Stopsley Striders
Presentation Awards for 2018

Thanks to Malcom Rankin for taking the photo's.

Senior Man

This man continues to defy running logic and 2018 was another fantastic year.
To list all of his highlights would simply take all evening, so I have tried to summarise them in this short paragraph, but this in no way tells the full story or should detract from his many achievements. On a sweltering day in April, whilst others struggled to get around the London Marathon, this man ran 2.42.20 to guarantee his entry onto the elite start list for London 2019.
He finished 2nd at the Luton Half marathon missing the club record by just a few seconds and bettered that at the Bedford Half by taking 1st place. Even more remarkable was the fact that he ran the Chiltern League Cross Country event the day before, putting a whole new slant on the “taper before a race” thinking. He also won our Stopsley 10 mile race again in a new record time of 59.03.
Not content with running these distances he has also become extremely adept at running Ultra Marathons. He won the St Peters Way Ultra and The Druids Challenge but perhaps his finest achievement in 2018 was taking on and winning the Cape Wrath Ultra over 8 gruelling days covering some 400 kilometres. It was tiring just tracking him, so how he kept going I really can’t imagine. He regularly runs and wins the Luton parkrun on a Saturday morning and has become a constant single figure scorer for our cross country team, waiting patiently for his fellow teammates to join him across the finishing line.
He is always willing to help others with both his advice and coaching and is a very humble man with his accomplishments. However I think that it is important we take this opportunity tonight to celebrate his achievements and appreciate how lucky we are as a club to have someone so talented run for us.
The Senior Man for 2018 is
Rob Barnes

Senior Lady

This lady is a joy to have at our club, she has had a brilliant year of running in 2018 and has blossomed into a brilliant runner who loves it and I can’t wait to see her face when she realises this is for her.
She has become a strong runner and over 2018 achieved a PB in every distance from 5k to half marathon and over the course of the year took 3 minutes off her 10k time.
She has a great running family around her and a good support network with her running Mum and Dad, she enjoys cursing and swearing whilst running uphill like the best of us but it has been great to see this runner improve in her confidence and her own ability as a runner. It is a pleasure to announce this years Senior Lady is
Amanda Scott

Veteran Man

This prolific racer ran 41 races in total last year. This included 22 parkruns where he was first six times. He also raced in two 5k, one 5m, three 10k, one 10 mile, two half marathons, one 20m and two marathons.
In that time he gained two PBs, 1:26:27 in the Greenwich Half and 39:27 in the Bedford 10k.
Our Vet Man for 2018 is
Gez Fallon

Veteran Lady

There is not a runner here who has more enthusiasm and energy for this club than this lady, she can talk as fast as she can run and is an amazing asset to our club.
Over 2018 she achieved 5 PBs including an incredible 3:09:28 at Chester Marathon in October. She broke 3 club records, represented England and came first Vet Lady at numerous events.
She is a real pleasure to have at our club and we are honoured that you represent us and are our Ladies Captain.
Our Vet Lady for 2018 has to be
Christine Lathwell

Super Veteran Man

This man has had another brilliant year for running, he set several new club records, regularly came first in his age category at parkruns at Luton Wardown or further afield, and has taken part in many races in all distances from 5k to London marathon which he completed in an awesome time on such a hot day of 3:27:44.
He is an inspiration and a brilliant club member.
The Super Vet Man for 2018 is
John Chapman

Super Veteran Lady

This lady had another amazing year of running, proving it doesn't have to be all about the PBs. She ran 4 marathons and a number of half marathons, often close together. She is a great example of what training and a positive attitude can achieve. I love seeing all her happy posts about her latest event.
Unfortunately even this doesn't stop you getting injured, but it is wonderful to see her back running again, and I am sure her ever-present support crew enjoyed the break.
Always greeting everyone with a smile and cheery word and brightening their day, the Striders Super Vet Lady of 2018 goes to
Valerie Dawson

