The end of December and the first weeks of 2026 have brought success for Striders on the roads and beyond.

On 31st December, the St Albans New Year Eve 10k took place along the Alban Way, ending with the traditional prosecco for those running. Striders dominated the results, with George Booth winning by 30 seconds in a PB of 32.49. In the women’s race, there were two Striders on the podium, with Lily Tse winning in a PB of 36.45, and Kate Dixon in third in 39.52. 

There were also PBs for lots of the Striders taking part: including Emily Hickey-Baird, who broke 40 minutes for the first time (39.53), Lukas McIvor of St Albans Athletics Club (35.20), Tom Croft (35.39), Glyn Huckerby (36.56), Leo Samuels of St Albans AC (37.39), Danna Ma (43.40), Lindsey Brown (44.15), Paul Burden (44.19), Sarah Jewkes (44.52), Chloe Matthews (48.13), Lottie Nicholson (48.14), Helen Kinloch (53.19), Lynn Burden (55.44), Chloe Harrison (55.26) and Hannah Eke (58.02). 

The beginning of 2026 has also brought several cross country races for Striders, including the Hertfordshire County Centenary Year Cross Country Championships 2026, which were held at Fairlands Valley Park in Stevenage on 3 January. The club put on a fantastic display, with Freya Weddell, Stacey Ormerod and Christina Durbin taking the top three spots, and Catherine O’Connor, Megan Walker and Kate Dixon close behind in fifth, sixth and seventh. 

For the men, Will Lindsey took first place, with George Booth following him over the line in fifth. There were also notable performances from Adam Yorwerth (10th), Matthew Cooper (12th) and Andrew Shaw (13th). 

On Saturday 10th January, the fourth match in the Chiltern League XC series took place, with Striders travelling to Cassiobury Park in Watford to take part. In the men’s race, William Christofi was the first Strider in, coming 42nd, with Tom Croft and Matt Cooper not far behind in 55th and 56th.

And in the women’s race, there were an impressive five women in the top ten: Christina Durbin (4th), Freya Weddell (5th), Stacey Ormerod (7th), Megan Walker (8th) and Catherine O’Connor (10th). With one match remaining in the series, Striders are currently in third place overall, with the women in first.