a big, nasty, hill to Tatsfield.

12:15 It was around this time that Mick T suddenly decided he didn't want to travel with us anymore and after a brief chat with a couple of runners from another club disappeared into their bus without looking back and with a big grin on his face. Maybe he'd had enough of us bringing up the rear and wanted to see what it would be like at the front. Runners were starting to know Striders of Croydon as the club that needed to get lifts off everyone, giving us almost cult status.

15:00 We managed to get a good marshal point somewhere near Boxhill to see Sonia O'Sullivan go speeding through with a very determined Don a few places back working his socks off to make up ground.

18:00 Back in the bus for the last time and it was good to know everyone had either run that day or was in place to start their stage, especially Mick G and Elene who'd had to miss out the day before, now the challenge was to get to the end before Elene so we could see her finish. I was worried about the condition of her legs, not because she hadn't raced for 2 years but because she'd been crushed in the bus for almost the whole weekend. I needn't have worried as she powered her way round the 9 mile route to complete Striders contribution to the race for this year.

Some people might say there was a bit too much celebrating for a team that came last and didn't even qualify for the prize of worst team because we were so bad but in the end everyone had a good time and I'm sure this is an event we'll do as a club again - but not with only 1 minibus!!

No official results yet (London FrontRunners won overall and well done to the Millennium Group, including a couple of Striders, who won the vet prize) but they should appear on the Green Belt Relay site soon.

Striders of Croydon produced some good performances in the first Rosenheim League match of the season, at Battersea Park on Wednesday. Their women placed equal third, while their men were fourth of the seven competing clubs.

Team manager Matt Morgan led by example, getting Striders off to an excellent start by winning the opening event, the 2000 metre steeplechase (6.40.9). He also won the B 1500 metres (4.25.7).

Striders also finished the evening with a victory, thanks to their 4 x 200 metre relay team of Steve Harrison, James Buchanan, Eliot Osher and Duncan Lancashire, who won their race in 1.48.5. Earlier, Lancashire had set a club 3000 metre record of 9 minutes 23.9 seconds, placing fifth in a good-quality field. He also showed his versatility with fourth place in the 100 metres (13.9). Matt O’Hare placed third in the discus with a club record 24.09, and fifth in the hammer with a club over-35 record (19.53). Eliot Osher set two club under-20 records, placing fourth in the 200 metres (25.4) and fifth in the 800 metres (2.16.1).

For Striders’ women, Natalie Osher placed third in the 800 metres (2.52.1) and second in the B 200 metres with a club record 32.6. Club colleague Yasmin Anderson was fourth in the A race (33.5). Sarah Milne was fourth in the 1500 metres (6.28.1) and Kim Ford was fourth in the discus (11.64). Natalie, Yasmin, Sarah and Kim finished the evening with second place in the women’s 4 x 200m relay (2.29.9). Striders had their best ever turnout for a Rosenheim League match with a total of 15 club members competing.

On the same evening, Striders also had 15 runners in the annual Beckenham Road Relay. Their A team did well to finish third of the 41 competing teams. Justin Macenhill gave them a good start, running the first 2.6 mile leg in 13 minutes 59 seconds, which was the sixth fastest time of the day. Iain Harrison, in his first race since the London Marathon, ran the second leg in 15 minutes 02, while Damian Macenhill completed the team with 15 minutes 16.

Striders’ women finished eighth in their category. Louise Gough ran the first leg in 21 minutes 16, and was followed by Kerry Backshell (18.23) and Josephine Thompson (18.07).

Striders of Croydon produced some good performances in the Sutton 10 kilometre road race on Sunday, which was the first event in this year’s Surrey Road League. Their men’s team were eighth, while their women placed ninth.

Striders were led home by Damian Macenhill, who placed 40th in 38 minutes 50 seconds. He was closely followed by Ian Campbell, who finished 42nd (38.58). Club secretary Chris Morton was 54th (40.14), while Alistair Price completed the scoring team, placing 61st in a personal best 41.04, just one place and two seconds ahead of club colleague Mick Turner. Simon Ambrosi was 71st (41.40) with Dave Batten 73rd (41.43) and Steve Massey 84th (42.55).