Super Great Veteran Lady

This inspiring lady didn't start running until later in life but since then has certainly made up for lost time. Since joining Striders she has participated in many races and has enthusiastically represented our club in various distances. She participates regularly at Luton Wardown parkrun, finishing in under 30 minutes for her PB, something I have yet to achieve, and she can often be seen chatting in the cafe after.
She achieved several PBs in 2018 and has gained first place in her age category at numerous races including Hitchin 5k, Luton 5 mile which was a club championship race, Hatfield 5 mile and Bedford 10k. She has achieved PBs at 5k, 5 miles, 10k and 10 miles and been placed in Beds County races for her age category. She seems to have gone from strength to strength.
Unfortunately this year saw her starting off unwell and unable to run for several weeks but we are sure she will soon be back on the road to recovery and back to racing.
She is also a very active club member supporting events, using her many talents and partaking with fundraising, as well as encouraging other members with her friendly smile.
Also of note should be her brilliant fancy dress skills which on themed parkrun days always put the rest of us to shame!
So this well deserved Super Great Vet Lady goes to the admirable
Elizabeth McGinley

Super Great Veteran Man

As the years roll on most people tend to slow down and take a well-earned rest, but not this man.
His training has always been relentless and he continues to knock out times that younger members of the club would be proud of.
This year he achieved two further Vet 65 club records at 5 miles and 10k distances to add to the 23 club records that he already holds.
He was 1st in his age category at numerous races this year, including the Lee Fest 10 mile race where he even managed to take a slight detour on route and finish in the opposite direction to most.
He was county champion at both 5k and 5 miles and was surely destined for more honours before injury sadly put paid to the rest of his year.
This man is always quick to offer advice to his fellow runners and is an inspiration to others in his dedication to his running.
Let’s hope he’s back in 2019 pushing us all once more to train harder and run faster.
The Super Great Vet Man for 2018 is
Chris Lamont

Cross Country Man

Not sure if mud is one of the loves of this man’s life but he certainly likes cross country. Last year he ran all the Three County Cross Country races usually finishing in the first three of the Striders team. In the Beds County Cross Country he was third in his age group and he was first Strider home at the Nationals at Parliament Hill and in the Southerns in Brighton.
Our Cross Country Man of 2018 is
Gez Fallon

Cross Country Lady

This lady completed four of the five Three Counties Cross Country League. She scored well for the team in all her races and is a great member of the team - and really enjoys it.
This Strider also completed in the Bedfordshire Country Championship at High Wycombe - a tough course, she still enjoyed it and finished 19th senior and 4th Vet 35 lady.
Our Cross Country Lady for 2018 is
Miriam Linforth

Male Newcomer

This young man joined us in January and by his own admission hadn’t done much running previously, but it soon became clear that he was a naturally talented runner and that he was exceptionally quick.
This man has thrown himself full into being a member of Stopsley Striders. Since joining this year, he has been an ever present attender on club nights. He regularly runs with other club members outside of our club nights.
He is a regular contributor to the social media pages, promoting Stopsley Striders in a positive light and supporting fellow members of the club. He is also hungry to develop his running and seeks out advice from coaches and other members.
This hunger has shown itself in the range of runs he has taken part in since September 2018, following the effort he had put in during his training and preparation.
It is a pleasure to see this Newcomer Award going to
Sanjay Roy

Female Newcomer

This award is for a new member who has joined the club in the last 12 months to who has made a significant contribution.
As a new recruit to the beginners course in 2018, this lady showed great ability and power in her running and has gone from strength to strength. Not only has her running talent shone, she has formed a lovely network of friendships across Stopsley Striders and is a regular face at most club nights and parkruns, not to mention running 5k in just short of 25 minutes without smudging her lipstick! Now with races under her belt and just overcoming an injury, I have great pleasure to give the award for Newcomer Lady to
Barbora Uhrakova

Bill Barrett Award

This first Bill Barrett Award winner goes to a Strider who is an exceptional runner over all distances but this is for an exceptional run. This Strider took part in the Cape Wrath Ultra Challenge in the Scottish Highlands, it takes part over 8 days and involves running 400km.
This ultra is an extra special one as the top ultra runners compete in it and it was their hardest ultra challenge yet. All the hours of training paid off and they won with an impressive lead. This was their most special ultra trophy win so far.
The Bill Barrett Award goes to an exceptional runner, well done
Rob Barnes

