Photo – Lucy Reid, Nicole Taylor, Phoebe Barker, Lucy Thompson – National Champions
The Tonbridge Athletic Club women’s team captured the National Road Relay title in dramatic fashion, at Sutton Coldfield, on Saturday. The team of four competed over the 4.33km or 2.7 miles long course and, after almost an hour of racing, won by just 11 seconds from Salford Harriers, with Aldershot in third place, amongst the 77 teams that started.
Lucy Thompson, who had only stepped into the team a few days before as a substitute, went on first leg, running 15.48 and finishing 31st, but with three internationals to follow, Tonbridge knew that they still had strong medal hopes. Phoebe Barker, the former junior Great Britain international, is back in good form and cut through the field, to move the team up to 11th with a 14.20 split, although the leaders Lincoln were still 1 minute and 42 seconds ahead at this halfway stage.
Nicole Taylor ran 14.08, on the third leg, to move into the bronze medal position, with a time that ended up being the 5th fastest of the entire race. Salford now had the lead and a margin of 22 seconds to Lucy Reid, as she commenced the anchor leg for Tonbridge. Reid is on top form, having recently run a half marathon personal best, and by the halfway stage was level with the leader and pushing ahead.
Reid came home 11 seconds to the good to give Tonbridge their first win in the is championship race, after previous second and third place finishes in recent years.
The men’s race was also hotly contested, over six legs of 5.88km, with Aldershot overtaking both Cambridge and Leeds on the final leg to win. Tonbridge finished 5th of 81 teams, after a superb start, where Ben Cole ran 17.13 to finish a close 2nd on the first leg. Then, after Alasdair Kinloch (17.45) and Ben Murphy (17.47) Tonbridge were in 6th at the halfway stage. James Kingston ran another superb road relay leg, clocking 17.06 to move the team up two places, whilst recording the 6th fastest lap of the entire race. Corey De’Ath (17.58) and Kieran Reilly (17.39) completed what was still a fine performance amongst the best clubs in the country.
Tonbridge also had teams in almost all the young athlete races, with the under 13 boys finishing 14th, under 13 girls 23rd, under 15 girls 36th and the under 17 men 17th.
Locally, the Tonbridge Half Marathon took centre stage on Sunday, where Dan Bradley was first home in 75.18 and Helen Gaunt won the women’s race in 79.42, just a week after her terrific London Marathon performance.
This coming weekend, Tonbridge AC will have plenty of competitors at the first Kent Cross Country League fixture at Swanley.