Hospice Run 10K

Race Description

The 10k is the Hospice Run's headline distance and the one most closely associated with Tunbridge Wells' autumn racing calendar, marking its 20th year in 2026 in support of Hospice in the Weald's end-of-life and palliative care services across Kent and East Sussex. Starting from Lower Common Cricket Ground alongside the half marathon and 5k, it covers the full version of the course's signature landmarks - passing the Spa Valley Railway's heritage steam line near the old Tunbridge Wells West station and skirting High Rocks, the sandstone outcrop popular with climbers on the town's western fringe.

What sets it apart from most 10ks of similar size is that the roads stay closed to traffic for the entire route, a level of closure regularly rated among the best in the South East and one that few charity 10ks manage to pull off. With around 171 metres of climbing worked into the wooded, sandstone-ridge terrain, it rewards a runner after a proper test rather than a guaranteed PB, without tipping into genuinely hilly territory.

The scale of local backing is part of the draw too - Tunbridge Wells businesses, schools and running clubs turn out for it every year, and a live drumming band keeps the closing stretch loud. Because every entry goes directly to hospice care, it's a distance that suits runners chasing a serious autumn target while wanting the effort to fund something beyond their own finishing time.