MEDWAY and Maidstone’s Michael Coleman was just too good for a 900-strong field in the Quest 10km road race in Ashford.

He led out of the Julie Rose Stadium and that was the last his rivals saw of him until they got back to the finish.

The Dover runner had been hoping to be only the second runner ever in the race’s 19-year history to break the 30 minute barrier in near perfect conditions.

In the end it was 30:40, which was a course record, but he paid for not having anyone to push him along as he steadily piled metre on metre away from his rivals.

By halfway he was virtually out of sight but the target started to slip away.

Afterwards he said it had been "a useful training run" in his build-up for the Amsterdam marathon which he races next month.

Kent’s premier woman runner Charlotte Dale gave another impressive display despite not being too well.

Even under the weather she was beaten by only six of the field again leaving a lot of good male club runners in her wake to clock an impressive 34:18 over three minutes clear of her nearest rival.

Although it was slower than her 2002 winning time of 33:37 it was still well clear of the rest and once she is clear of her illness is looking forward to a productive winter.

The fine conditions and Coleman’s fast pace ensured a lot of runners set personal bests.

Men's results:

1 Michael Coleman (Med & Maid) 30:40 (CR)
2 Jamie Atkinson (Black & Brom) 32:44
3 Duncan Cochrane (Ronhill) 32:49
4 Andrew Welch (Ashford AC) 32:52
5 Lynton Lythgoe (Ashford AC) 33:45
6 Tatsuo Yoshiwara (Invicta EK) 33:45
7 Theo Bately (Deal Tri) 34:24
8 Peter Russell (South Kent H) 35:18
9 Patrick Butler (Ashford &Dist RR) 35:30
10 Chris Valdus (unattch) 35:39