Brighton Trail
Folkestone 10
Paddock Wood Half
London Mara
T Pepper/Whitstable
3 Forts
Larkfield 10k
Canterbury Half
Joydens Wood Race 1
SCVAC Events 1-3
Grand Union Canal Run
SCVAC Event 4 & 5
Bluewater 10k
Harvel 5
Hoy Half
Comrades Marathon
British Masters T&F
Dartford Half
Mount Ephraim 10k
50M Challenge
SCVAC Event 6
European Vets
Masters Inter-Area
Thanet Marathon and Half - 5 September
Four members competed in the Kent Coastal races on 5 September, three in the full marathon, which was a Grand Prix race and the Kent Championship event, and one in the Half. Rob Carr led home the marathoners in 74th place, with Jim Fitzmaurice 147th and Maryanne Aitken 213th. Doubling the number of Fitzmaurices running on the day, Heather had a great run in the half to finish second woman and first lady vet.
The SAC results were as follows:
| Place | Time | Name | Team | Category | Num | Pos |
| Marathon | ||||||
| 74 | 03:46:54 | Robert CARR | Sevenoaks AC | MV40 | 304 | 74 |
| 147 | 04:21:35 | James FITZMAURICE | Sevenoaks AC | MV60 | 238 | 147 |
| 213 | 05:02:55 | Maryanne AITKEN | Sevenoaks AC | LV45 | 99 | 213 |
| Half Marathon | ||||||
| 24 | 01:32:48 | Heather FITZMAURICE | Sevenoaks AC | LV35 | 656 | 24 |
Full results HERE.
Weald 10k - 5 September
David Ives was third overall, Darrell Smith 4th and first M40, Chris Desmond first M45 and Pauline Dalton first W45 in another excellent club turnout at the Weald 10k on 5 September. SAC did equally well in the accompanying Fun Run, where Alistair Bishop was the winner with James Puxty second, while Grace Annetts was second female.
The SAC results in the 10k were as follows:
| Number | Last Name | First Name | Category | Club | Time | Overall | Pos in Cat | No. in Cat |
| 419 | Ives | David | M30 | Sevenoaks AC | 35:17 | 3 | 3 | 32 |
| 646 | Smith | Darrell | M40 | Sevenoaks AC | 35:34 | 4 | 1 | 59 |
| 569 | Desmond | Chris | M45 | Sevenoaks AC | 38:30 | 11 | 1 | 40 |
| 601 | Collins | Lyndon | M60 | Sevenoaks AC | 44:35 | 64 | 3 | 14 |
| 432 | Hallpike | Simon | M55 | Sevenoaks AC | 45:21 | 73 | 3 | 14 |
| 489 | Dalton | Pauline | F45 | Sevenoaks AC | 45:37 | 78 | 1 | 15 |
| 660 | Galbraith | Toby | M35 | Sevenoaks AC | 46:09 | 82 | 12 | 38 |
| 615 | Bastable | Jill | F35 | Sevenoaks AC | 46:27 | 87 | 7 | 28 |
| 630 | Mcarthy | Mike | M45 | Sevenoaks AC | 46:48 | 93 | 11 | 40 |
| 649 | Maule | Glenn | M45 | Sevenoaks AC | 47:07 | 104 | 14 | 40 |
| 490 | Warwick-Champion | Duncan | M45 | Sevenoaks AC | 47:39 | 115 | 16 | 40 |
| 678 | Harby | Ian | M35 | Sevenoaks AC | 49:41 | 153 | 19 | 38 |
| 578 | Johnson | Rob | M25 | Sevenoaks AC | 50:44 | 176 | 10 | 13 |
| 525 | Bishop | Simon | M45 | Sevenoaks AC | 50:47 | 178 | 23 | 40 |
| 390 | Cowan | Andrew | M45 | Sevenoaks AC | 51:03 | 185 | 25 | 40 |
| 633 | Vaccaro | Victoria | F20 | Sevenoaks AC | 51:29 | 191 | 2 | 4 |
| 546 | Morgan | Jane | F30 | Sevenoaks AC | 52:32 | 206 | 5 | 17 |
| 401 | Shewell | Sarah | F50 | Sevenoaks AC | 53:21 | 219 | 3 | 6 |
| 424 | Knight | Jim | M55 | Sevenoaks AC | 53:46 | 223 | 11 | 14 |
| 452 | Truman | David | M45 | Sevenoaks AC | 54:56 | 238 | 35 | 40 |
| 619 | Lewis | Simon | M50 | Sevenoaks AC | 55:11 | 239 | 12 | 27 |
| 433 | Fisher | Happy | F30 | Sevenoaks AC | 55:27 | 244 | 8 | 17 |
| 425 | Knight | Lesley | F55 | Sevenoaks AC | 66:23 | 348 | 5 | 5 |
Full results HERE.
