Announcements

RECENT weeks saw two of Striders' most successful ladies take on the challenge of triathlon. Kelly Hamilton travelled to Ellesmere to take on the Shropshire Sprint Triathlon.

Despite entering the event on a whim only two weeks before, having never swam in open water and having to beg, steal and borrow some equipment from friends, she delighted her supporters with an excellent 16th place finish overall.

Hannah Whittaker also tried her hand at triathlon for the first time at the North West Super Sprint Triathlon in Whitchurch. It was another successful outing as Whittaker produced a fantastic display to finish in 13th place overall, and 3rd in her age category.

After tasting success in the Virtual Tour of Skiddaw recently, Kevin Brennan was finally able to travel to the Lake District to compete in the Ambleside 60km Trail Ultramarathon. Brennan negotiated the typical Lakeland terrain of epic climbs, muddy fells and kamikaze descents to complete the course in just over eight hours (8:12:30). Brennan's efforts were enough to see him secure 25th place and 2nd in the V50 age category.

Capesthorne Hall was the idyllic location for the Cheshire Half Marathon and a trio of Striders made the trip. Andy Noden displayed no signs of race rustiness as he powered to a new PB of 1:29. Not to be outdone, Anita Hall also posted a new best over the 13.1 mile distance as she broke the elusive two hour mark with inches to spare, crossing the line in 1:59:56. The evergreen John Barr and Sharon Swift also enjoyed their morning in the late summer sunshine, stopping the clock together in 2:03.

At the Chase the Sun 10K at Tatton Park, competitors 'race, race against the dying of the light', aiming to complete the course before sundown. As shadows lengthened, Pete Medlicott was first Strider home in an excellent time of 43:40. Dean Thackray was next to cross the line in 47:33, while Gareth Davies completed a good night for Striders finishing in 54:30.