Striders run the South of Thames Cross-Country Championships

Rachel Lindley, from Striders of Croydon, had an excellent run to be the sixth woman to finish the South of the Thames Cross-Country Championships, held on a wet and muddy 12-kilometre course in Lloyd Park last week. She recorded 52 minutes 08 seconds. Steph Upton placed 46th (60:11) with Ally Whitlock 61st (63:38), Nikki Javan 65th (64:19), Debra Bourne 78th (68:03), Susanna Lutman 88th (70:24). Jadwiga Brzask-Makiela 102nd (82:34) and Michelle Wilson 108th (88:34). They placed eighth in the team competition.

Striders’ men had an impressive total of 18 runners, and did well to place fifth in the 12-to-score competition for the Coleman Cup. They were led by Tatsuya Okamoto who placed 61st (48:24) with Krzysztof Klidzia 65th (48:43), Peter Mills 89th (50:30), Simon Ambrosi 93rd (51:02), Rob Lines 98th (51:37), Steve Corfield 117th (53:05), Joseph Ibe 138th (54:40) and Graeme Drysdale 139th (54:40).

Striders had a total of 96 finishers in the various Christmas Day parkruns. Simon Ambrosi placed first out of 113 finishers in the Bethlem Royal Hospital parkrun (20:14). Jemma Zakariyyau was the first woman to finish the Shrewsbury parkrun, placing 45th overall (20:23). Three days later Alastair Falconer placed first out of 198 finishers at the Old Showfield parkrun in Frome (16:40). Niamh Vincent was the first woman to finish the Ardgillan parkrun, placing tenth overall (22:34). Steph Upton was the first woman to finish the Riddlesdown parkrun, placing 13th overall (23:12). Nikki Javan was the first woman to finish the Northampton parkrun, placing 26th overall (21:02). Samuel Hansen placed second out of 672 finishers in the Bromley parkrun (17:01). Graeme Drysdale placed third overall, and first in the over-50 category, in the Velopark 10-mile road race at Lee Valley, recording a personal best 62 minutes 42.