Running in Kent

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Kent is a county of contrasts that stretches from the communities of suburban London - Dartford, Bexley and Beckenham, through the beautiful towns and villages of the North Downs, to the famous ports of Dover and Folkestone. Elsewhere in the county, often termed the Garden of England, you will find the historic settlements of Canterbury and Tunbridge Wells, and the M20 towns of Maidstone and Ashford.
We liked a description of the Dartford Half Marathon, first run over 30 years ago, which seemed to encapsulate those contrasts and told how the July race included 'aspects to suburban London, across the Thames estuary and into the rolling Kent countryside'.

Plenty of opportunities then to enjoy varied running with a great network of running clubs and groups - some established for many years, other new arrivals on the scene, and across all sorts of terrain. Check out our lists of groups and clubs below.

Lots of popular races are run in Kent - the Bluewater 10K attracts over 2,000 runners in June and there are a handful of well-supported halfs leading up to the London Marathon in April. On a smaller scale than London but providing runners in the east of the county with a marathon opportunity is the Kent Coastal Marathon (there's a half too). This September race starts and fin- ishes in Margate and has a reputation for being relatively flat (over some early undulations) and good for a PB.

Check out some of what Kent has to offer below.

Poll - Where Do You Run

We want to find out where you do most of your running.