A long trek but thanks to the diehards who made it. Not enough for full teams I'm afraid but at least we weren't totally bereft. A grand total of 292 runners still made it though, so not everyone was put off.
KFL Race Report - Rob Bright
Following a seemingly unending winter of snow and ice, we were blessed with sunshine and almost spring-like conditions as we arrived at Fowlmead Country Park (rear Deal) for our first visit of the league to a Country Park formed out of the remnants of the Kent Coal Industry. The course had a rather confusing sequence of narrow paths and slippery slopes which yielded mixed feelings amongst the 292 mud-spattered competitors.
Ben Louch did battle at the front with James Cotton, winner at Oxleas Wood along with local lad James Whittaker, and the three were locked together at the end of the first lap. Louch showed his class in the second half by pulling away from his rivals to cross the line 20 seconds clear, with Cotton and Whittaker taking the minor placings. Clayton Barrett was in 4th place and Ashley Howes had his best run of the season to finish 5th.
A slight hiatus towards the end of the first circuit led to the majority of the field taking a short route after the first 20 or so runners had gone through. This meant that some of the leaders had to negotiate their way past slower runners in the narrow woodland paths to regain their positions. No doubt this would have had some impact on the overall positions but I consider that no particular team was significantly disadvantaged by it.
Tina Oldershaw maintained her overall dominance of the ladies competition, but Jill Cliff provided the local interest – the two of them fighting it out with Oldershaw getting the verdict by the narrowest of margins towards the end. As far as I am aware – the ladies all followed the same course.
Teamwise, Larkfield finished leading overall team for the third time this season and they now have a three-point lead at the top of the league table with two races to come. Paddock Wood are the only club with a realistic chance of overhauling them.
New Eltham Joggers consolidated their third position with another great team effort – and the best attendance (32) of any club despite being the furthest travelled ! Three top 20 finishers amongst the men may well be a club record.
Congratulations to Deal Tri Club for their efforts in staging their first race. There were a number of teething problems and lessons to be learnt from this experience but the feedback I have had has been generally good so far. I am interested to identify which runners were displaced by the first lap hiatus and lost places as a result. Also, any comments on the future use of this venue would be welcomed (positive or negative).