In near perfect conditions 260 runners lined up in Knole Park on Sunday morning to contest the 18th annual Sevenoaks 7 mile race sponsored by Bat & Ball Sports. The field was brimming with some of the strongest club runners seen in Knole Park for quite a few years, and the spectators were not disappointed with the quality of the running. While many of the top runners may have had their eye on the prize, it was James Trapmore from Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers that led most of the way to win in an impressive 38:36. This was over a minute faster than the 2010 winning time. In second place, in a time of 39:07, was Huw Evans from Tonbridge AC who held off a spirited challenge over the later part of the course from Tom Fewster (Great Western Runners, 39:25).

The women’s event was expected to be a two horse race between the top Paddock Wood runners of Tina Oldershaw and Maria Heslop. In the end it was Abby Settle from Tonbridge AC who blew the competition away, setting a new women’s course record of 41:31 which also placed her among the top five runners on the day of any gender. Abby finished a full minute and a half ahead of Maria (43:06), with Tina completing the top women’s places in 44:26.

However, the local runners didn’t let the visitors have it all their own way. Despite being slightly depleted through injury, the Sevenoaks AC men’s team of Chris Desmond, Andrew Mead, Kevin Thorp and James Wright rose to the challenge to win the team event for the second year in a row. In the process, Chris was the fastest man over 40 yrs old, winning the M40 category in 44:08. The women’s team event was won by Larkfield AC.

The other veteran category winners were Mark Taylor from Tunbridge Wells Harriers (M50 in 48:14), David Thornby from Maidstone Harriers (M60 in 47:24), Peter Chittenden from Tone Zone Runners (M70 in 67:52), Jane Bradshaw from Blackheath & Bromley Harriers (W35 in 43:06), and Rosemary Ferguson also from Blackheath & Bromley Harries (W45 in 50:38). Though once again, one of the most impressive runs of the day by a veteran belonged to Sally Musson, from Tonbridge AC. Sally is in exceptional form at the moment having recently smashed her own national record in the London Marathon. Sally was the seventh woman home, winning the W55 category in 47:55. This exceptional time, which was over a minute faster than she ran the event last year, also gave Sally the age-graded trophy with an unbelievable 90.1 points on the hilly Knole Park course (the next closest competitor was over 6 points behind her).

While the better club runners may have grabbed the headlines this year, the enthusiasm and personal triumphs of the local runners who made up the bulk of the field remained undiminished throughout the day. The run saw innumerable examples of friends and strangers helping and cajoling each other around the beautiful seven mile course. However, as runners approached the finish line it was always interesting to see the different reaction of competitors, with some forgetting the efforts of the previous seven miles to pull out one last sprint finish, while others held hands to cross the line in joint achievement with friends and relatives.

Sevenoaks Athletics Club would once again like to thank Lord Sackville and the Knole Estate for their permission to run this annual event within Knole Park.