Bill Barrett Award

This first Bill Barrett Award winner goes to a lady who is also someone who thinks that a marathon is not that far a distance to run. In July last year she completed at very hilly 55 mile in Swiss Alps in a time of 19:40:17 and as a warm up, an undulating 34 miler on the Sussex coast in March, completing it in a time of 07:28:24.
This Bill Barrett Award for completing these races goes to
Annelies Gerber

Performance Award

This award is given for a race which nearly didn’t happen
Lack of training due to illness and other commitments mean the start was in doubt. However, sheer determination won through right to the finish.
For her performance in the London marathon, this award is given to
Pam Abbitt

Performance Award

This runner really showed their mettle in 2018 by excelling at both long and short distances. First, the London Marathon, where she stuck to her training plan despite the Beast from the East and the exceptionally hot weather on the race day itself, finishing in an impressive PB time of 3 hours 24 minutes.
Later in the year she rose to the summer challenge with the ambition to run 5k in 20:18. Another strict training plan was followed and she smashed it!
For her ambition and dedication, this Performance Award goes to
Linda Scanlan

Performance Award

This performance award goes to a lady who has won many awards over the 32 years she has been a member of Striders. She wins this award for her run in the Great East Half Marathon where she was 5th in her age group and set a new V55 club record of 1:57:12.
This award goes to
Karen Ashby

Performance Award

This person has simply had an amazing year of breaking records. They started the year at The Folkestone 15 coming in 1st V60 place, followed by an age PB at the London Marathon in a cracking time of 3.27.44!
If not enough, they also broke 4 separate Vet 60 Records at Luton, Heartwood Forest, Letchworth & Ellenbrook parkruns. The icing on the cake was a 1st V60 place at the North Yorks Moor Race.
I think you will all agree a very worthy winner of this Performance Award for 2018, goes to
John Chapman

Performance Award

A Performance Award is given to this Strider for completing Ironman Bolton and Gratham Water Half Ironman in 2018. For those that don’t know, an Ironman is an endurance triathlon made up of a 2.4 mile open water swim, followed by a 112 mile bike ride and then running a full marathon. This has to all be completed within 17 hours.
This Strider completed his half ironman in May 2018 in an impressive time of 7 hours 10 minutes and 26 seconds. He completed his Ironman in the hottest July for many years, and with a stress fracture in his shin in an impressive time of 15:48:01.
Back in 2017 Carly presented this Strider an award for running 4 marathons in 2016, all in a year of getting married and making baby number 3. By April 2017 he had run a total of 20 marathons and said he was retiring from marathon running…We all knew he’d be adding more to the list…and he didn’t disappoint with Ironman Bolton making that 21…and he welcomed baby number 4 into the world!
This year he is doing Ironman New Zealand in March, Brighton and London marathons in April…which makes 24. You can’t finish on 24!!! So what marathon is number 25 going to be? We look forward to writing about it for next year’s performance award, as well as news on baby number 5, right?!?!
This Performance Award goes to
Phil Nitchen
YOU…ARE…AN…IRONMAN.

Performance Award

It looks like this person had decided it was their year to set some pretty amazing PB’s
Firstly, flying the Striders flag internationally at the Paris marathon in a cool time of 4.07.49
Followed 2 weeks later with a PB at the Flitwick 10k and if not content topping things off with a PB at parkrun in 21.09.
A big well done to
Daniel Lewis

Performance Award

“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again” the saying goes – well this person only needed one ‘try’
2017 was a tough first marathon experience for this person, but they fought back even taking the time to push me out for some long runs down the cycle path.
In an amazing show of resilience, in 2018’s Brighton marathon attempt, they clearly had a point to prove setting an amazing PB of 3.57.30!
A massive well done to
Ian Pitkin
Ian Pitkin .

Performance Award

This Performance Award goes to a runner that just goes from strength to strength and is a great example that improving your performance comes not just from running, but many other fitness activities quite often when most of us are snuggled up in bed. This lady joined the Striders beginners group in May 2016 and has gone from strength to strength. She is very supportive of others and frequently arranges social runs, always offering encouragement and motivation. These fantastic efforts have resulted in an amazing PB knocking an outstanding 8 minutes off her 10k.
This well-deserved performance award goes to
Lucinda Philpott

Performance Award

This gentleman is holder of all the club Vet 70 PBs. He is now making inroads into the V75 PBs of which he has two. He achieved a V75 club record by running this year’s Luton Half in an awesome time of 2:03:50 and Grafham Water 10K in a time of 55:27.
This Performance Award goes to
Tony Riley.

