About Worthing Striders
Worthing Striders was established in 1996 by thirty running friends who wanted to form their own running club with the type of running they enjoyed in mind. The initial idea was to start a club with the minimum of rules and fuss that concentrated on road, off road and cross country running – AND SO – Worthing Striders was born.
Worthing Rugby Football Club is our club headquarters because of its excellent facilities and its close proximity to the South Downs. Our club colours of orange and black were chosen to be easily recognisable at races.
Our original principles still hold firm but we have developed our operating format within the guidelines and principles of England Athletics to ensure we are compliant with new rules and regulations.
Worthing Striders participate in all types of races from fun runs and 5Ks to marathons and ultra-running: our members are diverse in their running needs. We are a mix of experienced runners, runners returning to the sport and beginners. We also have an excellent balance of age groups and a 50:50 ratio of male and female runners.
Throughout the year we attend a number of organised run events and have been known to host a selection of social nights and charity fundraising activities.
We are known as a friendly club!
Remembering Our Honorary President, Dr Ron Hill MBE 1938 – 2021
Ron Hill, during the formation of our club and up until his death, was our Honorary President, as well as being a personal friend to some of the founding Striders. Ron will always be a running inspiration to every Strider new and old – a true legend in orange!
Ron was born 25 September 1938 in Accrington, Lancashire and was the second man ever to break 2hrs 10mins in the marathon. He set world records at four distances and ran in three Olympic Games (Tokyo 1964, Mexico 1968, Munich 1972) and won gold medals at the European Championships and Commonwealth Games.
Ron was the first British runner to win the Boston Marathon in 1970 shattering the course record by three minutes with a time of 2hrs 10min 30sec. He is also the founder of the Ronhill and Hilly clothing companies and is famous for his “running Streak” in which he has not missed a day of running since December 1964.
He was awarded an MBE in 1971 for services to athletics.
Ron’s final marathon was the 100th Boston run in 1986. He completed 115 marathons in all, 112 under 2hrs 50mins, 103 under 2hrs 45mins and 29 under 2hrs 20mins.
More recently Ron achieved his goal of racing in 100 countries before his 70th birthday and to celebrate his 50th year of running at least a mile a day he completed the Heaton Park Parkrun in Manchester. He crossed the line in under 30 minutes – not bad for a gentleman of 76 years.
RON’S RECORD TIMES
Marathon 2hrs 9mins 28sec
20 miles 1hr 36mins 28sec
25K 1hr 15mins 22sec
15 miles 1hr 12mins 48
1268 yards 1 hour 12 miles
Half 1hr 4mins
20K 58min 39sec
10 miles 46mins 44sec
10K 28min 39sec
AND some facts you may not know:
- Has recorded a run distance of over 160,000 miles
- Introduced synthetic fibres to running clothing
- Innovated the ‘wrap over split’ running short
- Designed the first union jack running shorts
Our Charities
Meet the Committee
Our volunteer committee consists of elected members of the club, elections are held once a year at our annual AGM. Key posts are Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary and Treasurer.
The committee’s function is to ensure Worthing Striders Run Club operates in safely, fairly and to England Athletics standards. They are the voice of our members.
Rob Graham
CHAIRMAN
Rob is chair of Worthing Striders. He started running in 2007 and hasn’t looked back, having now completed over 20 marathons, and coming first in “good for age” categories several times. He loves running and the outdoors, and the variety of coast and downs that being in sunny Worthing offers. He believes running together as part of a club is so important for motivation, friendship and belonging, and his goal is to continue moving Striders forward as a successful and inclusive club that benefits the whole community.
Mike Osmon
VICE CHAIRMAN
Mike is vice chair, and a run leader for Worthing Striders. He started running in 2017 having decided he wished to switch to healthier lifestyle choices to benefit both his physical and mental health. Since then he has grown a huge passion for running outdoors particularly out on the trails. Mike has completed 5 Ultra marathon distances, numerous marathons and half marathons, whilst also liking to push the Parkrun pace with a PB of 18:48. He believes the sense of community and support the club offers its members is a huge benefit and is excited to watch our fantastic club develop further.
Lesley Card
SECRETARY
Lesley is Club Secretary of Worthing Striders and has been a member of the club since October 2021 – shortly after moving to Worthing in June 2021.
She started running in her mid-30’s, and now in her early 70’s can regularly be found running, walking, or volunteering at a local parkrun most Saturday mornings. 5k and 10k are her preferred distances these days, but over the years has completed one Barns Green half marathon and the Great South Run 10 miles on 5 occasions. She believes the motivational benefits of running as part of a club or team really helps you to get out in the fresh air when the hardest part is sometimes just putting on the trainers and going out of the door. Lesley also believes that running is a great way to clear the mind of the madness that surrounds us. Her most recent achievement is to qualify as a Leader in Running Fitness for Worthing Striders, and looks forward to passing on her enthusiasm for running to others.
Dan Barnett
TREASURER
Dan is the club treasurer and also a committee member. He joined Worthing Striders nearly 4 years ago after starting running during the pandemic, and has gone on to complete his first London Marathon and a 50k ultramarathon, amongst others.
Dan has been the race director for our annual West Sussex Fun Run League race – the ‘Highdown Hike’ – for the past two years, including a hugely successful event in August 2024, which even featured a BBQ and afterparty! This was the first Hike hosted at our new base, Worthing Rugby Club.
