Run roundup 13/04/2025

Here’s the weekly roundup from Deal Tri’s running section.

Let’s start with parkrun. Walmer and Deal Seafront hosted the graduation run for the Couch to 5k runners, who started on Feb 10th on a wet, stormy, very cold, dark night. They finished their 5k journey in beautiful sunshine and lots of pride around around them. Congratulations! Ash Roberts-Moyle finished 2nd overall with a new personal best time, quite an achievement after completing the London Landmarks half marathon last weekend. Forty three other Club members completed the course too. Two runners went round Dover Waterfront parkrun, 2 in Folkestone, and 2 at Margate.

Two runners took on the Runbelievable 6 hour challenge at Betteshanger Park. Marika Landy bagged another half marathon, and Sue Bolton hit her target too, following a bit of a break after her first marathon in December, aged 59.

Another endurance event is coming up – the Cliff Top Challenge. This is a multi terrain, multi distance run or walk over the cliffs, and it raises thousands of pounds for Breast Cancer Now every year. Tye Austin got a great training walk/run in, just over 10 miles.

Ashford half marathon attracted Sophie Garton who finished 1st in her age group and with a 2 minute personal best time. Mark Baker finished in 1:35, coming 4th on his age group.

Lee Hutchinson took on his first half marathon at the same event, described by the organiser as ‘slightly undulating’ – that’s code for pretty hilly! Both Lee and Phoebe Ward left the hills far behind, both finishing in just under 2 hours – excellent results from two fairly new runners.

Ben McGhee realised a short while ago that his marathon best time was 10 years old, so he set his sights on Paris. It was a risk worth taking, as he broke through the barrier and set a new personal best time. Felicitations, Ben!

Closer to home, Toby Smith set a new course record in the Canterbury Riverside 10k, crossing the line in an incredibly quick 32:31. Nikki Smith did the same course and won the first female in her age group. Steve Child made the hattrick of Dealies, coming in at just under an hour, in warm conditions.

Away from the more energetic stuff this morning, members had the second in a series of wellbeing workshops, themed on being race ready, delivered by Beyond The Wall, HR Sport Psychology, and Jo Rogers, pilates instructor. This underpinning knowledge makes small but significant changes to mindsets and mind thoughts.

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