Performance Award

This man set himself the target of running the quickest marathon he had ever run in 2018.
Having run 2.54 in Chicago in 2017, he still felt he could run even quicker and even though he suffered a few setbacks along the way and opted to renovate his house in between, he managed to smash this time and set a new PB in Berlin in September of 2.51.04.
This Performance Award for his Berlin Marathon run goes to
Alan Barry.

Performance Award

For Rob, who has throughout the year, had a vast range of exceptional performances over the full array of distances. It was difficult to select one run which stood above the others to be applauded as a stand out run.
However, the Bedford Half Marathon run on Sunday 2nd December 2018 shows that this was a true race performance, where Rob was pushed right to the line by the second place runner from St Albans Striders. Rob’s finishing time of 1 hour 14 minutes and 30 seconds was just 2 seconds faster than the second place runner.
Rob’s hard fought race victory, was the first time that a runner from Stopsley Striders has won the Bedford Half Marathon and this was after competing in the Chiltern League Cross Country event on the Saturday.
This very well deserved Performance Award goes to
Rob Barnes

Performance Award

This runner has always had more speed in him. I once commented about this to a coach from the club that he had faster times in him and he replied 'I just think he likes chatting too much to run fast.'
Though on one June evening in 2018 there certainly was less chat and more speed when he achieved a time of 20:12 at the Marston 5k. Therefore we are sure there is more to come from this Strider in the next 12 months. This Performance Award goes to
Peter Brown

Improvement Award

What a year for this lady. PBs at parkrun (frequently), 5 mile and half marathon distance, very close on other distances, and completed her first marathon in a great time. I wish I could PB with a hangover!
She was also a great support to me as my guinea pig/coached athlete for my coaches course, and training buddy through marathon training. Thank you.
I am sure we will fix those T-Rex arms one day!
No doubt there are more PBs to come this year as her dedication to training is evident in her struggle to find a rest day.
This Improvement Award goes to
Vicki Crowston

Improvement Award

This person is simply on fire at the moment. Initially starting as part of our beginner’s cohort 2 years ago, they have gone from strength to strength.
On top of regularly arranging mid-week runs on Facebook, they have managed to set an impressive set of 8 PB’s in 2018 ranging from a 21.55 in their 5k time to an impressive 1.39.44 for 2018’s Love Luton Half marathon.
2019 will see this person’s first marathon attempt and I’m sure you will all join me in wishing him the greatest of luck.
This Improvement Award goes to
Charles Nelis

Improvement Award

.This Strider has been a member of the club for a few years now. Over this time she has consistently worked hard at her running and this year it has paid off, achieving a huge 6 PB’s, and achieving 1st Vet Lady at the Sandy 10 miler in her age group. She never boasts about her achievements but definitely deserves this award. Well done
Kulwinder Assra

Improvement Award

This runner started their running journey doing a few runs with one of the coaches. Despite their coach starting them on a hilly 4 mile run, they somehow weren’t put off.
In 2018, they started running Luton Wardown parkrun and decided to join the Stopsley Striders Beginners Course. They rarely missed a session and even managed a few homework runs to keep their coaches happy.
Their first recorded parkrun time was 36:54 in April 2018. By the end of April, they had taken a minute and a half off this time, 32:04. Then in May they took another 90 seconds off, 30:31. And in June, they smashed the 30 minute and 29 minute barrier with a time of 28:56.
After a successful few months you’d think they might want a break. But this runner wasn’t ready to stop just yet.
On the Parkrun Beginners Graduation, they got an outstanding time of 28:29. Their times continued to drop and in September 2018, they got their current personal best time of 26:48.
They are now also involved in charity fundraising and setting up events for the club which has been a new type of challenge for them.
I have every faith this runner will set a new PB in 2019 and continue to be an outstanding member of the club. We are very proud to have her. It is a pleasure to be able to give this Improvers Award to
Katicia Blanchard.

