Good cause gets a boost
More than 340 people took part in the Maidstone Road Run on Sunday.
Organisers hope to have raised about £12,000 for the Aylesford-based Heart of Kent Hospice.
Runners had two options – a half-marathon or a 10k – with the action starting at East Malling Research and taking in the surrounding areas.
Ross Henschen won the men’s half-marathon in 1hr20min43sec, followed by Stephen Turpie (1:25.02) and Max Read (1:27.34).
Sharon Barnett took the women’s half-marathon in 1:36.49, ahead of Katie Exon (1:51.08) and Hannah Bailey (1:51.30). Harry Brown won the men’s 10k in 40.46, with Ross Brown (41.08) second and James Graham (42.27) third. Nicole Priestley was the winner of the women’s 10k in 44.44, finishing almost three minutes clear of Claire Philip (47.23) and Joanne Cadman (47.35).
Two members of Maidstone-based Dragons Running Club ran the half-marathon, with Viki Garrett finishing in 2:24.07 and Lucy Bonner in 2:30.35.
Simon James, chief executive of headline sponsors KIMS Hospital, said: “It was a fantastic event, supported by so many local people and our physical therapy team were kept busy giving deserved massages to runners.
“The KIMS Hospital team have chosen the Heart of Kent Hospice to be our charity of the year for a second time because of the fantastic work they do for their patients and their relatives from Kent.”