2025 Event Archive

SANTA DASH - dECEMBER 25

Dressed in festive gear, we rounded off 2025 with our annual Santa Dash around the village, stopping at Kieron's place for mulled wine and mince pie refreshments, before heading back to the base for more food and drink.....it's what Christmas is all about afterall!

Pumpkin run - NOvember 25

To mark our 5th Birthday, the Striders were set a series of challenges to perform in mixed teams around Almondbury - carrying a pumpkin for good measure!

Teams dashed from one secret spot to another, hunting down hidden letters guarded by Almondbury's Oompa Loompas. After cracking all the clues, the letters spelled "Wonka" - at least it did if the teams ran the route in the right order. Ran a different way, turns out the night took a more x rated turn!

Along the way, the Striders were thrown a series of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory themed challenges. They got greedy by stuffing themselves Augustus style at the Liberal club, gave their pumpkins a stern telling off in the village stocks for being thoroughly spoilt, channelled their inner Violet Beauregarde by blowing the buggest bubble gum they could muster, and even starred in their own Mike Tevee inspired commercial for the Almondbury Striders.

In true Striders fashion, everyone threw themselves into the mayhem and made it a brilliantly fun evening. And, as is tradition, the night ended with Charlie himself treating the gang to homemade curry and a slice of birthday cake - a perfect end to a wonderfully Wonka filled evening :-)

Joint Group Run with Lindley - JUne 25

Another fabulous run with our pals at the Lindley Running Club. We can't wait to host them in Almondbury soon.

Naked run - June 2025

Over 50 eager runners turned up for this year’s Naked Run – our annual tradition of stripping off... our gadgets No watches, no smartphones and no excuses, just good old-fashioned guesswork and legwork around Almondbury.

This year’s event was made even more special (and slightly more nerve-wracking) by the presence of the BBC, who came along to capture the magic as part of Kev’s shortlisting for a BBC “Make a Difference” Award.

After signing in, squinting at the route map and confidently scribbling down our predicted finish times (based on pure gut feeling and vague recollections), the starting gun was fired and off we went; enthusiastically cheered on by the Strollers, who added plenty of vocal encouragement from the sidelines.

Once the course was conquered, it was back to base for the real reason many of us turned up – pie and peas! Then came the world’s longest raffle – featuring some fabulous prizes, and a few that were… let’s say, “enthusiastically donated.”

Lorraine was crowned Naked Run champion, hitting her predicted time bang on the nose – spooky stuff! Sally and Helena weren’t far behind, bagging second and third with impressively accurate guesses. Big thanks to Martin, our tech wizard who tracked the whole thing and made sure we all magically appeared on Strava, despite the “naked” nature of the run. And, Rachel and James in the Kitchen for keeping us fed - looks like they may have also had some cheeky fun goofing about with our smartphones whilst we were out too (check your galleries everyone! ). Thankfully, Simon and Damian were far more serious and professional with our timings!

A great night all round and a fabulous showcase of what we're all about, fingers crossed for that award now.

huddersfield 3 peaks charity walk - may 2025

On Saturday 17th May, over 30 walkers took on the Huddersfield 3 Peaks challenge in aid of the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA). Setting off from Almondbury Cricket Club on a slightly chilly morning, the sun soon came out to warm everyone up by midday

The 18-mile circular route took in stunning views and included welcome rest stops along the way, offering a chance to recharge and enjoy the friendly company. After returning to the cricket club, participants were treated to delicious pie and peas, along with a wonderful selection of home-baked goodies generously made by Martin.

A huge thank you to everyone who supported the event, donated, and helped raise money for MNDA. A special shout-out goes to Richard for his meticulous organisation and for planning such a fantastic route – your efforts made the day a brilliant success!

parkrun takeover - may 2025

What a belter of a day for the Almondbury Striders to takeover Huddersfield Parkrun.

The sun was shining and the skies were blue as we arrived at Greenhead park.

Not only did we bring a small army of volunteers with us to marshal, we also had loads of runners out on the course too. In fact, our tent was so big Kirklees Council tried to slap a council tax band on it!

Our Parkrun takeover also marked the grand finale of our Couch to 5K programme - and what a cracking job they've all done! Loads of our C25K runners lined up nervously at the start, and all crossed the line looking chuffed to bits. They "passed out" with flying colours, not literally thank heavens! Massive Kudos to you all.

Parkrun commented that we were such a well oiled machine - they'd clearly seen Kev getting changed me thinks! :-) - and that we've set the bar high for other running groups in the area.

Well done to everyone involved .... and Damian, you looked fabulous in pink!

Chocolate Relay, April 2025

Meeting on a beautiful sunny spring evening, our Couch to 5K graduates were quickly paired up with regular members to form 20 teams of two.

The Task: Each runner completes two circuits around Almondbury – one big, one small – passing a Twix as the baton. And, as we all know by now, victory doesn't just go to the fastest team – oh no! The Twix has to be unwrapped and eaten at the end. A surprisingly tough task when you're gasping for breath and your mouth’s drier than a burnt piece of toast. In fact, many a win in previous years has been lost to caramel-based panic!

To even the field further this year, our quicker runners – Jacob, Craig, Dom, Sofie, Steve and Sarah – were all given time handicaps. And, after plenty of breathless baton-passing and sticky fingers, the honours went to:

Winners: Steve & Lorraine

Second: Jacob & Jenny

Third: Craig & Lottie

Shout-outs to Rebecca, who sprinted to the line like she was chasing Olympic glory and to our marshals Mandy, Dave and Charlie, who kept us all on course with enthusiastic cheerleading (especially Mandy, who’d started before we’d even set off – passers-by at the bus stop were very confused! It's not often your cheered onto the 372)

Once the running (and chewing) was over, we were treated to a feast of burritos courtesy of Simon (Sofie’s dad and now official Striders caterer). Beef, chicken, veggie – all delicious, and much appreciated. Please, someone give this man a medal. Or a chef's hat. Or a Netflix cookery show! Massive thanks again Simon!

With full bellies, we moved to the bar, where some Striders may or may not have stayed until after midnight (no names mentioned – but you know who you are!).

Captain Kev in full Bruce Forsyth mode (yes, complete with all the catchphrases), hosted a few rounds of "Play your cards right". Cue dramatic pauses, audience yelling "Higher!" and "Lower!" like their lives depended on it, and the slight rustle of names being pulled from a .....Lidl bag for life (we're classy like that).

Rachel was drawn not once, but twice. The first round was over very quickly. The second - oh, the second! She reached the final card and, to her delight, an 'Ace' appeared. Dreams of £20 and shiny new lycra shorts danced before her eyes. She called 'Lower'.... only to reveal over ANOTHER flipping 'Ace'. Heartbreak! As Bruce would say, and Kev was quick to remind, "You get nothing for a pair - not in this game!" :-)

Ben, however, sailed through the cards quicker than Dom up Fernside and bagged the prize, drawing cheers from the crowd and future bragging rights!

To round off the night, Simon returned with a surprise cheeseboard. While it lacked a strong smelly cheese, the festering Striders who remained were able to fill the gap – a true sensory experience after two laps around Almondbury.

A cracking night all round – full of effort, laughs, and just the right amount of madness. Same again next year?

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