Sevenoaks 7 Trail

Race Description

For two decades the Sevenoaks 7 has been run almost entirely inside Knole Park, one of England's last surviving Tudor deer parks, where herds of fallow and sika deer graze freely across a thousand acres of parkland surrounding Knole House. The seven-mile course crosses grass and stony paths rather than road, climbing and dipping through the park's rolling ground, which makes it a genuinely demanding multi-terrain race despite the lack of any single big hill; the National Trust setting, with one of the country's largest recorded oak trees somewhere among the estate's ancient timber, gives it scenery few road sevens can match. Organised by Sevenoaks Athletic Club, the race has drawn a serious field over the years, including a former European 5000m champion among its past entrants, and its long history has built up thousands of finishers and a genuine club-tradition feel, with a shorter junior race run alongside the senior event for 9 to 15 year olds.

Race HQ at Sevenoaks Rugby Club provides proper changing rooms and showers, a level of facility not every trail race can offer, and profits go to The Running Charity, which supports young people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. It suits runners who enjoy off-road racing with genuine history and community behind it, sharing the paths that day with grazing deer rather than traffic - a distinctive Kent institution rather than a generic seven-miler.