Improvement Award

An improvement award is given to a beginner graduate from group 3 beginners. Carly and Stuart are extremely proud of your new found love of running and the amount of hard work you have put it to achieve all your fantastic times at parkrun and placing for the club at cross country. Members regularly see you running in the mornings to fit it in around your busy life as a mum and nurse. You have been a massive advocate for the club and for running itself, and we know it has given you a massive confidence boost...so it should, you should be very proud of yourself. You are an inspiration. Keep going and well done for getting this Improvement Award Natasha Hall

Improvement Award

This Strider is a key part of our Cross Country Team and a regular at track in our 'fast' pack. I think of him as quite quiet, but that could be that he often has Christine chatting away at his side, and doesn't provide Gez and I with the same amount of abuse as some of the group. He just gets on with it and it’s this attitude, along with the track sessions (we like to think), that have contributed to his 10 mile PB and his 2nd in age group at the Love Luton Half (also an age group PB).
He wins my award for the best arms at track (not an actual award - just my praise!), but this well-deserved Improvement Award does go to
Pat Blessing

Improvement Award

This award is for a club member who has worked hard and made significant progress in their running.
This lady is a well-recognised member of Stopsley Striders with consistent representation for the club in races near and far. In the past year, this lady’s times for all distances have consistently improved from 5k all the way up to marathons. Running everyday has clearly not had any negative effects on her performance. This Improvement Award goes to
Evelyn Lutterodt.

Improvement Award

This man set himself a target of obtaining a half marathon PB in 2018, which he duly achieved but not content with this, his next goal was to achieve a sub 90 half marathon.
Having completed six half marathons throughout the year, he has managed to achieve 90 mins and a few seconds on three separate occasions, culminating in a new PB time of 90.16 at the Bedford Half Marathon in December.
This man has made giant strides in his running this year and I’m sure that 2019 is the year when he will finally go sub 90 for a half.
This Improvement Award for his half marathon times in 2018 goes to
Mike Tucker

Special Award

This special award is for a pair of members. Together they are a force to be reckoned with and also have achieved so much.
Their planning and plotting evenings sound a blast with a couple of glasses of wine to aid the ideas flowing.
Last year these two raised the stakes as far as our club fundraising goes. Together they organised events, themed runs, charity discos, a couple of virtual challenges and much more which resulted in the club raising £7000 for the L&D cardiac unit. I am delighted that one of them is now our fundraising officer on the committee because we need your energy, enthusiasm and ideas for fundraising. I think we all need to be invited to the next planning meeting. This well deserved special award goes to
Amanda Rankin and Liz Evans

Special Award

This runner has certainly made himself known on the Luton running scene. He has given many Luton parent an excuse to get out of the house on a Sunday morning. By starting the Junior parkrun as event director he has not only given children confidence in running it has also given them the understanding of the importance of volunteering and marshaling.
He also achieved a mean feat in August when he ran 201.8 miles as part of the club charity 2018 summer challenge and I think it was the only month where someone else other than Rob topped the Strava distance charts! Not only is this a crazy distance for one month it was completed by having runs to and from work, on a treadmill, runs in Southend and in Cyprus.
This Special Award goes to
Rick Hares

Special Award

This member has been a valued member of the committee for a couple of years. She has a calm, measured approach and gives very balanced advice whenever I feel I need some.
Last year this lady took on the role of race director for our annual club race in August, this is not an easy job and one that comes with a lot of pressure. The event was a great success and although a few minor hiccups on the day, that only a few of us will ever need to know about it was a brilliant event and everybody seemed to enjoy themselves.
I thoroughly enjoyed working with you and measuring our race course every day in the week leading up to the event, in every way possible, GPS on our watches, our phones, Strava and with the trusty measuring wheel.
This Special Award goes to
Miriam Linforth

Special Award

This man has been a regular on the cross country scene over the last year. He took part in all of the Three Counties Cross Country league fixtures in 2018, where he became a regular scorer for the club continuing to move up the finishing list. He has also represented the club at the County and Southern Cross Country Championships in 2018.
This Special Award goes to
Martin Fallon

