CLC Striders Race round-up Sunday 12 April 2026
It was a busy weekend of racing for athletes from CLC Striders as the spring marathon season begins to ramp up. Those running close to home had to battle grueling winds gusting in from the south-west which made the going incredibly tough on certain stretches. All-in-all it was another great day’s road racing for the club – both near and far.
Tewkesbury Half Marathon
Locally, 8 CLC Striders lined up for the re-booted Tewkesbury Half Marathon and it was to prove a great day for the club with several standout performances. First to finish was Rob Barnett in 3rd place overall and 1st in his V35 category in a superb new PB time of 1:13:08. Rob’s preparations for the London marathon continue to look spot on. Also setting a fantastic new PB half marathon time, Rich Elsworthy clocked 1:14:16 for 4th place overall. While, deep in preparation for the Newport Marathon, Will McNeile was 13th overall in a PB time of 1:20:26.
Sophie Longmore was the 3rd lady home and 2nd in her LV40 category in a strong time of 1:31:48. Niki Smith and Fiona Brady-Miller, both nearing the end of their London Marathon training blocks, ran 1:43:36 and 1:47:23 respectively, with Niki 3rd in her LV60 category. And Tim Brock ran with Eoin McQuone – on Eoin’s first race back after a long-term injury – to register 1:58:02 and 1:58:03 respectively.
Ellie Pudifoot ran in the parallel 10k event, finishing as 6th lady in a time of 43:01.
Brighton Marathon
Deborah Rees battled hard – especially in the last 10k into relentless headwinds – to finish in 4:09:15. While Pete Duffy, after making a great start, felt his hamstring tighten at 15 miles in, eventually having to withdraw at 20 miles to avoid lasting damage.
Paris Marathon
After a disciplined training block, Ashley Wilson ran a perfectly-judged and evenly-paced marathon in Paris to set a new PB time (by almost 6 minutes!) of 3:10:53 in the iconic city.
Milan Marathon
Even further from home, club newcomers Tom Jarrett and Lucy Galliers ran in the Milan Marathon, Tom earning a 20-minute marathon PB time of 3:31:37 and Lucy – debuting at the distance and hoping to go sub-4 hours – clocking 3:46:40.
Berkeley 10k
Over the shorter 10k distance, and closer to home, Helen Knight was 2nd lady overall and 1st in her LV45 category at the Berkeley 10k in a time of 41:06. And Hollie Freeland continued her strong performances this year by setting another PB time of 46:33.