Masters Inter-Area Match, Solihull - 8th August 2010
Geoff Kitchener, Richard Pitcairn-Knowles and John Denyer were all selected to compete for the Southern Counties VAC and Rob Peers was selected for the Vets AC at the Masters Inter-Area Match that was staged at Solihull on 8 August. This event attracts Masters teams from all over the UK and 10 teams were competing although some of those from more distant parts of the country fielded smaller teams.
Fresh from his successes at the National and European championships Geoff Kitchener produced some excellent performances in the sprints finishing 2nd M60 in the 100m in 13.6s and 1st M60 in the 200m in 27.3s. Rob, Richard and John competed in the middle distance events with Rob finishing 6th M35 in the 800m in 2.36.7 and 7th M35 in the 1500m in 5.18.8. Richard finished 4th M70 in the 3000m in 15.20.3, and John managed 2nd M60 in the 1500m in 5.23.4 and 4th M60 in the 3000m in 11.43.6. Multi-eventer Rob had a busy day managing to fit both the High Jump (6th M35 - 1.40m) and Pole Vault (5th M35 – 2.50m) around his track races.
All four also finished the day as members of their respective Medley Relay teams to help Southern Counties narrowly win the Men’s Match from the Midlands. SAC results HERE.
European Veterans T&F - 15-24 July 2010
Geoff Kitchener won two sprint relay silvers in Nyiregyhaza in Hungary. He describes his experience HERE.
50 Mile Challenge, Marshside - 18th July 2010
Rob Carr got up at 4am to run a Double Marathon near Herne Bay on 18 July. His uplifting account of the ordeal is HERE.
Dartford Half - 11th July 2010
Heather Fitzmaurice was 31st overall and 2nd woman in 1:32:02 at the Dartford Half Marathon on 11 July. She was joined by Lynette Van Der Berg, 431st in 2:13:31, as the only other SAC representative at the long-established event. Results HERE.
Mount Ephraim 10k - 11th July 2010
David Ives was 2nd overall in 36:15 and John Denyer 2nd M60 (45th overall) in 45:34 at the Grand Prix 10k race at Mount Ephraim near Faversham on 11 July. Results HERE.
SCVAC T&F League Div 2 2010 - Match 6
Geoff Kitchener's report of the final event at Bromley on 9 July is HERE.
British Masters Track and Field Championships, Cardiff - 3rd-4th July 2010
Geoff Kitchener recorded his best ever set of results at the British Masters Track and Field Championships on 3rd-4th July at Cardiff athletics stadium. Kitchener took three national titles, winning M60 gold at 100m, 200m and the High Jump. He also won silver at 300m hurdles and came fourth at 400m during a busy weekend in south Wales. Both the short sprints were run into a headwind with Kitchener's winning time in the 100m of 14.17 being among his slowest, while the 200m proved to be a real battle won by just one hundrenth of a second in 28.16. In the high jump, Kitchener retired at 1.33m, with gold already secured. Following coaching from John Robinson, only the British record holder, Tony Wells, prevented Kitchener from also getting a gold medal in the 300m hurdles, though he did record an excellent 49.38, after stopping the clock at 62.82 in the 400m. BMAF details HERE.
SCVAC T&F League Div 2 2010 - Match 5
Geoff Kitchener's report of the penultimate event at Ashford on 28 June is HERE.
SCVAC T&F League Div 2 2010 - Match 4
Geoff Kitchener's report of the fourth event at Ashford on 14 June is HERE.
Bluewater 10k - 13 June 2010
Geoff Vine reports from the Kent 10k Champs on 13 June at Bluewater HERE.
Hoy Half Marathon - 13 June 2010
Simon Hallpike describes this unique event HERE.
