Seaford Striders’ latest Couch to 5k (C25k) group celebrated their ‘graduation’ on Saturday (June 16) by running their first parkrun at Peacehaven. The event was the culmination of nine weeks of training, taking the group from walking to a non-stop 5k run.

The 19-strong Couch to 5k group were joined on the parkrun by programme volunteers who helped with pacing, plus other runners from the club. The high turnout resulted in a new club record for participation in a parkrun. With 52 runners taking part, Seaford Striders made up a third of all the runners at Peacehaven parkrun. The sea of coloured t-shirts and mention from the race director at the start meant the group could not be missed.
A total of 48 runners completed the latest Couch to 5k programme. The group will now join Seaford Striders at their regular Wednesday night training sessions. Previous Couch to 5k graduates have progressed to running 10k and half marathons as well as competing in Sussex Grand Prix events to win points for the club. The Striders also welcome runners who don’t compete, but prefer to run with a friendly, sociable group.

Running the full 5k was a real achievement for Kim Rennie, who had tried running before but decided to join Couch to 5k for added motivation. Kim said: “One huge bonus for me is that now I want to run, rather than feel I should run. I feel more positive, focused and have more energy as a direct result of Couch to 5k. Another plus, as I love my food, running helps keep my weight in check!”

Kim was initially unsure whether she would last the duration of the course, but quickly found her fears were unfounded. “I really can’t believe how quickly the nine weeks passed by. I felt a real sense of achievement to be able to run 5k without stopping. I also felt a little sad as there is a real community feel amongst the runners. The experienced Striders were absolutely amazing – they were really encouraging and supportive. They were all so friendly and approachable that it will make it easy to keep going and join in on their Wednesday training days.”

Seaford Striders’ at Peacehaven parkrun (June 16) full results:
Dave Dunstall (19:05), Jeff Young (19:10), Josh Nisbett (19:19), Nick Farley (20:18), Joe Plant (20:48), Andy Farley (20:52), Emily Eaton (22:16), Adam Haverly (23:10), Anneka Redley (24:17), Kristy Sherry (24:20), Aaron Horney (25:08 – C25k), Graham Jones (25:12), Claire Townsend (25:16), Emily Tearle (25:32), Jazz Shiret (26:06), Emma Cooper (26:46), Emily Farley (27:10), Lindsay Tearle (27:13), Richard Honeyman (27:38), John Gillespie (28:48), Chris Wilmot (29:18 – C25k), Simon Nixon (29:18 – pacer), Paul Bowler (30:30 – C25k), Chloe Wilmot (30:50 – C25k), Julie Taylor (31:13), Lewis Woodward (32:39 – junior), Steph Woodward (32:40), Kaycia Jones (32:49 – junior), Stacey Jones (32:50), Ruth McConnochie (33:53), Chris le Beau (34:01), Sandra Standen (35:04), Tara Holmes-Ling (35:37 – C25k), Alice Lennie (35:41 – pacer), Debbie Plant (36:22 – pacer), Kerry Bunn (36:24 – C25k), Graham Little (36:27 – C25k), Denise Colvin (36:28 – C25k), Kim Rennie (36:29 – C25k), Hilary Humphreys (36:29 – pacer), Wendy Woodford (36:32 – C25k), Carol Gillespie (36:32 – C25k), Victoria Maleski (36:33 – pacer), Tom Roper (36:34 – pacer), Nicky Patching (37:15 – C25k), Sharon Plank (37:16 – C25k), Mary Murphy (37:38 – C25k), Michelle Varndell (37:40 – pacer), Fawzia Whittuck (39:19 – C25k), Alex Morris (40:39 – C25k), Rachel Lofthouse (41:08 – C25k), Claire Sayers (42:25 – C25k), Sue Wallis (42:26 – C25k).