Sevenoaks Athletics Club 
Seven SAC runners completed the Paddock Wood Half Marathon in excellent running conditions on 13th March. John Stevens led the Sevenoaks runners home and was fourth M60 in a high quality field of nearly 1300 finishers. Two other clubmates were in the top ten in their categories with Lionel Stielow sixth M70 and Sylvia Lewis eighth W65. The SAC results were:
The full results are here.
Sevenoaks AC’s U15 Girls Cross Country Team placed 6th at last weekend’s National Cross Country Champs held at Parliament Hill Fields, London, reports head coach Darrell Smith.
Although the sun shone conditions were wet and the course soon turned to mud even before the first race.
With over 500 runners from all over the country the race started straight up a testing hill.
After the first 500m of 4K race, the Sevenoaks Team was well placed with their leading runner, Eliza Nicholson in 50th and her two teammates Ella Baker and Holly Diprose lying, not far back, in the 60s 70s respectively. Our 4th and 5th runners, Isobel Morris and Amelia Jones, were in the 150s.
“At that point things were looking good and we were on our way to a top 10 team place, which had been our target” said Coach Darrell, “Then something happened. They all started moving through the field as one”
Into the downhill finish Eliza Nicholson had moved up to 41st, Ella Baker having her best race so far this season was 54th with the fast finishing Holly Diprose 76th.
However, it was our last two runners Isobel Morris (132nd) and Amelie Jones (205th) who secured 6th place for the Team.
Sevenoaks AC’s team were the first Kent team home, backing up their Kent Champs win in January. The full results are here.
This Race was the last Club race of the season but some of the team will be representing their respective counties at national competitions in March.
Last-minute cancellation of the Knole KFL race caused a quick switch by some of the SAC runners to the Tunbridge Wells Half on 20th February. There were some good runs too, as Mike Lochead was 5th M40 and Pauline Dalton 3rd W55. The SAC results were as follows:
| Name | Bib | Category | Gun time | Chip time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Lochead | 1065 | Male 40 - 49 | 01:25:35 | 01:25:31 |
| Ed Saunders | 1089 | Senior Male | 01:26:21 | 01:26:17 |
| Nick Humphrey-taylor | 459 | Male 40 - 49 | 01:26:59 | 01:26:41 |
| Daniel Witt | 1096 | Senior Male | 01:35:52 | 01:35:47 |
| Andrew Hutchinson | 1066 | Male 40 - 49 | 01:36:12 | 01:36:09 |
| Marion Van Lille | 963 | Female 35 - 44 | 01:45:35 | 01:45:05 |
| Pauline Dalton | 1205 | Female 55 - 64 | 01:54:15 | 01:53:46 |
| Anna Humphrey-taylor | 458 | Female 45 - 54 | 02:09:51 | 02:08:09 |
The full results are here.
Andrew Mead led home the Sevenoaks AC runners at the final Kent League match of the season at Norman Park on 12th February. With only three SAC members competing, the senior men failed to complete a full team for the first time this year. As SAC co-ordinator James Graham commented "the difficult part is managing to stay fit for all four races".
Andrew was 102nd and seventh M50, with Chris Desmond 141st and fifteenth M55 and James Graham 183rd and third M65.
By completing all four races, Andrew and Chris also figured in the final standings. Andrew was fourth M50 and Chris twelfth M55.
The other senior SAC participants in the KXCL this season, all with at least two races, were Oloff van Zyl, Dan Witt, Nick Humphrey-Taylor and Andrea Berquez.
Michael Ellis of Tonbridge AC won the men's title, and Megan Marchant of Cambridge Harriers the women's.
The full results are here.
(Action pictures by Kev Howarth)
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