Yet another event at which we made it into the twenties in terms of the number of BVAC participants. Both mens and womens teams were only marginally down on last year's placings which were probably our best ever! With the Men in 11th and the women in 9th, this was a terrific performance once again.
Chris Marshall made the most of his recent birthday, coming home as the leading 60+ male.
KFL Race Report - Rob Bright
The third round of the Kent Fitness Series was played out in the stately surrounding of Knole Parkon a crisp and bright November morning. Over 320 made it to the start line in the middle of the long valley with several dozen deer included amoungst the spectators. Despite the recent rain which had softened up the ground, and the biting headwind on the return journey, conditions were just about perfect for racing.
Reigning champion Andy Pickett, now at Brunel University, made a rare visit to the scene of his former triumphs. He led out the field from start to finish to record his 10th league win in 20 attempts, covering the 5.3 mile rollercoaster route in a time of 30.30. Half a minute behind him, the battle for the minor placings was being closely fought. International duathlete Graeme Knott had the best finish of a trio comprising another former champ, Allan Lee and leading over 40 man Dave Hall.
David Ives, from the host club, had his best run to date in finishing 5th just ahead of James Ridger, whileSittingbourne's 17 year old Sam Murphy notched up his second top 10 finish and looks destined for stardom. Supervet Malcolm Martin came home 10th as leading over 50 runner while Chris Marshall (Bromley Vets) took the honours for the over 60 men.
Invicta's Charlotte Dale made a brief appearance following a lengthy spell of injury. She ran round one lap with the leaders only to drop out at the halfway mark, leaving a clear run home for Tina Oldershaw. The Paddock WoodRunner who had success last weekend as and England International in Stormont, finished clear of all but 16 of the men to come home in a time of 33.18. This put her almost 2 ½ minutes clear of Nicola Susans who was runner up for the second time this season. Michelle Flaxton was the leading over 35 in 3rd place with Barbara Wenman heading the o45’s back in 9th. Both Dartford Roadrunners and Canterbury Harriers packed their three scoring women into the top 10, but Dartford had the edge.
The Combined team contest saw another win for Paddock Wood AC which means they extend their lead to 4 points at the top of the table with still 4 races to come. Larkfield AC were hoping to repeat last season’s team victory atKnole Park, but were just 3 points adrift on the day.
Thank you to the members of Sevenoaks AC for their hard work yesterday and Rob Carr in particular who coordinated it all. We also had a highly spirited junior contest which saw the Thanet threesome of Jamie Bailey, Jacob and Ben Burton heading the field for the third time this season.