Harvel 5 - 5 June 2010
The Harvel 5 took place on Saturday 5 June 2010, writes Rob Carr. It was arguably a day more suited for sunning on the beach than running but Sevenoaks AC was there in force with 22 runners. Many brought friends and family along which added to an enjoyable afternoon all round. We had our gazebo erected and our Sevenoaks AC banner proudly displayed. There were also free snacks and drinks for anyone that stayed for the post race social. To add a bit of fun, after the race we also collected all the sweaty (never thought that one through) runners numbers and put them in had a lucky draw for a few bottles of wine and chocolates. So how did we fare in the race? Unlike previous years we did not walk away with the lion’s share of the silverware. We had one winner though, in the shape of Pauline Dalton who scooped the W45 winner’s trophy. Well done Pauline! Our Men’s Team came second behind Dartford Harriers and ahead of Paddock Wood. Our Ladies Team came third, behind Paddock Wood and Larkfield AC. As always these things take organizing - so a huge thanks to Peter Ash and James Wright for all their effort behind the scenes. James unfortunately could not make it on the day due to his mother taking ill.
The SAC results were as follows:
| INDIVIDUAL RESULTS | ||
| 1st | Ben Lough - Dartford RR | 26:40 |
| 14th | Stefan Stone | 30:03 |
| 17th | Keith Brown | 30:19 |
| 21st | Chris Desmond | 30:55 |
| 24th | Andrew Mead | 31:15 |
| 32nd | Heather Fitzmaurice | 32:00 |
| 55th | Jez Banks | 33:50 |
| 74th | Scot Haggarty | 34:44 |
| 79th | Pauline Dalton | 34:53 |
| 84th | Peter Ash | 35:12 |
| 105th | Erik Folkesson | 36:12 |
| 187th | James Fitzmaurice | 39:28 |
| 205th | Suzy Claridge | 40:27 |
| 212th | Sally Shewell | 40:40 |
| 214th | Happy Fisher | 40:44 |
| 220th | Carol Beadle | 40:54 |
| 252nd | Rob Carr | 41:46 |
| 316th | Jane Morgan | 43:43 |
| 329th | Paul Tabor | 44:18 |
| 404th | Ronald Denney | 47:14 |
| 422nd | Sylvia Lewis | 48:14 |
| 457th | Maryanne Aitken | 49:55 |
| 562nd | Lesley Knight | 01:00:24 |
| 563rd | Jim Knight | 01:00:24 |
| 581 finishers | ||
Full results HERE.
Comrades Marathon - 30 May 2010
Richard Thomas had a great run at this ultra. He describes his experience HERE.
Grand Union Canal Run - 29-31 May
Rob Carr's epic account of this 145-mile ultra is HERE.
SCVAC T&F League Div 2 2010
SAC lie in third place with two matches to go. Geoff Kitchener's interim report HERE also gives information about the next event.
Joydens Wood 5k - 26 May
Six SAC runners attended the first race in the mid-week summer series in Joydens Wood on 26 May, writes Duncan Warwick-Champion. The race organisers described the new course as "all the hills of Knole Park condensed into a 5km circuit". Not convinced with this brief description, Chris Desmond decided to jog the course before the race and came back sweating profusely with stories of a killer hill into the finish line. With those comforting words still ringing in our ears, it was off to the start line. Luckily for Sevenoaks AC, hills don't pose a concern for Allan Lee. Allan led from the gun to finish in 17:20, almost one minute ahead of the second placed runner. Chris Desmond, effectively running his second lap of the course, came home in 7th place in 19:29. Completing the SAC team score, and easily securing first place in the team event, were Jeremy Bank in 21:05 (19th) and Toby Galbraith in 22:11 (25th). Pauline Dalton, our only female representative, finished 8th among the ladies in 23:03, narrowly missing the F45 prize in her first competitive run since London. For those that had time to look around, this truly was an enjoyable course which meandered through some lovely wooded areas; but those hills! Did I mention the hills? The next race in the 3-race series is Wednesday 30 June.
