Sevenoaks AC

Thanks to everyone who helped with or ran in the 2026 edition of the Sevenoaks 7 on Sunday 12th July.

The results are here. Photos are here.

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Sevenoaks 7 2026 - report

The Sevenoaks 7 is a race where local knowledge matters as much as fitness, writes Jake Mears. With over 10 teams, 164 participants, and a strong volunteer presence across the course, this race had all the ingredients for an intense local battle – the variety of hills and surfaces we were about to race on reminded me of how advantageous it was to know every climb, corner, and false flat before it arrived.

I started cautiously, tucking in behind my parkrun nemesis Graeme Macintosh, with Sam Grant close behind. Sam is my former Sevenoaks Town FC teammate, the sort of player who used to casually bang in 40+ goals a season before transitioning into an elite HYROX athlete. He was representing Sevenoaks-based Rep Unity Run Club, alongside his sister Ellie, who produced a superb run first-female finish in 52:23, ahead of Flora Jones and Melissa Barker.

The opening hill arrived quickly - a familiar feature from Sevenoaks AC’s Tuesday “triangle of death” sessions. I tried not to get carried away too early. After reaching its peak, we raced downhill into the valleys and up towards the corner of Knole House, where the course began to feel less like a road race and more like a negotiation with Sevenoaks’ geography.

As we opened out onto the main path section, I delusionally convinced myself that I had a chance at second place. My illusion didn’t last long … Tsolthe Keikothle and Adam Muhammad glided past like gazelles, joining first-male finisher, Shamil Mohammed, at the sharp end. All three completed a brilliant podium sweep for the Ilford-based Running Charity, with Shamil’s 39:58 chip time showcasing immense talent and versatility as a runner capable of running a sub-15 5k.

Trying to replicate my 40:37 podium finish from last year, I adopted a similar strategy: sit behind the front three, stay calm, and hope I could nick a few places in the second half. The problem was that Sam was still on my shoulder, while Adam sat around 20 metres ahead, leaving me equally fearful of being caught from behind as I was about losing proximity to the front.

On the way back from Knole House, the race built towards the final killer climb. By this point, the volunteers were making a huge difference. Every marshal, cheer, and familiar voice reignited my desire to push through the pain and reach the top of the final hill.

Next came fellow clubmate Allan Lee’s shout of “Get him Jake”, giving me all the permission I needed to abandon caution. A scenic downhill finish ensued with deer and supporters settled on either side. I settled into sprint speed, closing the final kilometre in 3:10, and coming home in 42:13. I was mildly disappointed relative to last year, but given recent weather, high mileage, and assurance from my clubmates, I was happy enough.

As usual, SAC also held the free to enter 3.5k Junior race for 9 to 15 year-olds on undulating paths within the park, with the under-16M  race won by George Radu, under-16W by Jasmine Stephens, under-12M by Magnus Cheeseman and the under-12W by Beth Barclay.

A huge credit to all who took part and more importantly to every SAC volunteer who made the event what it was. Special thanks must go to Sarah Philpott and Maria Ashlee, whose hard work as course manager and head marshal made the race possible, as well as to Nice Work for helping make this years Sevenoaks 7 such a successful event.

The full results are here. Race photos are here.

Round the House Knole Relay 2026

The 2026 running of the Sevenoaks AC annual Round the House relay  took place in warm and sunny conditions at Knole on 30th June. This year's event was brilliantly organised by Sarah Philpott and her team, with results compiled by Maria Ashlee and photos by Ed Saunders.

Andrew Hutchinson, Alan Male and Stuart Stone made up the winning team, while Jake Mears ran the fastest lap and James Brinklow was the most consistent over all three laps.

The full results are here, and individual results here.

North Downs Run 2026

The North Downs 30k Trail Run on 28th June 2026 was also the 7th round of the Kent Road Race Grand Prix as well as the BMAF trail championships. Eight SAC runners contested the race, with some also entering the BMAF event, with brilliant results.

Leading the Sevenoaks runners home in 27th place, Keith Dowson was 2nd M60 but importantly first from a Kent club for maximum points in the individual KGP M60 competition. SAC also had two outright category winners, with Nicola Glover 1st W35 and Bridgit Weekes 1st W65, both taking their respective BMAF titles as well as the GP points.

The full Sevenoaks AC results were as follows:

Num	Name	Gen	Cat	Club	Pos	GenP	Gun	Chip	Pace
117	Keith Dowson	Male	MV60	Sevenoaks AC	27	2	02:15:57	02:15:56	7:12 min/m
295	Nicola Glover	Female	FV35	Sevenoaks AC	76	1	02:36:23	02:36:08	8:17 min/m
411	Daniel Witt	Male	MV50	Sevenoaks AC	94	19	02:43:21	02:43:06	8:39 min/m
27	Adam Bates	Male	MV40	Sevenoaks AC	115	38	02:48:37	02:48:21	8:56 min/m
12	Andrew Ashlee	Male	MV50	Sevenoaks AC	139	27	02:56:26	02:56:08	9:20 min/m
393	Bridgit Weekes	Female	FV65+	Sevenoaks AC	246	1	03:28:36	03:28:19	11:03 min/m
154	Sarah Philpott	Female	FV45	Sevenoaks AC	273	18	03:37:06	03:36:47	11:30 min/m
343	Sarah Shewell	Female	FV65+	Sevenoaks AC	327	3	03:56:25	03:56:06	12:31 min/m

The full results are here.

The eighth round GP race, the Mid-Kent 5, unfortunately clashes with the Sevenoaks 7 on 12th July. The ninth and penultimate race is the Larkfield 10k on 20 September which doubles as the Kent Short Course Championships.