Striders’ women were led home by Josephine Thompson who placed 29th in the women’s race (45.25). Susannah Oliver was 61st (51.37) and completing the scoring team was Sarah Hansbury in 72nd (53.14). Also finishing were Kim Ford 89th (57.02) and Pat Edwards 92nd (57.13).

Striders of Croydon produced some good performances in their first Southern Veterans league match of the season, at Kingsmeadow Stadium. Despite a lack of numbers, they finished a close fourth of the six clubs in the match, only six points behind third-placed Kingston.

Justin Macenhill ran well to win the over-35 1500 metres by more than six seconds (4.27.1), having earlier placed second in the 400 metres (58.0). Also in the 1500 metres, Colin Cotton placed second in the over-60 race (5.44.5) while Alan Dolton was second in the over-50 race (5.30.4) and Mick Turner was second in the over-35 B race (5.31.7).

Striders also gained good points in the 2000 metre walk, where Bob Ewen placed second in a new club record of 11.54.8. Mick Turner won the B race (12.11.3), while Dave Hoben was third in the over-50 race (13.04.9).

Dave Batten ran well to win the over-50 400 metres, setting a club over-55 record of 67.6 seconds. He was also fourth in the over-50 100 metres (15.3) and long jump (2.74). Kevin Burnett, the oldest member of the team, was fourth in both the over-50 shot (5.96) and the hammer (12.97). Dave Lovell was fourth in the over-35 long jump (3.55) and fifth in the 100 metres (14.4), while Justin Macenhill was fourth in the shot putt (6.62).

Striders’ 4 x 100 metre relay team of Macenhill, Batten, Turner and Burnett finished the evening by taking third place (62.5).

Striders of Croydon had 17 finishers in the London Marathon on Sunday. Their first man home was also their youngest finisher, Iain Harrison, who ran 3 hours 01 minute 36 seconds, moving him into 19th place in Striders’ all-time club rankings. Damian Macenhill was next for Striders in 3.08.08, and was followed by Ian Campbell (3.08.58), Simon Ambrosi (3.28.13), Robert Clancy (3.43.48) and Phil Mazur (3.51.41). Striders’ first woman home was Stephanie Gilmour who ran well to finish in 3 hours 53 minutes 19 seconds.

However probably Striders’ best performance of the day came from club treasurer Robin Jamieson, who set a new club over-60 record of 3 hours 53 minutes 56 seconds, breaking the previous club record by more than ten minutes.

Striders’ other finishers were: Alan Purchase 3.58.16; Susan Haynes 4.43.28; Isabelle Kita 4.46.38; Julie Shew 4.47.59; Liz Orange 4.57.54; Anne Eldridge 5.11.32; Steve Tyler 5.11.37; Andy Thatcher 5.44.21; Jacqui Mazur 5.48.34.

Striders also had two finishers in the Under-17 mini-marathon. Nicholas Batten covered the three-mile course in an encouraging 17 minutes 48 seconds, while club colleague Sophie Shaw ran 22 minutes 57.

Striders of Croydon produced a good team performance to place fourth in the East Surrey League’s annual road relay, held at Box Hill on Saturday afternoon. They had made a cautious start with team manager Chris Morton covering the first of the 2.1 mile legs in 13 minutes 32 seconds. However Justin Macenhill moved rapidly through the field on the second leg, running 11 minutes 15, and his brother Damian continued the team’s improvement with 11 minutes 49 on the third leg. On the final leg Matt Morgan ran 11 minutes 37 to overtake local rivals Croydon Harriers. This was a particularly good run by Matt, as in the morning he had placed second in the Banstead Woods 5 kilometre time trial, recording a personal best of 17 minutes 45 seconds. Striders’ fastest woman at Box Hill was Josephine Thompson who helped the B team to ninth place.

