Race Report 11.02.2019

Striders of Croydon faced strong opposition in their final Surrey Cross-Country League Division One match of the season, at a muddy Lloyd Park on Saturday. They were led by Tatsuya Okamoto who placed 98th of the 212 finishers, completing the five-mile course in 30 minutes 55 seconds. Andrew Aitken was 100th (31:16) while team manager Krzysztof Klidzia was fourth in the over-50 category and 103rd overall (31:22). Simone Luciani was 117th (31:31), Alastair Falconer 118th (31:37), Lee Flanagan 123rd (32:12), Matthew Stone 129th (32:37), Peter Mills 135th (32:37), Martin Filer 140th (33:17) and Dave Shaw completed the scoring team in 143rd (33:26). Striders had a total of 25 finishers. Their A team placed ninth, while their B team were seventh in their category. Rob Zietz was third in the over-60 age-group and 185th overall (36:50). Earlier, Christopher Finch placed 34th in the under-13 race, covering the four-kilometre course in 17 minutes 12 seconds.

Meanwhile Striders’ women were competing in the penultimate Surrey Womens League Division Two match at Richmond Park. They were led by Niamh Vincent who placed 36th, completing the five-mile course in 39 minutes 14 seconds. Nikki Javan was 44th (39:39), Steph Upton 49th (39:59), Laura Fell 59th (41:09) and Gemma Halliday 84th (43:22). Their A team placed ninth in the match, and are seventh in the Division Two table with one match remaining. Their B team were eighth in their category. Linda Daniel was 164th (49:50), Karen Speed 165th (49:54), Jo Riches 171st (50:47), Jane Hughes 178th (52:17) and Sarah Allport 222nd (62:36).