The SAC results were as follows:
| Place | Time | Name | Team | Cat | Entrant No |
| 1 | 0:17:20 | LEE, Allan | Sevenoaks AC | Senior Men | 57 |
| 7 | 0:19:29 | DESMOND, Christopher | Sevenoaks AC | Male Vet 40 | 40 |
| 19 | 0:21:05 | BANK, Jeremy | Sevenoaks AC | Senior Men | 16 |
| 25 | 0:22:11 | GALBRAITH, Toby | Sevenoaks AC | Senior Men | 15 |
| 38 | 0:23:03 | DALTON, Pauline | Sevenoaks AC | Female Vet 45 | 94 |
| 42 | 0:23:07 | WARLICK-CHAMPION, Duncan | Sevenoaks AC | Male Vet 40 | 95 |
Full results and next race details HERE.
Canterbury Half Marathon - 23 May
Eight SAC runners made the trip for a Kent GP event on 23 May. John Denyer won the M60 category, David Ives was sixth overall and Heather Fitzmaurice sixth woman at the Canterbury Half as fierce heat took its toll on the runners' times.
The SAC results were as follows:
| Pos | Wpos | Bib | Competitor | Cat | Club | Time | Chip |
| 6 | 3306 | David Ives | Snr | Sevenoaks AC | 01:20:17 | 01:20:17 | |
| 41 | 6 | 3113 | Heather Fitzmaurice | V40 | Sevenoaks AC | 01:32:22 | 01:32:16 |
| 52 | 3842 | James Wright | V40 | Sevenoaks AC | 01:35:09 | 01:35:04 | |
| 66 | 3715 | John Denyer | V60 | Sevenoaks AC | 01:37:01 | 01:36:56 | |
| 131 | 19 | 3365 | Camila Lewis | Snr | Sevenoaks AC | 01:42:57 | 01:42:51 |
| 238 | 3810 | Rob Carr | V40 | Sevenoaks AC | 01:50:42 | 01:48:18 | |
| 340 | 3114 | James Fitzmaurice | V60 | Sevenoaks AC | 01:57:35 | 01:57:25 | |
| 506 | 125 | 3087 | Sarah Shewell | V50 | Sevenoaks AC | 02:06:59 | 02:06:46 |
Full results HERE, John Denyer's report HERE.
Larkfield 10k - 16 May
Keith Brown recorded a new 10k PB as he led home the six finishers from the SAC team in the Larkfield AC 10k on 16 May with a fine 10th place. Although it was windy, the race was completed in bright sunshine and the new East Malling course was pleasant and pretty flat. The whole team was assembled for this photo after the race.
The SAC results were as follows:
| Place | Ladies | Time | Name | Team | Category | Number |
| 10 | 37'10 | BROWN, Keith | Sevenoaks AC | Senior Men | 106 | |
| 65 | 44'00 | HALLPIKE, Simon | Sevenoaks AC | M50 | 141 | |
| 66 | 44'10 | WARWICK-CHAMPION, Duncan | Sevenoaks AC | M40 | 265 | |
| 145 | 22 | 49'55 | SHEWELL, Sarah | Sevenoaks AC | F45 | 246 |
| 168 | 27 | 51'26 | FISHER, Happy | Sevenoaks AC | Senior Ladies | 137 |
| 184 | 33 | 53'04 | CHAPMAN, Clare | Sevenoaks AC | Senior Ladies | 21 |
Full results HERE.
Ted Pepper 10k/Whitstable 10k - 3 May 2010
A small but perfectly-formed SAC team graced the Ted Pepper 10k at Beckenham, with Jim Fitzmaurice finishing third in his category only eight days after the marathon. Meanwhile, Sally Shewell was sixth in her category in the Whitstable 10k held at the same time.
The SAC results were as follows:
| Pos | Name | Club | Cat | Time |
| 58 | S Hallpike | Sev | M55 | 44.13 |
| 63 | L Collins | Sev | M60 | 44.37 |
| 104 | J Fitzmaurice | SCVAC | M65 | 50.05 |
| 108 | R Johnson | Sev | SM | 51.08 |
| 116 | J Knight | Sev | M55 | 52.43 |
| Pos | Bib | Name | Cat | Club | Time | Chip |
| 211 | 301 | Sarah Shewell | 45 | SEVENOAKS AC | 48'41 | 48'36 |
Full Ted Pepper results HERE, Whitstable results HERE.
Three Forts Marathon - 2 May 2010
On Sunday the 2nd of May 2010 I woke up to a wet and cold morning and against my better judgment drove through heavy showers to Worthing in West Sussex to take part in the Three Forts Marathon, writes Rob Carr.