The Macenhill brothers showed good powers of recovery to be Striders’ first two finishers at the Hastings Half-Marathon on Sunday. Damian gained a rare victory over his younger brother, recording 1 hour 22 minutes to finish in 57th place, half a minute ahead of Justin. Mick Turner, who had run for the club’s B team at Box Hill on the previous day, also ran well to record 1 hour 31 minutes 38 seconds. Striders’ other finishers were: Alan Purchase 1:37:23; Robin Jamieson 1:47:10; Tina Macenhill 1:49:27; Paul Weir 1:53:06 ; Stephanie Noyce 1:54:44; Amalia Da Silva 2:03:06; Isabella Kita 2:08:51; Mark Armstrong 2:10:28; Rebecca Da Silva 2:10:28; Tom Stevens 2:11:22; Steve Tyler 2:17:05; Andy Thatcher 2:17:30; Jacqui Mazur 2:28:32; Angela Taylor 2:35:36

Striders of Croydon’s leading distance runner, James Buchanan, gained his second successive victory in the Croydon Harriers Inter-Club match at Lloyd Park last Saturday. He covered the undulating 10 kilometre course in 37 minutes 48 seconds, more than a minute ahead of the runner-up, Vic Maughn of Herne Hill.

Striders placed second in the team event, which was won by Veterans AC. Striders’ second man home was John Foster who ran well to place seventh (43.53), with team manager Chris Morton not far behind in ninth (44.26). Kerry Backshell was the first woman to finish and placed 13th overall in 48.35. She was closely followed by Alan Dolton (14th, 48.47); Mick Turner (15th, 48.52) and Josephine Thompson (16th, 49.22). Tom Littlewood finished 21st (54.09).

In the separate women-only 5 kilometre race, Striders’ Natalie Osher placed fourth. The race was won by Jane Searle of Croydon Harriers.

Striders of Croydon’s leading distance runner, James Buchanan, gained his first win for the club when he placed first of about 750 competitors in the Hotelympia 10K in Canning Town on Sunday. His time of 33 minutes 44 seconds saw him finish well clear of his nearest rival and placed him fifth on the club’s all-time rankings.

Earlier, James had produced Striders’ fastest time of the day in the East Surrey League’s annual cross-country relay at Wimbledon Common. He placed second on the first leg, covering the two-mile course in 10 minutes 14 seconds, which was the sixth fastest time of the day. Unfortunately, Striders were without their other leading runners and the remainder of their team consisted entirely of veterans. Team manger Chris Morton ran 12 minutes 02 while Mick Turner ran 12.18 and Alan Dolton ran 12.36. The team finished seventh.

Striders had 24 finishers in the Sussex Beacon Half-Marathon at Brighton on Sunday. Their first man home was Damian Macenhill who placed 46th in 1 hour 22 minutes 18 seconds. Ian Harrison placed 92nd (1.25.20) while Simon Ambrosi was 107th (1.26.02) and Chris Morton 164th (1.27.55). Striders’ first woman to finish was Kerry Backshell who placed 431st overall in 1 hour 35 minutes 35 seconds. The club’s other finishers were: Alan Purchase 1.36.15; Ian Yates 1.37.32; Suzy Yates 1.38.54; Matt O’Hare 1.39.56; Tom Littlewood 1.41.36; Phil Mazur 1.46.39; Tina Macenhill 1.55.34; Karen Peake 1.56.35; Emily Campbell 1.56.48; Michelle Meech 2.05.59; Isabelle Kita 2.06.02; Susan Haynes 2.07.42; Julie Shew 2.09.03; Steve Tyler 2.19.14; JP Lamarque 2.22.52; Andy Thatcher 2.25.54; Jacqui Mazur 2.29.49; Karen Connor 2.32.17; Angela Taylor 2.34.57.

Striders of Croydon’s women produced an excellent performance in the final Surrey Women's Cross-Country League match of the season, at Richmond Park on Saturday. They finished third of the 35 teams, to clinch third place in the overall table and gain promotion back to Division One.

