Photo – Tonbridge women’s squad
Tonbridge Athletic Club’s men’s and women’s teams both excelled at the National Road Relay Championships, on Saturday, as the best teams from England, Scotland and Wales came together to compete, at Sutton Coldfield.
This year, both the men’s 12 stage and women’s 6 stage races were run over the same lap of 5.09 kilometres, around the undulating course at Sutton Park. Conditions were perfect, being warm and sunny, which meant individual times, in both races, were amongst some of the fastest ever. For example, the men’s event record was recorded by Olympic Marathon fourth-placer, Emile Cairess in 2019 at 14.43. Six runners, including James Kingston, from Tonbridge, went quicker this year.
Alex Howard led the men’s team off, coming home 13th, of the 63 starting teams, in 15.07, which was quicker than any Tonbridge runner had recorded before on the course, used since 2014. Then Cole Gibbens went even quicker with 15.01 and moving Tonbridge to 5th, before Lewis Mills slipped four places with 15.49.
On leg four, Ted Higgins followed up his impressive showing at the Southern Road Relay with a 14.54 clocking, which put Tonbridge 2nd. Jamie Macdonald held on to that position with 15.39, whilst Harrison Fraser, the youngest team member, ran 15.55 and slipped back three places. Tonbridge then remained in 5th place through Will Beeston (15.29) and Steve Strange (15.41), before Ben Cole’s 15.28 moved them up into 4th.
James Kingston then produced a superb 14.38 time, which was the fourth fastest of the entire race, to move Tonbridge briefly into 3rd. James Crombie, drafted into the team the day before, ran 16.07, as Cambridge moved ahead of Tonbridge, behind the leaders Highgate and Bristol.
Jack Higgins ran 15.41 on the anchor leg, keeping Tonbridge 4th, whilst upfront Bristol overtook Highgate to win, with Cambridge and Coleridge taking the bronze medals. Leeds finished 5th behind Tonbridge.
The Tonbridge women’s team was a very young one, but produced the club’s highest ever finish with 8th. Katie Goodge gave them an excellent start with 18.19, coming home 17th on the high quality first leg. Charlotte Alexander took the team into 4th, running 17.04, which was the third fastest split of the entire race.
Rae Le Fay (19.03), Annabelle Souter (19.16), Lucy Thompson (19.23) and Lily Slack (19.35) brought the team home in 8th of 53 starting teams.
The Tonbridge men’s B team placed 31st and the women’s B team 28th, whilst the latter also had the only C team home in 40th.
Elsewhere, the track season commenced for some. A couple of highlights came at the Medway and Maidstone Open Meeting, on Saturday. Under 17 Araba Taylor won her 300m hurdles with a personal best of 45.92. Joe Burton was 2ndover 400 metres, with a pb of 50.19.