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.