This was my third time of running the Three Forts so I knew what to expect i.e. an extremely tough and hilly 27mile off-road run with 3450ft of climb. Even so it didn’t help much that a chap next to me at the start line decided to remind us that the amount of climbing ahead of us was equivalent to 12% of the height of Everest.
So with that sobering thought in mind, at 10am we set-off in heavy rain and blustery winds and made our way along footpaths and bridleways, which despite the weather did not pose a problem underfoot in the first few miles. As the day wore on though the conditions got increasingly slippery and I had countless near falls. Eventually it had to happen - at about 24 miles I slipped and fell heavily before sliding head first and face down in the chalky mud coming to rest on a fence post. Luckily it was not serious (just cuts and bruises) and I managed to pick myself up and complete the final 3 miles. The organizers took the attached photo of me at the finish – as you can see my nose saved the rest of my face!
Apart from my fall I had a great time. It was an incredible challenge, especially with the weather conditions. Unfortunately the weather did spoil what would have been some spectacular views from the downs. I guess there’s always next year! Race details HERE.
London Marathon 2010
Rob Carr led our eleven London Marathon runners home with a splendid 3:22. Sally Shewell was SAC's first woman, while Jim Fitzmaurice finished highest in his category.
The SAC results were as follows:
| Place Overall | Place Gender | Place Category | surname | BIB | Category | HALF | Finish time |
| 3189 | 2887 | 655 | Carr, Robert (GBR) | 31612 | 40-44 | 01:35:29 | 03:22:18 |
| 4673 | 4099 | 631 | Warwick-Champion, Duncan K (GBR) | 25724 | 45-49 | 01:40:52 | 03:31:44 |
| 10459 | 1867 | 110 | Shewell, Sarah J (GBR) | 29976 | 50-54 | 01:53:11 | 03:58:18 |
| 10799 | 1948 | 253 | Dalton, Pauline (GBR) | 30242 | 45-49 | 01:40:53 | 03:59:23 |
| 12200 | 9897 | 1382 | Bishop, Simon (GBR) | 51671 | 45-49 | 01:49:30 | 04:05:09 |
| 13148 | 10593 | 1981 | Haggarty, Scot (GBR) | 24062 | 40-44 | 01:56:24 | 04:08:54 |
| 18148 | 14072 | 73 | Fitzmaurice, James Patrick (GBR) | 2748 | 65-69 | 02:01:15 | 04:27:21 |
| 18419 | 14255 | 1053 | Thomas, Richard Ley (GBR) | 35763 | 50-54 | 02:02:36 | 04:28:22 |
| 27861 | 20070 | 710 | Ostlere, Anthony R (GBR) | 25726 | 55-59 | 02:27:24 | 05:08:11 |
| 31308 | 21974 | 81 | Ashby, Gerald (GBR) | 52431 | 70+ | 02:24:59 | 05:30:36 |
| 31643 | 9489 | 233 | Lewis, Sylvia (GBR) | 22653 | 55-59 | 02:30:04 | 05:33:25 |
Full results HERE.