Striders were again led by Serena Stracey, who had an excellent run to place ninth of the 137 finishers, covering the undulating 5800 metre course in 24 minutes 01 seconds. Faye Stammers was next home for Striders in 21st, just ahead of club colleague Suzy Yates, with both runners recording 25 minutes 19. Kerry Backshell also ran well for 30th (25.57), and new member Josephine Thompson made an excellent debut to place 35th (26.14).

Striders showed their strength in depth by having the first B and C teams to finish. The B team was led by Steph Upton who was 38th (26.43), closely followed by Andrea Jefferies in 40th (26.52). Susannah Oliver was 66th (29.03) with Linda Daniel 73rd (29.52) and Amalia Da Silva Lima 75th (30.01). Striders’ C team comprised: 79 Louise Gough (30.12); 96 Karen Macenhill (31.25); 101 Karen Peake (31.44); 111 Pat Edwards (32.56); 124 Susan Haynes (34.36).

Meanwhile Striders’ men were competing in their Division Two match in Lloyd Park. 16-year-old Nicholas Batten ran well to gain his second successive victory in the under-17 race, covering the muddy two and a half mile course in 17 minutes 25 seconds. This led Striders to their best-ever position of second place in the final Division Two table. Epsom won with 248.5 points, but Striders’ total of 312 saw them finish ahead of Dorking (335), Kingston (335) and Dulwich (354.5).

Striders’ senior men also did well to finish fourth of the nine competing clubs. They were again led by James Buchanan who continued his improvement to place sixth of the 151 finishers, recording 30 minutes 47 seconds for the five-mile course. Justin Macenhill continued his return to form by placing eighth (31.21), closely followed by Duncan Lancashire in ninth (31.27). Matt Morgan was 36th (33.55) with Simon Ambrosi 57th (35.31) and Darren Piper 59th (35.35). Striders’ next four runners were all veterans. John Foster ran well for 62nd (35.56) with Gerry Crispie 67th (36.13) and Chris Morton 68th (36.17). Ian Campbell, returning to club colours after a long absence through injury, completed the scoring team in 83rd (36.59).

On Saturday I took part in the South of England cross country Championships in Parliament Hill. The weather was much nicer than it had been for the London Championships last month, with clear blue skies and a reasonable temperature for this time of year. I bumped into my Striders team mates hanging around in the underground looking shifty so didn't have to worry about getting lost on the walk to the race. It's great to see the professionalism of our team as James (our speedy runner for the day) was bouncing around like a schoolboy when he saw 'Rocket Ronnie' warming up in the park.

We changed in the Lido so as not to intimidate too many of the other runners in the 'elite' changing rooms and got to the course just in time to see the senior ladies finish. It's really difficult to describe how Pippa looked as she came over to wish us luck for the men's race, let's just say the head to toe mud covering isn't one of her best outfits (but who cares when you come 65th out of 326 of the best women in the South of England!!) I didn't see Viv or Su but I'd love to hear how they 'enjoyed' the course. Suzy Yates wasn't going to be beaten by her cold and put in a great performance to come 195th for Striders and was obviously loving every minute of it as she was able to speak as she started her second lap, something along the lines of 'this is the worst race ever!'

Ok, now for the men's race!! Race strategy, start at the back and then you can't get overtaken by anyone. I didn't realise how many people were actually taking part (832 finished) but the start line seemed to be about a mile long. It started uphill through mud, along a flat bit of mud and then downhill through some more mud. There must have been lorries driving through the night from Croydon to Parliament Hill as they managed to get the same 'wrong type of mud' that we had for the Surreys. By the end of the first lap of 3 my calves were burning and I had mud splattered on my face. The quality of runners was amazing but we still had great performances from Phil and Nick doing their bit for L&G (and their clubs). James was happy cos he managed to overtake 'the rocket' who is actually a very good (and hairy) runner, coming 189th for some Essex club. I managed 422nd which I was pleased with and was nicely nestled between Darren and Chris from Striders with Duncan a bit further ahead and Neil and Paul not too far behind, making Striders 41st team out of 86 in the whole of the South of England!!

