CLC Striders race round up from Wednesday 28 May 2025
Cleeve Cloud Cuckoo and Stroud Beer Race, Wednesday 28 May 2025
On a bright and breezy late May evening, athletes from CLC Striders headed for the hills.
At the local Cleeve Cloud Cuckoo event, hosted by Cheltenham Harriers, and surely one of the most challenging but rewarding of local races, no fewer than 22 Striders turned out to pit themselves against the ascents and descents around Cleeve Common. It was to prove a very successful evening for the club, with a hat-trick of race winners completed in 2023, 2024 and now 2025.
Back to winning ways in one of his favourite events, Joe Willgoss was first to complete the gruelling course, pulling away from his rivals on the climb up out of the Washpool to finish in a super-fast time of 33:57. After pushing Joe hard for the first half of the race, Pete Duffy was next finisher for the club, in 3rd place overall. Isabel Brinsden once again shone as the 1st lady finisher on the night, registering a fantastic top-10 finish, in 8th place overall.
Making his club debut, Oliver Wright-Jones was 14th, Rob Hyams was 19th, Jonathan Margetts was 25th, Jamie Hartnoll 27th, Jon Howes 28th (and 2nd in his MV50 category), Helen Knight 30th (and 2nd in her LV45 category), Kate Telford 31st (and 3rd in her LV35 category) and Richard Aarons was 36th. Completing the club’s top-50 finishers, Alex Doherty was 42nd, Gary Farquharson was 43rd, Karlien Heyrman was 46th and Fiona Brady-Miller was 47th.
Sarah Bergdahl was 55th, Steph Parker was 67th, Colin Upton was 77th, sisters Nicola and Hannah Weager were 81st and 88th respectively, Helen Howes was 95th, Rebecca Reynolds was 109th and Jill Harsent was the 1st FV65 finisher in 116th place.
Elsewhere up on top of the Cotswolds, Ellie Pudifoot was the sole CLC Strider to compete in the Stroud Beer Race, an undulating road race around Minchinhampton Common. Ellie completed the hilly seven-mile course in 49:25 as the 8th lady overall.