Special Award

This lady has been a stalwart of the club for many years. She is the face that greets everyone as they come in and ensures every new face has someone to run with. She knows every single runner by name and always has the best interest of the club at heart.
We are organising an exhibition next year at Wardown Museum celebrating the history of the club and our various achievements. The knowledge and record keeping this lady has for Stopsley Striders over the years is insightful and inspiring.
This Special Award goes to
Helen Morris

Special Award

A special award can be given for many reasons and this one is given to a lady who has worked hard on her cross country runs over the last few years. These efforts were rewarded this year, the 2018/19 season, when she managed to get into scoring positions for Striders on two occasions. For a while, her performance this season also put her in strong position for the Alf Brown Handicap race.
We have been on many runs, walks or stumbles together and she has been a good friend, who can be relied on to bring a laugh, a joke or a giggle to any occasion, mostly without embarrassment
This Special Award goes to
Judy Reid

Special Award

This is a special award for a lady who has become a dear friend of mine. She loves this club and Luton as much as I do. Whilst training for her first marathon last year she learnt about Jeffing, a running style initiated by Jeff Galloway where you incorporate scheduled recovery breaks and follow a run-walk-run strategy. It revolutionised this ladies running and has given her the confidence and enabled her to achieve way more than I think she would let herself believe before.
In typical style for this lady she is good at sharing her knowledge and the Jeffing group is now well established at Striders, parkrun and as part of the beginners course. This Special Award goes to
Kate Neale

Special Award

This Strider has already been recognised for their amazing running achievements but what people may not realise is how much they contribute ‘behind the scenes’ at both the club and at parkrun.
At the beginning of last year this Strider completed the Leader in Running Fitness course and started coaching speedwork groups on Thursday nights. They were involved in our highly successful Beginners’ Course, leading one of the speedier groups through the 12 weeks, and continue to coach regularly on a Thursday, often stepping in at the last minute.
At parkrun this Strider has volunteered 19 times so far, including 12 times in 2018. Although sometimes their volunteering is planned they are always ready and willing to step into a role at short notice, often after they have run themselves.
There was also the memorable occasion when we had a medical incident at parkrun – this Strider spotted the incident, checked what was going on, ran to the finish, alerted the Run Director and a nurse who happened to be volunteering, grabbed the first aid bag and ran back to the incident. Luckily it all turned out well but both quick thinking and quick legs played an important role.
This Special Award goes to
Rob Barnes

Special Award

This award goes to the lady who is the face behind the social media for Stopsley Striders.
Since taking on the role last year she has actively been keeping the Stopsley Striders Facebook group up to date with events, club notices and also managing the beginners group page. To put into context some of the work this lady has done on our social media forums, our Instagram page now has 427 followers. This is great exposure for our brilliant running club.
This lady is an active member of the striders and was a huge asset on the beginners course this year, supporting the new members and regularly arranging social runs.
She always has a smile of her face and is a friendly approachable member of our club.
I am delighted to award this Special Award to
Lucinda Philpott

Special Award

Track sessions would have stopped without this Striders support - always willing to take his turn and step in when needed to take an extra session - well, unless Luton are playing! Our competition for meanest coach was recently declared a draw, but he is definitely the more organised one with his book of sessions.
He also stepped in to take the Thursday speedwork sessions throughout the Beginners course, which was really appreciated by the rest of the club.
Even with all the sessions he takes he also trains hard and has PB'd at 10k and half marathon this year. What an example to set.
Thank you for all your support and efforts for the club.
This Special Award goes to
Gez Fallon

Special Award

This lady has been an inspirational coach over the last year, regularly taking speedwork sessions often at short notice, sacrificing her own running time to help and advise others.
Her now legendary track sessions on a Tuesday are varied, fun and extremely tough but are a must for those seeking an improvement in their running.
She has become known as the “Bad Cop” of the Tuesday night track sessions.
This Special Award goes to
Maria Petts.

