Evening Harriers
Whilst other Harriers were delivering some truly amazing performances at Manchester, I was enjoying a nice spring morning at the Kent Spring Half.
This race is run in conjunction with the Kent Spring Marathon around the lanes close to Ashford. Despite the fact that it is technically a multi-terrain course, which includes a section of track on the Pilgrim’s Way, it is accurately measured and the marathon is advertised as a London Good for Age qualifier. Despite the hilly profile it was impressive to note that there were three sub-three finishers on the marathon course this year!
The half marathon comprised a single lap course with a large hill about four miles in, followed by an undulating but generally downhill section with another hill at 11 miles, before a final descent to the finish. Having underestimated the amount of time I would lose on the uphills and overestimated what I could make up on the downhills, I finished in 1:36:35. Owing to the size of the field and the absence of the usual KGP contenders, I finished in 20th place overall and was 2nd woman.
Overall, it was a well organised race with nice scenery and good prizes (Nice Work voucher) and freebies (including a quality linen bag). I would recommend it to anyone looking for a small and friendly half or perhaps a shot at a GFA marathon time!
RESULTS
Marathon
1. Pere Capdevila, M40, Stubbington Green, 02:46:03
6. Charlotte Broyd, F35, Unattached, 03:18:10
(113 Finishers)
Half Marathon
1. Wegahta Zerom, SM Ashford AC, 01:10:30
16. Julia Lewis, F40 Unattached, 01:32:32
20. Jillian Holford, F50, Tunbridge Wells Harriers, 01:36:35
(323 Finishers)
Jillian Holford