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The event was voted the Best New Road Race in the UK for 1985.

After the success of the first Hastings Half in 1985, Derek Stevens defended his title in 1986 in an even bigger field. But it was a unique event.

Stevens, wearing race number 1066, finished under the race clock in the time of 1.06.6 and it made national newspapers as it could only happen at Hastings. The only sad thing about this was that coming over the finishing line, Stevens had his arm covering his race number, and so the photo we all wanted did not happen.

The following year, in 1987, the race was won by Tony Graham of Hastings Runners. The only time that HR have had a winner, and not for another 32 years would the event be won in a time over 70 minutes.

This year also marked the move from The Old Bathing Pool facility to Grosvenor Gardens, where a marquee would be needed. Also required was a power and a water supply and toilets.

The power supply was the big problem, and this was solved by obtaining permission for a power supply from Lamppost Number 4 in Sea Road, right on the finishing line.

Portable toilets and a water supply from a standpipe were arranged.

With the end of the Arrow Shoes sponsorship, we had new sponsors in the local Ford Dealers Holllingsworths and the Hastings Observer becoming joint sponsors.

Paul Hollingsworth in particular became a great supporter of the event for many years to come, holding regular meetings and taking a great interest in everything.

We also had Ron Hill Shoes as our shoe sponsor.

The entry numbers were still rising and reached 3,000.

It was a little after this race that a meeting took place between Roger Dennett of Hastings Borough Council and Race Director Eric Hardwick on the steps of Beauport Park Hotel. This was to be a game-changer.

Roger Dennett asked if advertising monies from national advertising and other promotions could be diverted to promoting Hastings through the Half Marathon, and an amount of £10,000 was suggested.

We suggested that with this support, the event could introduce prize money and bonus cash prizes to attract a national and international entry.

So for the 1988 event Hastings had the best prize money for a road race (outside the London Marathon of course), and also introduced a bonus of £5,000 for beating a time of 63 minutes for men, and 71 minutes for female athletes.

It worked, some of the top UK athletes entered, including Susan Tooby (one of the famous twins).

Among the male entrants was UK champion Carl Thackery, and he was determined to win the £5,000 bonus as well as the £2,000 first prize.

Three athletes soon broke away from the field – Kevin Forster, Dave Lewis and Thackery, with Thackery’s wife popping up at different places on the route to encourage him on.

It then became two, as Forster was dropped, and entering the Old Town with nearly three miles to go Thackery was still making the pace, which was on target for the bonus time.

But Thackery realised when hitting the seafront that the wind was against, and offered to Lewis the opportunity of sharing the lead and working together to get the target time, and share the bonus money.

But Lewis refused, and instead just stayed on Thackery’s heels.

Lewis though realised too late with half a mile to go, that they were not going to beat the 63 minutes, and his finishing sprint past Thackery came too late for the bonus and was 34 seconds adrift.

What might have been if they had worked together!

Susan Tooby took the female title in a time of 1.13.53.

That year the event was voted the Best Half Marathon in the UK by Runners World Magazine.

1989 proved to be another outstanding year for the event, with the top cream of British Athletics entering Hastings.

Anyone who was anyone entered. They included the giants of the day in Carl Thackery again, Kevin Forster, Stephen Binns, Nick Rose, Mike Gratton (London Marathon winner) Colin Reitz, Peter Klimes and Ian Tompson (Olympic, European and Commonwealth medalist), Tony Milorsorov, Steve Binns, and a certain Paul Davies -Hale. The bonus time was reduced to 62 minutes to beat, but the prize was £10,000.

Paul Davies-Hale in particular was a fantastic athlete, running great times from 400 metres to Marathon.

Davies-Hale eventually broke away from the large classy field, determined to go for the bonus prize, and he was running well inside the pace required, but approaching the Old Town had ‘the stitch’(something that did affect him at times), and although he ran 4.20 miling for the last couple of miles, and we thought he was gong to do it,he failed dramatically by just ten seconds to win the money. What could have been without the stitch? Tis time amazingly of 62.10 turned out to be the fastest time for a half marathon in the world that year.

That was excellent given that it was on a route probably a good two minutes harder than a flat one.

The female winner Veronique Marot (London Marathon winner) who recorded 1.13.53, the same as previous year’s winner. Susan Tooby.

Both bonus times were still there.

An interesting aside to the 1989 race was that one of our sponsors - Coral Racing - offered a bet as to whether we could get 500 runners finishing by 90 minutes.

We had to encourage runners in the last 200 metres to make an extra effort as it was looking tight, but we managed it JUST, and Corals donated £500 to the Lions charities.

This was the only time in the event’s history that this was accomplished.

The 1990 event saw another big top field, with Nick Rose determined to win.

He was a top international athlete, running all over the world, and he trained especially for Hastings this year, but it turned out that Paul Davies Hale was still too good for him again.

Another first for Hastings that year was to do with the pre-race Potato Party that took place in Hollingsworths Car Showrooms the night before the race.

We had the one and only Ron Hill attending and signing his book and giving an interview.

Do you know that Ron ran every day of his life after starting his running career?

But the big first was that we were the first event to be featured on a radio phone-in competition on Radio One.

We had been contacted earlier to pose the question on air as to how many potatoes would be consumed. Listeners had to phone in accordingly, and the next morning live at the start, we revealed the final number. We received commission on the phone-in for our charity.

But things were a-changing. The Kenyans were coming.

More on this next week.

Hastings Half Marathon: Stevens defends his title in bigger - and unique - event