Kentish Express Ashford & District
Trio deliver relay success
Ashford AC’s under-20 men claimed a club first with team victory in the South of England Cross-Country Relay Championships.
Wegahta Zerom and twins Jack and Louis Small were winners at the Wormwood Scrubs course by more than 40 seconds from City of Norwich AC and Crawley AC.
The victory was the first at the event for an Ashford AC men’s team.
Wegahta, making his debut in the event, ran the first of 3k legs, with Jack Small taking over in second place. He closed down the leader and pulled ahead by 100m before handing to Louis Small, who extended the lead to more than 200m and recorded the fastest time of the day with 9min07sec.
The trio will now take part in the National Cross-Country Relay Championships in Mansfield on Saturday.
There were personal bests for two Ashford Striders at the Ashford and District Halloween 5 and 10-milers. Kelli Sullivan and Jayne Hatton raised the bar with times of 1hr20min03sec and 1:47.44 respectively in the 10-mile event. Also completing
the 10-mile course were Nigel Hills (1:33.41) and Lisa Gribbin (1:43.38).
Running the 5-mile route were Justin Burden (41min14sec), Vicky Bean (41.36), Rachel Forrester (52.29), Martin Whittingham (53.25), Leigh Freeman (53.48), Gemma Wicks (58.02), Hazel Forrester (59.02) and Brian Forrester (59.03).
David Helme and Nadine Golding battled the mud as well as the undulating forest paths and trails at the Bedgebury Forest HalfMarathon and 10k. Helme completed the half-marathon in 2:20.21 and Golding took on the 10k in 1:12.10.
Nicola Crawley took part
in the Bedgebury Autumn Canicross 5k with her
Golden Doodle, Delilah. They completed the course in 28.10. David Holland, meanwhile, braved the gales and downpours at the Canterbury Riverside 10k in 1:07.07. Danielle MacKenzie smashed her best at the Ashford parkrun. MacKenzie clocked 30.08 at Victoria Park for a new PB by more than two minutes. Justin Burden was the first Ashford Strider home in 24.01. Other times: Tamsin Ritchie 26.13, Ian McCutcheon 26.34, David Helme 27.41, Amanda James 28.34, Vicky Stevenson 29.13, David Gadsby 29.37, Shane Snowwolf 30.09, Peter Broom 31.02, Michelle Rowles 34.37, Martin Whittingham 34.45.
Gwen Protheroe took part in the Maidstone parkrun, timing 33.08, and Nicola Crawley ran at Bedgebury in 28.32.