Special Award

As I’m sure you are all aware there are a few things that need organising behind the scenes to keep this club running as smoothly as it does. We seem to have more events, runs and social occasions happening than ever, the calendar has never been so full. This is all brilliant but without this member not much of it would happen. His attention to detail checking the numbers, keeping our financial records straight, paying for everything and keeping my spending in check whilst fitting this all in around a very busy job, a young family oh, and some running we are very lucky to have this Strider as our treasurer.
This Special Award goes to
Thom Darby

Special Award

This person is truly an inspiration and an excellent role model to everyone within Stopsley Striders.
They have set 11 amazing club records and an impressive collection of 6 new PB’s in 2018.
If that wasn’t enough to be proud of, in October they ran the Chester marathon for Team GB setting yet another PB of 3.09.28
Please join me in a Special Award congratulations to my colleague and your Ladies Captain
Christine Lathwell

Special Award

This Strider is a member who for the last few years has volunteered to give up his own time to keep the club ticking along. He has had to put up with emails from far and wide inviting runners to take up events, taken in our memberships, had to have dealt with Zena's endless lists at committee meetings and as well as running really well, especially during the last 12 months.
This runner has been a stalwart of the club for many years and this award is a thank you for the time and energy you have given the club. This Special Award goes to
Andy Reid

Special Award

This Strider is one of our beginners graduates and despite struggling with life changing eyesight problems, she stuck her head above the parapet and asked for help in the form of a sighted running companion. Kate Neale and Tony Green, among others happily ran with her. This meant this Strider could give cross country a go for the club.
You can imagine how proud we all felt watching her cross the finish line at the very challenging Ampthill Cross Country unaccompanied with a huge smile on her face, giggling about the fact that she managed to stay upright the whole 5 miles only to catch her footing in the finish funnel. You are a true inspiration and a fantastic advocate for the club. The world is your oyster.
This Special Award is for
Lorraine Paine

Rosa Trophy

This Strider has been a member for a long time but I don’t think I have ever seen him glow with pride and enthusiasm for running as much as he has been recently.
This coach was instrumental in the smooth running of the beginners course, encouraging his group during the sessions on a Thursday night but also leading a Monday night group of mixed abilities up the lanes for their practice run. He perfected the technique of getting runners to loop back on themselves so nobody was left behind. He didn’t stop there and once the beginners course was finished he continued to coach new members on a Monday night to achieve their new target of running the Love Luton 10K.
It is so great to see you enjoying the club and running as much as you are at the moment.
This Special Award goes to
Tony Green

Ken Abbott Award

This prestigious award goes to a club member and coach who suffered with an ongoing foot problem for several months, which despite them resting and following advice, took a long time to resolve. Finally it began to improve, and we were hopeful that they would be returning to club nights to offer their own particular humour, advice and encouragement to all who ran with them.
Unfortunately life sometimes has other ideas, and when the results of what were supposed to be fairly routine medical tests showed that surgery was needed for a malignant tumour, running for this member once again had to go on hold. Surgery and treatment followed and was faced with courage and characteristic humour.
Thankfully all the treatment was successful and after taking time to ensure a proper recovery, in August we saw this valued member return to club. They gradually built up their running, progressing sensibly but swiftly and confirmed their return by entering and finishing the Love Luton 10K in a brilliant time
So to adapt their own personal Facebook comment:
He's back
He's back one testicle less
He's back to stand up to cancer
He's back to running
We are delighted to say - He's back!
This totally deserved Ken Abbott award goes to our very own
Simon Cain

Chairman's Award

This lady has been a member of the club for many years, she was a brilliant runner and completed several marathons and has many great running stories to tell. These days she is the face that everyone is greeted with when they come to club, she knows each and every one of you by name and often your membership number too. She remembers to send birthday cards to those Striders reaching a significant birthday will send a card and flowers to members who are unwell and need to know we are thinking of them.
I don’t think she realises what an asset she is to the club and how lucky we are to have her.
I am speaking for the whole of the committee but especially Thom, Karen and myself, we wouldn’t be able to do these roles without you and I absolutely love working with you. You have a brilliant sense of humour are an absolute inspiration.
Thank you for everything you do for our club and all the help you give me, the Chairman’s Award for 2018 goes to
Helen Morris

Striders XC Handicap Championship Winners

Christine Lathwell 1st Lady