Photo – Lucy Reid setting a TAC Half Marathon record in Copenhagen
Tonbridge Athletic Club’s multi eventers, across the age groups, were out in force at the weekend, competing at both the Kent Championships and English Schools Championships at Decathlon, Heptathlon, Octathlon or Pentathlon.
Lewis Church, who has been at the fore of club, county and national multi events for many years won the Kent Decathlon title, at Erith, with a new championship record of 7721 points, just 52 short of his personal best set earlier in the year. Amongst the ten performances were club records for the 110 metres hurdles of 14.54 and Pole Vault of 4.63m. Alex Hookway, his training partner, finished second with a new personal best total of 5728 points. Also, at Erith, Neve Bachelor, was second in the under 17 women’s Pentathlon with 3603 points.
The English Schools Combined Events Championships took place at Bedford, where three Tonbridge athletes took podium positions. Oliver Brooke scored a personal best of 4900 points in the Inter Boys Octathlon to finish second, with Dante McNichol scoring 4837 for third. These performances put them second and fourth on the UK under 17 men’s rankings for the year. Sam Newton improved his best-ever score to 2598 points to finish third in the Junior Boys Pentathlon.
The Kent Under 13 and Masters Championships were held at Erith. Amongst the notable Tonbridge under 13 age group performances were a Javelin win from Toby Gwinnell, who went to top of the UK rankings, with a throw of 39.55m. Charlie Warren won both the 800m and 1500m in 2.19.90 and 4.46.09, whilst Millie Cannon won the under 13 girls’ hammer and backed that up with a silver in the Discus. In the veterans categories, Mark McCallister ran quicker than his own club, over 50 age group records in the 100m and 200m, with times of 12.12 and 24.81, although both were wind-assisted for record purposes. Steve Tester won the over 40 men’s 100m and 400m titles in times of 11.62 and 53.73, whilst Grazia Manzotti won the 2000m walk in 10.35.32.
Reid smashes half marathon best in Copenhagen
Lucy Reid, running for an England team in Copenhagen, Denmark, had her first race for six months and improved her own Tonbridge AC Half Marathon record to 70.29, on Sunday. Her time took 46 seconds from her previous best, set in March. Reid started so quick that her 10km split of 33.25 was inside her best for that distance. She finished 15th in the women’s race and helped the England squad to win the team event. Alex Howard ran a big personal best in the men’s race with 66.15 and Verity Hopkins recorded 74.10, to take 35 seconds from her best-ever time.
Many of the other Tonbridge distance runners were at West Wickham, on Saturday, for the Blackheath and Bromley Cross Country Relays. The Tonbridge under 15 boys won the junior race by 29 seconds from Blackheath. Toby Bawtree led off and recorded 12.43, handing over to Felipe Fujimori, who ran 12.53. Then on the final leg, Oliver Head ran the fastest lap of the race with 11.51.
In the senior race, over four legs of four kilometres, the Tonbridge men’s teams finished 1st and 2nd and the women’s team also won. The winning men’s team consisted of Ben Pearce (13.40), Steve Strange (13.06), Corey De’Ath (12.47) and Matthew Taylor (13.29). The second placed team would have challenged for the win, but for the third leg runner, Isaac Arnott, going off course at one stage and losing a lot of ground. For the second-placed team, Dan Bradley ran 13.27, before James Kingston with 12.30, recorded the fastest lap of the race. Arnott then went wrong on leg three, dropping back a few places, before a fine lap by Ed Coutts pulled the team back to second with an excellent 13.11 split.
The women’s team was started off by Nicole Taylor, being back in action and setting the fastest lap of the race with 13.57, before Harriet Woolley (16.12), Ella Ayden (17.29) and Maria Heslop (16.35) secured the team win.
A few photos from the Blackheath and Bromley Relays are below.
