THE final meeting of the Kent Fitness League last Sunday produced one the best contests of the season in the races for both men and women.

On a saturated, mud-soaked 6.2 mile course at Chatham's Capstone Park, Clayton Barrett (Medway and Maidstone AC) and Andrew Green (Dartford Roadrunners) were locked together throughout the race.

It was only as the pair turned into the finish straight that Barrett turned on the power to pull away from his pursuer and celebrated his first ever victory in this competition with a headlong dive through the finish line.

David Hall (Dartford RR) beat Mike Baron (Swanley) into third place to win the battle of the veterans, while Paddock Wood AC rounded off the season with their leading two men Steve Roberts and Richard Shaw finishing 6th and 7th. Phil Wallace was the leading over 50 runner in 12th place.

With the individual championships already sown up, Andrew Pickett and Annabelle Stearns were both missing from the starting line up of 230 runners.

In common with the men’s race, the ladies’ event was also hotly contested with four individuals in with a chance of victory. Zoe Harris (Istead and Ifield Harriers) was an early leader, but by the halfway point Nicola Susans (Larkfield AC) had taken the lead, closely tracked by Elaine Murty (Dartford Harriers) and Emma Harraden (Medway and Maidstone AC).

In the final half mile, Harraden managed to pull away from her pursuers to be first across the line, and Murty managed to outsprint Susans into the runner-up spot.

Harraden was supported by clubmates Sarah Kenyon and Cathy Harvey in 5th and 6th places which ensured that Medway and Maidstone clinched the team race on the day and thus retained the team championship for a second successive year.

Leading Men (Capstone Park) 1. C Barrett (Med & Maid) 36 min12 sec; 2. A Green (Dartford RR) 36.19; 3. D Hall (Dartford RR) 36.41; 4. M Baron (Swanley) 37.20; 5. C Wyles (New Eltham) 37.40; 6. S Roberts (Padd Wd) 37.42; 7. R Shaw (Padd Wd) 37.53; 8. T McParland (Cant H) 38.25; 9. C Holms (Invicta) 38.26; 10. R Pearce (Istead) 38.34.

Leading Women (Capstone Park) 1. E Harraden (Med & Maid) 42.16; 2. E Murty (Darford H) 42.36; 3. N Susans (Larkfield) 42.42; 4. Z Harris (Istead) 42.55; 5. S Kenyon (Med & Maid) 45.00.

Team Result (Capstone Park) 1. Medway & Maidst. AC 193 pts; 2. Canterbury H 311; 3. Istead & Ifield H 313; 4. Larkfield AC 319; 5. Swanley & Dist AC 399; 6. Dartford RR 435.

Final League Placings 1. Medway & Maidst. AC 116 pts; 2. Larkfield AC 107; 3. Invicta East Kent AC 101; 4. Istead & Ifield H 92; 5. Canterbury H 88; 6. Swanley 73.