Johnston leads home the ladies
Parkrun Brighton 10k
Rebel Runners Medway’s Natalie Johnston ran 22min48sec to lead the women home at Great Lines last weekend. Ed Bovingdon of Istead and Ifield Harriers won the men’s race as 272 runners took part. Stephan Wenk (Maidstone Harriers) was the fastest man of all the local runs with 16.23 at Maidstone. The Swiss mountain running international had no significant gradients to negotiate on the recentlyrevised Medway riverside route. Tom Carpenter (Maidstone Harriers) made a winning debut at the Malling event with a swift 16.30. Laura Taylor (Larkfield AC) was the fastest woman. Tonbridge celebrated their second anniversary with a fancy dress occasion attended by more than 300 runners. Andrew Mercer (M40) and Shauna Paice (under-20) were the first finishers. Selected results: Great Lines: Men: 1 Ed Bovingdon ( Istead & Ifield Harriers) 16min49sec; 2 Jacques CunninghamMarsh ( U17 Runfit) 17.22; 3 Maxwell Phillips ( U17 Medway & Maidstone) 18.15. Women: 1 Natalie Johnston ( Rebel Runners Medway) 22.48; 2 Georgia Lotter 22.50; 3 Kathleen Hoyle ( W40) 23.06. Age- Graded: CunninghamMarsh 80.13%. 272 ran. Maidstone: Men: 1 Stephan Wenk ( Maidstone Harriers) 16.23; 2 Jonathan Wells ( Ashford & District) 18.51; 3 Matthew Field ( Larkfield) 19.04. Women: 1 Tanya Stelfox 21.52; 2 Gill Holmes ( W35 Sittingbourne Striders) 22.32; 3 Sally Talbot ( W40) 22.59. Age- Graded: Wenk 79.65%. 246 ran. Malling: Men: 1 Tom Carpenter ( Maidstone Harriers) 16.30; 2 Niall Stewart 17.02; 3 Nick Sirs ( M55 Exeter Harriers) 19.04. Women: 1 Laura Taylor ( Larkfield) 22.13; 2 Amanda Rabone-Young 23.33; 3 Eileen Hudson ( W45 Dartford Road Runners) 24.32. Age- Graded: Sirs 82.69%. 125 ran. Tonbridge: Men: 1 Andrew Mercer ( M40 Tonbridge) 17.03; 2 Allan Lee ( M40 Sevenoaks) 17.41; 3 Charlie Barlow ( U17 DofE) 18.50. Women: 1 Shauna Paice ( U20 Tonbridge) 20.00; 2 Lucy Kingston ( U15 Tonbridge) 21.54; 3 Michelle De- Kisshazy ( W45 Swanley & District) 23.45. AgeGraded: Mercer 81.92%. 306 ran. Several Kent athletes travelled to the Brighton 10k in search of personal-best times on Sunday as 2,740 finished this popular race on the Sussex seafront. Maria Heslop (Paddock Wood, 38min51sec) was the first W45 and in the top 10 women finishers and Claire Day (W35 Paddock Wood, 40.23) set her best 10k time, just outside the 40-minute threshold. First Kent runner was Imperial College student Chris Thomas (Invicta East Kent) in an impressive 33.50, as Irish international Stephen Scullion (31.46) led the way. Local club athletes to set their best-ever times included Tunbridge Wells Harriers’ Sam Begg (35.28), Lloyd Collier (M40, 36.18) and Simon Howden (M45, 39.30).