Anita Watkins
CLUB COACH
Anita is the club Membership secretary, one of Worthing Striders’ team of LiRF’s, and has recently completed her training to become a Coach in Running Fitness.
Anita took up running in 2014 at the very first parkrun in Bognor Regis. The supportive community at parkrun soon had her hooked on running and she went from being a complete non-runner to avid parkrunner in a matter of weeks.
Anita loves running on trails and the real joy for her is the opportunity to enjoy some of the lovely scenery that is to be found on the South Downs (though in her heart she misses the Pennines and the Peak District).
Anita has completed a number of marathons and 50km ultras, and her favourite distance for regular running is probably the half marathon.
Ross Holmes
COMMITTEE MEMBER
Ross is a committee member and the club welfare officer for Worthing Striders. Having started running in 2021, Ross has since taken part in dozens of races and completed the Brighton Marathon in 2022.
He previously led a weekly running group in Worthing on behalf of a mental health charity, which was designed to get people moving and talking. Ross is passionate about the impact running can have on your health and wellbeing, and therefore the role of welfare officer at Worthing Striders was a perfect fit. His favourite distance is the half marathon, and he loves the challenge of the WSFRL races. He’ll also be taking on his first 50k ultra distance race in May 2025.
Despite being someone 4 years ago who would have never imagined running a mile, joining Worthing Striders has helped Ross immeasurably, so he was very keen to be involved with the running of the club and help promote the numerous health, wellbeing, and social benefits of joining a running club.
Siân Osmon
COMMITTEE MEMBER
Sian has been a member of Worthing Striders for the past three years and joined the committee in September 2023 to support the promotion of the club through social media. Running has become a huge part of her life and through the support of
Worthing Striders she has achieved so much. This year she raised over £1,000 for Leukaemia Care UK by running the Great South Run. Sian regularly attends parkrun and enjoys the challenge of a 10K distance!
Gilly Hughes-Jones
COMMITTEE MEMBER
Gilly joined Worthing Striders in December 2023 and joined the Committee in September 2024. Gilly has a love of running for her physical and mental health and encourages everyone to have a go – it is not all about speed, it is about having fun and feeling better in yourself.
In the past Gilly has run up to Marathon level, but now is happy to attend parkrun and the occasional longer run and has found a new love of trail running – nothing quite like mud up to your knees to clear the mind!!
As a Committee Member Gilly hopes to qualify as a LIRF and work in any role that will support the Club.
Patricia Mendes
COMMITTEE MEMBER
In September 2024, Patricia joined the Worthing Striders committee to give back to the club that has had such a positive impact in her life. Patricia joined Worthing Striders in January 2024 after struggling to find motivation to run solo. Although she has always been active and incorporated exercise into her life, running was never a favourite activity—it was limited to short distances as warm-ups or part of other training. Joining Striders changed everything, reigniting her passion for running and introducing her to a supportive, friendly community.
Since becoming a member, Patricia has completed the New Forest Half Marathon and is preparing for the Lisbon Half Marathon and Run to the Sea this year, with the ambitious goal of completing the six SuperHalfs across Europe. She believes Striders is more than just a running club; it’s a community that fosters motivation, belonging, and shared enthusiasm. Being part of such an inclusive and supportive group has been transformative, and she looks forward to continuing her running journey with the club while inspiring others to do the same.
Carolyn Coombes
COMMITTEE MEMBER
Carolyn has been a member of the club since early 2024 and joined the committee in September. She began running 3 years ago to aid her weight loss journey and hasn’t looked back since.
Carolyn loves nothing better than lacing up her shoes and running to the beach to try to catch a sunrise or sunset. Since joining Worthing Striders she has also become a fan of the trails but still needs a little convincing about hills.
The club has benefited her running through the training sessions and weekly group social runs, providing not only invaluable advice on form and pace, but meeting new people who share the same passion. Finding such a welcoming and inclusive club was a great reason for her to join the committee and be able to promote the positives of running to the wider community.
Harry Foster-Wood
COMMITTEE MEMBER
Harry moved to Worthing in 2019. He was regularly out on the downs on his mountain bike, but started running during lockdown and joined Worthing Striders in 2022. Harry feels running is a great way to help balance stresses of work and life, as well as providing an amazing socialising element. Since joining the club, Harry has taken part in races including the Brighton Marathon, and the Run To The Sea 50k. Harry joined the committee in September 2024.
Tracey Goult
LiRF
Tracey has been a member of Worthing Striders for nearly 4 years. In this time she has managed to get PBs in 5k, 10k, 10 mile and Half Marathon distances. She became a LiRF a year ago, and is thoroughly enjoying giving running and strength training to new runners and other members of the club.
She has also with another run leader taken on a group for the C25K which a few completed and have since joined the club and done many races.
She is also Social Secretary and enjoys arranging numerous social events from Escape rooms, bowling and lovely meals out with the club.
Her next big challenge is the Run to the Sea Ultramarathon in May 2025. This will be her longest race to date of 50k.
Our Sponsors
Worthing Striders Run Club is a group provided by volunteers, we receive no funding or donations to assist with our operations.
We are proud to have a number of local businesses and organisations that who help with the running of our club. Without them things would be significantly more difficult!