After the race we retired to the pub, after me and Darren froze our feet off buying commemorative hoodies, where it all just went down hill. I left the pub at 7 to go and meet someone so was a bit surprised to be at the bar buying another round at 10 past 7. Paul repeated this trick a while later after leaving to go home to the missus! At 9:26 Chris declared he was drunk and began operation 'steal the men's team trophy from the table the other side of the pub'. Not complete success but he did manage to get a photo of him with the cup!! So all in all a successful day!! Full results below.

Striders of Croydon’s women produced another good team performance in the third Surrey Women's Cross-Country League Division Two match of the season, at Reigate on Saturday. They finished third of the 33 teams and, with just one match remaining, have an excellent chance of promotion back to Division One.

Striders’ women were led home by Serena Stracey, making a welcome return after injury. She placed 13th of the 130 finishers, covering the undulating four-mile course in 27 minutes 27 seconds. Faye Stammers also ran well for 21st (28.29), with the improving Suzy Yates just behind in 22nd (28.37). Kerry Backshell was 34th (29.25) and Steph Upton completed the scoring team in 42nd (30.16).

Striders also had the second B team to finish. Andrea Jefferies made an excellent debut to place 50th (31.01). Susannah Oliver was 62nd (32.32) with Linda Daniel 79th (34.11), Amalia Da Silva Lima 89th (35.13) and Louise Gough 96th (35.49).

Meanwhile Striders’ men were competing in their Division Two match at Richmond Park, and finished fifth of the nine competing clubs. They were again led home by James Buchanan, who ran very well to place eighth of the 150 finishers, covering the five-mile course in 28 minutes 40 seconds. Justin Macenhill continued his return to form by placing 16th (29.40) with Duncan Lancashire 27th (30.24) and Damian Macenhill 42nd (31.45). Iain Harrison made a welcome return after a long absence through injury and ran well for 53rd (32.13) with Darren Piper 56th (32.28), Matt Morgan 63rd (32.55) and Simon Ambrosi 65th (33.01). Team manager Chris Morton was 82nd (34.06) with Neil Furze completing the scoring team in 88th (34.22)

Striders also had five non-scorers: 94 John Foster 34.41; 99 Mick Turner 34.54; 115 Steve Smith 36.17; 122 Alan Dolton 36.45; 145 Paul Weir 42.10.

Yes, we're already 3 quarters of the way through the Surrey League for this season and I'm already feeling worn out!

The 3rd race was held on Saturday in Reigate (for Div 1 & 2 ladies and Div 1 men) and Richmond Park (Div 2 men). Luckily I was at Richmond Park as it sounds like this was the drier, less muddy and generally nicer course. I got the train to Barnes which is about a mile away so not bad for a jog warm up to the start and discovered this is where The Priory is (unfortunately no vacancies at the moment so may have to wait a bit before checking myself in for my running addiction - addiction, I've not got an addiction!).

There was a good turn out for Striders, most of the team turning out about 5 minutes before the start, that's the professionalism we like to see, but it's all about how you run the race that's important. Fortunately the pre race preparation didn't seem to affect us with lots of good performances. James is just a bit too quick and finished around 8th place with Justin (fully recovered?) 2nd for Striders not too far behind. Next positions were something like, Duncan, Damian, Ian, Darren (still putting his number on as the rest of us were jogging to the start), Matt, Me (making the mistake of giving words of encouragement to Matt when I caught up with him, causing him to speed off like a startled rabbit), Chris and Neil (I don't start too quickly) Furze making up the first team. Not too far behind were Mick, John, Steve, Alan and Paul. Batten Jnr did his bit in the juniors race but don't know how he got on as the end clashed with our start, hopefully he's just getting quicker all the time.

