Teenage runner Terry Fawden led Highgate Harriers’ Under-20 men’s team to a comfortable victory in the Middlesex Championships at Hillingdon House Farm.
Fawden, a sixth form student at Highgate School, was locked in battle with London Heathside rival James Woolridge and Mukhtar Farah of Ealing, Southall & Middlesex at the halfway stage.
But the Harriers youngster broke away in the closing stages to clinch first place in 26 minutes 54 seconds, with Woolridge second in 27:06 and Farah (27:24) third.
With strong runs from Alex Machin-Paley (seventh in 28:15), Aurel Sinko-Uribe (ninth in 28:38) and James Millett (13th in 29:58), Highgate finished well clear of Ealing, Southall & Middlesex to win the team event.
Fawden, who is coached by Chris Rainsford at Parliament Hill Fields, said: “My endurance is quite good at the moment. I did not really want to sprint at the end, so I made sure the pace was fast.”
The senior women’s event yielded an impressive second place for Hannah Viner – who held the lead for more than half of the race before being overtaken by Thames Valley Harriers’ Tracy Barlow.
Viner – in her first year as a senior – eventually crossed the line behind Barlow in 29:39, with Highgate team-mate Emma Burgess (31:59) finishing seventh and Over-50 runner Lucy McGuinness 31st in 35:39.
Harriers’ senior men’s team took third place overall, ahead of the likes of TVH, Heathside and Victoria Park & Tower Hamlets AC.
Danny Russell was the club’s first finisher in 16th (40:46) – with the next three places also occupied by Highgate runners Fergal Smithwick (41:05), Jon Laybourn (41:10) and Sean Renfer (41:25).
James Johnson (33rd in 43:25) and Nick Gold (36th in 43:45) completed the scoring six for Highgate, while their other finishers were Alex Davidson (46th in 44:49) and Joseph Lowe (77th in 47:54).
Harriers will resume their Metropolitan League campaign on Saturday at Trent Park.
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