Kent Half Marathon Champs - Paddock Wood 11 April
Pauline Dalton set a new club best at the Paddock Wood half on 11 April. The race was also the Kent Championship half marathon and Pauline's 1:35:48, which pipped Sigrun Sangvik's old club W45 best time by two seconds, was just one of the excellent performances by SAC's 14 runners in attendance. David Ives was our first finisher in 17th with an excellent 1:15:21, followed by Keith Brown 63rd in 1:22:42, while John Denyer's 1:30:04 in 179th place makes him the club's second fastest M60 ever over the distance. John was also third M60 in the race and first in the Kent Championships. The full SAC results were as follows:
| Place | Time | Name | Team | Category | Number | Chip | Grading |
| 17 | 01:15:22 | David Ives | Sevenoaks AC | Senior Men | 20 | 01:15:21 | 79.15 |
| 63 | 01:22:44 | Keith Brown | Sevenoaks AC | Senior Men | 1426 | 01:22:42 | 72.93 |
| 179 | 01:30:13 | John Denyer | Sevenoaks AC | Vet Men (60-69) | 2210 | 01:30:04 | 80.4 |
| 353 | 01:36:22 | Pauline Dalton | Sevenoaks AC | Vet Ladies (45-54) | 614 | 01:35:48 | 73.71 |
| 378 | 01:37:15 | Duncan Warwick-Champion | Sevenoaks AC | Vet Men (40-49) | 613 | 01:36:40 | 65.22 |
| 407 | 01:37:53 | Erik Folkesson | Sevenoaks AC | Vet Men (40-49) | 1508 | 01:37:43 | 65.79 |
| 481 | 01:40:00 | Simon Bishop | Sevenoaks AC | Vet Men (40-49) | 2425 | 01:39:19 | 63.91 |
| 516 | 01:41:02 | Glenn Maule | Tonbridge Tri Club | Vet Men (40-49) | 2404 | 01:40:34 | 63.26 |
| 543 | 01:41:51 | Toby Galbraith | Sevenoaks AC | Senior Men | 2319 | 01:40:43 | 58.57 |
| 844 | 01:49:23 | Sarah Shewell | Sevenoaks AC | Vet Ladies (45-54) | 743 | 01:48:32 | 67.88 |
| 1094 | 01:55:52 | James Fitzmaurice | Sevenoaks AC | Vet Men (60-69) | 1935 | 01:55:04 | 67.36 |
| 1140 | 01:57:12 | Rob Johnson | Sevenoaks AC | Senior Men | 2362 | 01:57:03 | 50.9 |
| 1239 | 01:59:23 | Lynette Van Der Berg | Sevenoaks AC | Senior Ladies | 333 | 01:58:16 | 55.12 |
| 1299 | 02:01:14 | Richard Thomas | Sevenoaks AC | Vet Men (50-59) | 1488 | 02:00:25 | 55.27 |
| 1508 | 02:08:20 | Ronald Denney | Sevenoaks AC | Senior Men | 979 | 02:08:07 | 46.48 |
John Denyer's race report is HERE. Full results HERE.
Folkestone 10 - 2 April
Nine club members made their way to the coast for the Folkestone 10 on a fine but blustery Good Friday, writes John Denyer. Fortunately the wind was mainly off the sea so did not affect performances too much on the out and back course along the coast.
The race was won comfortably by Michael Coleman of Medway & Maidstone in an excellent time of 52.08. The first runner home for Sevenoaks, and looking as comfortable as ever, was Chris Desmond in 57th place in a time of 66.28 followed by John Denyer in 68.29 and 2nd M60 in 70th overall. In 106th place was Scot Haggarty who took a massive 1min 48sec off his PB to record 71.04 after also lowering his 10k PB just two days earlier. Scot certainly looks in good shape and on this form has every chance of emulating Maryanne's achievement of last year of winning the Most Improved category in the club Grand Prix.
Next home was Duncan Warwick-Champion in a time of 73.09 but more importantly 8 places ahead of Pauline who recorded 73.35 to provide Duncan with his first domestic victory in 20 years! The beers are probably on Duncan the next time we are at Wetherspoons. They were followed by Sally Shewell continuing her busy early year competition programme with a time of 81.31.
Completing the Sevenoaks team were three ladies who entered the race together and provided good competition with Rosemary Conquest coming out on top with a time of 98.02 and closely followed by Sylvia Lewis in 98.33. Completing the trio in her very first road race was Rosie Draper who finished in a very creditable time of 102.57.
Brighton Trail Marathon - 28 March 2010
On Sunday 28th March I got up early and drove down to Brighton to take part in the 2010 Brighton Trail marathon, writes Rob Carr. I’ve run quite a few trail marathons before (South Downs, Beachy Head, Three Forts) in the past and Brighton is right up there with the best!
It’s a pretty low key event (150 or so runners) and as the name suggests it is run along trails and is mainly off road. It starts off at Brighton and follows the seafront eastwards along the chalk cliffs to Rottingdean where the route heads away from the coast to the South Downs. From this point on there are several steep climbs but well worth the beautiful views along the way and at the top. Thankfully there were three checkpoints along the way serving water, bananas, oranges and biscuits.
For me the best part was the section after the final check - a long gradual descent back to the sea before heading back to the Brighton seafront. Stunning views, good underfoot conditions – a runner’s paradise!
I approached the 26 1/2 miles as a long training run – part of my Spring marathon training. I hope to return next year and do the same again. Now that I’ve done a recce, perhaps a few more from Sevenoaks will join me? Event webpage is HERE.