A record team of 25 Sevenoaks AC runners made the long journey to Deal for the third race in this year's Kent Fitness League series, writes Jim Knight. The temperature was sub-zero as the team left Sevenoaks, but it warmed up though the morning and conditions for the race were ideal for running – cold, but clear and sunny.
The race took place on the site that was previously Betteshanger Colliery, Kent's biggest coalfield, which closed in 1989. The site was regenerated in 2000 as Fowlmead Country Park with several miles of mountain-bike and walking trails. In May 2015, Hadlow College acquired the park, renaming it Betteshanger Country Park. It is an ideal place for a cross-country race with excellent trails and great views over the undulating East Kent countryside.
Just under 400 runners from the 18 Kent clubs lined up for the start at 11.00. 29 minutes and 26 seconds later, Noel Sutton of Thanet Road Runners crossed the line for his second win of the series. The only runner to have beaten him in this year's series is Sevenoaks' James Mason who could not be present at this race.
The Sevenoaks men's team ran well, with 7 runners in the top 50. Fastest SAC athlete was 46 year-old Andrew Mead in 26th place, closely followed Joao Branquinho in 27th (just a few days after completing a 6 day desert marathon in Oman), and Edmund Saunders in 28th. 52-year old Chris Desmond was the club's top M50 in an impressive 30th place (3rd M50) with fellow M50 Stephen Searby in 52nd. The other scoring members of the Sevenoaks men's team were Andrew Milne in 40th and Andy Ashlee in 42nd. There were good runs also by Joe Parsons in 48th, Dan Witt in 57th, and 60 year old James Graham who was the fastest M60 in the field, in 69th position. Overall, a great performance by the men's team to come home in 4th position.
In the women's race, the fastest Sevenoaks runner, once again, was Cath Linney in an impressive 6th place (1st W45). The other SAC women were Annabelle Milne in 18th, Pauline Dalton in 21st and Sally Shewell in 27th (2nd W55). The women's team equalled their 4th place in the Swanley race, again coming in 4th in Deal. Another great performance.
With both the men's and women's teams doing so well, the combined team placed 3rd on the day. Deal is normally one of SAC's weakest races in the series as large numbers from Canterbury Harriers and Deal Tri Club attend, in addition to the big teams from Dartford, so 3rd position for the overall team is impressive. After three matches, the Sevenoaks AC men's and combined teams are third and the women's team fourth. The next race in the series will be in Oxleas Woods, Eltham on Sunday Nov 29th.
The full SAC results were:
| Ov Pos | Lg Pos | Runner | Age | Time | Club | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | 26 | Andrew Mead | 47 | 32:51 | Sevenoaks AC | 91.01 |
| 27 | 27 | Joao Branquinho | 34 | 32:52 | Sevenoaks AC | 90.65 |
| 28 | 28 | Edmund Saunders | 33 | 32:59 | Sevenoaks AC | 90.29 |
| 30 | 30 | Chris Desmond | 52 | 33:01 | Sevenoaks AC | 89.57 |
| 40 | 40 | Andrew Milne | 33 | 33:21 | Sevenoaks AC | 85.97 |
| 42 | 42 | Andy Ashlee | 46 | 33:29 | Sevenoaks AC | 85.25 |
| 48 | 47 | Joe Parsons | 25 | 33:54 | Sevenoaks AC | 83.45 |
| 49 | 48 | Stephen Searby | 52 | 33:55 | Sevenoaks AC | 83.09 |
| 57 | 55 | Daniel Witt | 40 | 34:27 | Sevenoaks AC | 80.58 |
| 69 | 66 | James Graham | 62 | 35:03 | Sevenoaks AC | 76.62 |
| 76 | 73 | Allan McPherson | 29 | 35:17 | Sevenoaks AC | 74.10 |
| 77 | 74 | John O'Callaghan | 31 | 35:19 | Sevenoaks AC | 73.74 |
| 81 | 78 | John Stevens | 54 | 35:24 | Sevenoaks AC | 72.30 |
| 95 | 90 | James Baker | 51 | 36:20 | Sevenoaks AC | 67.99 |
| 96 | 6 | Cath Linney | 46 | 36:22 | Sevenoaks AC | 95.69 |
| 98 | 91 | Tex Ryan | 25 | 36:25 | Sevenoaks AC | 67.63 |
| 107 | 99 | Alan Lewis | 49 | 36:45 | Sevenoaks AC | 64.75 |
| 149 | 134 | Andy Evans | 45 | 38:34 | Sevenoaks AC | 52.16 |
| 151 | 135 | John Denyer | 67 | 38:34 | Sevenoaks AC | 51.80 |
| 157 | 18 | Annabelle Milne | 35 | 38:53 | Sevenoaks AC | 85.34 |
| 174 | 154 | Chris Randell | 38 | 39:30 | Sevenoaks AC | 44.96 |
| 183 | 21 | Pauline Dalton | 51 | 39:46 | Sevenoaks AC | 82.76 |
| 197 | 173 | Geoff Vine | 68 | 40:20 | Sevenoaks AC | 38.13 |
| 203 | 27 | Sarah Shewell | 56 | 40:42 | Sevenoaks AC | 77.59 |
| 227 | 192 | Duncan Cochrane | 58 | 41:53 | Sevenoaks AC | 31.29 |
The full results are here.