Dry, sunny and very breezy conditions helped some of Tonbridge Athletic Club’s young sprinters to their best ever times at the weekend. Sprint times are considered legal for record purposes, if the wind reading along the home straight is at 2 metres per second or less and at Dagenham on Sunday it was often stronger than this.
The young female sprinters took advantage of the conditions with Lucy Tallon, who is under 17, running 12.20 for 100 metres, taking 0.29s from her previous fastest time, with a wind reading of +2.6 m/s. This equals the fastest ever time recorded by a Tonbridge under 17 female sprinter. Similarly, Harriet Medlen (u15) ran under 13 seconds for the first time with a 12.94 clocking. Tallon and Medlen followed up later, over 200 metres, where again they lowered their best-ever times with 25.79 and 27.44, respectively, whilst Issy Fassnidge (u20) recorded 26.48.
Mark McAllister, who is in the over 45 age group, opened his season also competing at Dagenham and running 100 metres in 12.45 and 150 metres in 19.19. Sarah Westrap ran 14.95 for 100 metres, competing in the same age group. Lily Slack (u15) ran a season’s best for 1500 metres of 4.52.58 at the same venue.
At Loughborough University, both Alasdair Kinloch with 8.18.42 and Will Beeston with 8.51.46 were a fraction outside their personal bests for 3000 metres.
A group of club members competed on the roads more locally, as the Staplehurst 10 mile race took place on Sunday. Rob Miller made his debut at the distance, having only joined Tonbridge as his first club a few months ago and finished 3rd in 58.16, whilst Harriet Woolley (photo) recorded a personal best of 63.47 to win the women’s race. Nichola Evans was 2nd, also with a pb of 66.13. Adam Tibbals with 61.45, Tom Woolley at 61.52 and Jason Barton with 62.43 all finished in the first eleven home overall, running their fastest times or making debuts in the over 40 age group.
In Gloucestershire, Ben Cole won the Shepperdine Half Marathon in 69.38, showing how well he has maintained fitness during the pandemic, with this being his first race of the year.
On Wednesday evening last week, Miles Weatherseed ran his first 1500 metres race of the season to finish 6th at the Birmingham University Track and Field Meeting, recording 3.48.85, which was less than two seconds away from his best-ever. Then, on Thursday, at Harrow, Luke Fisher took ten seconds from his 3000 metres best with 8.52.30.
Over in Oregon, on Saturday, Tonbridge’s international middle distance runner James West suffered a trip and a fall, just 200 metres into his 800 metres race. West is searching for some good form, after a few weeks nursing a hamstring injury, but hopes to be back in action soon.