‘How times have changed’, I thought as we headed off for a Friday night out. Our destination? Littlestone, the scene of one of Kent’s flattest and fastest 10k routes.
Littlestone is set in a lovely location, right on the coast. It’s the site of a lifeboat station, and the race supports the running costs.
With less than 100 starters it had the feeling of a Wednesday night club run. Even more so with 10 deckchairs lining up at the start – Neil Clark, Steve Austin, George Harris, Rob Winter, Andrew Marshall, Ken MacSporran, Steve Bright, Mark Taylor, Casper Morris and myself (Saul Harris).
The route takes you across grassland for the first km before you hit the tarmac of the promenade that runs along the back of the shingle beach. At the 5k point you simply turn around and run back the way you came.
The conditions were perfect – fading evening sun and a gentle coastal breeze. Off we went. Neil led out the harriers from the off, a position he wasn’t to relinquish all race. The rest of us were following Brighty, who set a searing pace for the first mile of c6.20. The question was, could we keep it up? I think you know the answer!! But on a flat and fast route, we did give it our best.
The good news is that we won the team prize, ahead of Beckenham, Larkfield and Folkestone. Mark Taylor triumphed in the M60 category, Steve Austin in the M55, and I in the M45. There were also PBs for Andrew and myself.
So, all in all a good Friday night out. We might not have been drunk but we were intoxicated by the 10k race along the sea – it’s a real gem.
| Pos | Time | Name | Club | Age Category | Race No |
| 1 | 00:37:24 | CARTER, Simon | Beckenham RC | Senior Male | 152 |
| 5 | 00:40:13 | CLARK, Neil | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | Senior Male | 167 |
| 10 | 00:41:21 | HARRIS, Saul | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | Male Vet 45 | 154 |
| 11 | 00:41:26 | AUSTIN, Stephen | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | Male Vet 55 | 204 |
| 12 | 00:41:35 | MARSHALL, Andrew | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | Male Vet 40 | 174 |
| 13 | 00:41:39 | MACSPORRAN, Ken | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | Male Vet 40 | 141 |
| 17 | 00:42:26 | WINTER, Robert | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | Senior Male | 143 |
| 24 | 00:43:05 | BRIGHT, Stephen | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | Male Vet 50 | 180 |
| 25 | 00:43:14 | HARRIS, George | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | Male Vet 40 | 169 |
| 27 | 00:43:20 | TAYLOR, Mark | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | Male Vet 60 | 211 |
| 32 | 00:44:51 | MORRIS, Casper | Tunbridge Wells Harriers | Male Vet 40 | 164 |