Sandbach Striders

From Easter egg hunts on trail marathons, to a speedy 10k in Crewe this was another busy week for the members of Sandbach Striders running club.

On Wednesday evening it was the Essar Chester Spring 5. This 5 mile race starts at the Cheshire County Sports Club and consists of an undulating route along scenic country lanes. Four members of the club took part, two of which earned themselves a new personal best time.

Runner Chip Time Gun Time  
Darren Varley 00:29:18 00:29:22
Tony Taylor 00:31:28 00:31:33 Personal Best
Andy Thomas 00:32:18 00:32:24
Heather Carter 00:32:47 00:32:42 Personal Best

On Thursday night Tony Taylor was in action once more. This time he ran the Hanchurch Hilly Trail Race, the first race in the three part Stone Master Spring Treble Series. Tony finished the off-road 5.25 mile race in a respectable time of 37:37.

Good Friday saw #teamfallows take part in the Delamere Easter Bunny run. This was a 5k dash through the forest, before collecting an egg and medal at the finish line.

Steve, Seb and Gillian Fallows at the Delamere Bunny Run

Sandbach Striders continue to demonstrate their support for the free weekly 5k parkruns held around the globe each Saturday morning by participating in seven different events this week. Nearest to home were the 13 Striders who ran the three laps of Astbury Mere at the Congleton parkrun. Tony Taylor and Andy Thomas continued their run of good form both finishing in sub-20 minutes. Chris Brumby and Jill Jenkins both recorded impressive times considering their recent time out due to injuries. The full results were as follows:

Runner Time  
Tony Taylor 00:19:34
Andy Thomas 00:19:50
Lindsay Beeston 00:23:32
Louise Lewis 00:24:56 Personal Best
Gillian Fallows 00:25:43
Catherine Winders 00:26:27
Chris Brumby 00:26:32
Rachel Mason 00:26:45
Tim Wilson 00:26:58
Jill Jenkins 00:31:02
Denis Culloty 00:32:03
Nathan Lee 00:32:36
Lucy Lee 00:32:42
Striders at Congleton Parkrun

Next nearest to home were Joanna Askey and Lee-Ann Galway who ran the Delamere parkrun finishing in 25:44 and 26:24 respectively.

Lee-Ann Galway and Jo Askey and Delamere Parkrun

Gordon Hutchins, meanwhile was in Crawley, West Sussex to run the Tilgate parkrun. Gordon completed the figure of eight course around Tilgate Lake in 23:31.

Gordon Hutchins at Tilgate parkrun

Tom Mayell and his son Adam completed their run of parkrun tourism by completing the Long Meadow parkrun in Taunton, Somerset. Adam was first to cross the finish line in a time of 27:21 just one second ahead of his Dad.

Claire and Colin Dalton were in action at the Rutland Water parkrun in Oakham, Leicestershire. Colin took the family honours on this occasion finishing in 22:03 with Claire finishing narrowly behind in 26:00.

Claire and Colin Dalton at Rutland Water

In Wales, Julia Dunlop ran her usual parkrun course at the RSPB reserve in Conwy, finishing in a time of 31:52.

Also in Wales were three Striders taking on the Dolgellau parkrun, a two lap course along the Mawddach Trail.in the Snowdonia National Park. The Striders all recorded excellent times on a challenging course, the results being:

Runner Time
Darren Varley 00:19:02
Stephen Mclean 00:19:55
Lisa Highfield 00:23:12

Also on Saturday eight Striders opted to run a longer distance event. Katie Payne, and June Wray chose the rather undulating and hilly Newcastle Way marathon ran by Gold Events for their first attempt at completing a marathon distance event. The race started at Mow Cop in North Staffordshire and consisted of a route which included hills, stiles, nettles, country parks, woods and easter eggs! Heather Carter took silver medal, crossing the finishing line as second female overall.

The full results were as follows:

Runner Time  
Heather Carter 04:11:48
Jayne Pyatt 06:16:12
Jan Peake 06:16:13
Chris Holden 06:16:35
Katie Payne 06:32:10 Personal Best
June Wray 06:32:10 Personal Best
Paul Nicholls 06:32:12
June Wray, Chris Holden, Jan Peake, Paul Nicholls, Jayne Pyatt and Katie Payne enjoying a pint after the Newcastle Way Marathon

To finish off the Easter weekend, there were 10 Striders in action at the Crewe Air Products 10k. This event, with minimal elevation and wide pathways, promises to be the fastest road race in Cheshire. These preferential conditions allowed four of the club to achieve new personal bests.

Runner Chip Time Gun Time  
Tony Taylor 00:39:10 00:39:12
John Pemberton 00:39:35 00:39:38 Personal Best
Andy Thomas 00:39:59 00:40:03 Personal Best
James Halling 00:46:05 00:46:21 Personal Best
Lee-Ann Galway 00:50:08 00:50:24 Personal Best
Matt Wood 00:50:22 00:50:41
Gaynor Beckett 00:53:47 00:54:08
Claire Dalton 00:53:48 00:54:09 Personal Best
Elaine Wood 00:56:03 00:56:23
Liz O'Keeffe 00:56:17 00:56:31
Amy Norman 00:56:35 00:56:57 Personal Best
Striders at the Air Products Crewe 10k

Entries are now open for the Sandbach 10k sponsored by Butcher and Barlow. This year's event takes place on an exciting new course and is run entirely on traffic-free roads. It promises to be a great event for both new runners or for those looking to beat their personal best. Secure your starting place now at our races.