I know Nick Hodges was running but didn't see him and guess he was close to the front if not winning the whole race. There was another familiar Dorking runner, this one taking part in the Surrey League for the first time, who resembled Rob Gill in every way apart from the fact I was only 1 minute 20 secs away from him over the 5 mile course. I have to mention this as it's the closest I'm gonna get, especially as it looks like Dorking will be getting promoted to Div 1 at the end of the season.

Can't find any mens Div 2 results but here are the ladies, with Striders in a comfortable 3rd place overall in Div 2. Good to see Serena is racing again and let's hope no new injuries.

Next cross country for me is the Southerns in Parliament Hill, 15K of 6 inch mud, mud, glorious mud!

Striders of Croydon faced strong opposition in the annual Surrey Cross-Country Championships, held at Lloyd Park on Saturday. Their women’s team finished seventh, while their men’s team were tenth.

Striders’ women were led by Faye Stammers who placed 47th, covering the undulating five-mile course in 42 minutes 07. She was closely followed by Suzy Yates who placed 49th (42.30). Susannah Oliver was 57th (45.18) with Emily Campbell 64th (46.55), Natalie Osher 72nd (51.25) and Isabelle Kita 73rd (53.01).

Striders’ men were led by James Buchanan who had an outstanding run to place 24th of the 151 finishers, covering the seven and a half mile course in exactly 48 minutes. Striders’ next man home was Darren Piper who placed 75th (55.16), closely followed by veteran John Foster who was 77th (55.34). Damian Macenhill was 80th (55.54) with Abdul Abdi 84th (56.26) and Simon Ambrosi completing the scoring team in 92nd (57.16). Team manager Chris Morton was 94th (57.19) with Neil Furze 96th (57.55).

Striders’ Nicholas Batten placed 29th in the under-17 race, covering the four-mile course in 30 minutes 32 seconds.

Saturday was the Surrey Cross Country Championships in Lloyd Park and was a tough race to start 2008. Lloyd Park is notoriously muddy at the best of times and the mud seemed to be of the extra sticky variety, well that's my excuse anyway.

As I walked to the start I saw the senior women on their second lap and did think Viv was looking a bit slow going up a hill but when I got to the same spot in my race I felt a bit guilty about it as the long grass wasn't helping me find any grip and with a lot of spectators shouting (mainly about my hat) it was a tricky part of the course. While we're on the subject of my hat I'd like to point out that I wasn't wearing my usual racing woolly hat due to an accident before the race and with the added weight and upsetting of my whole balance probably added a few minutes to my time.

Back to the women's race, I didn't see too many people I recognised but was pleased to see Faye doing well for striders with Superstar Suzy Yates hot on her heels. Susannah and Emily also ran well to make up the rest of the team. Pippa finished an impressive 8th overall with Viv in 30th. I'm told Anne was running under her pseudonym Caroline Court and came home in 27th, looks like the marathon training's started, well done Lynda in 61st, a few more races and you'll be battling with the rest of them.

The men's race was 3 x 2.5 mile laps of the course (women's was only 2) and I learnt something very useful in this race, don't start next to Nick Hodges!! I was neck and neck with him all the way until the race started and then felt like I was running backwards. I didn't see Phil at all but heard he was speeding away from the field the whole way to finish 2 and a half minutes in front of 2nd place (but didn't lap me - woo hoo!) The support was great, should be some good photos somewhere! There was the usual battle between Striders with James finishing best for us in 24th. The real battle saw Darren beating the rest of us with an in form John Foster right behind him then a series of Striders, Damian, Abdul (very well run and strong on the last lap), me (lap times were 18, 19, 20 so glad it ended when it did), Chris (speeding up throughout the race), Neil (scarily quick), Mick (back after injury), Steve, Gavin, Tom, Paul W, Brian, Dave D. (All times in the link attached) We came 10th overall and beat Croydon harriers so that's the main thing!

Also impressive for L&G was Andy McDonald (fresh from baby stuff) in 60th, Ken in 113th and John Allen in 148th (I think that was a fair bit quicker than last year).