The 12th annual Sevenoaks Rotary 10K comprises two laps of a scenic but rather undulating course, held entirely within Knole Park. Last year's event raised £10,000 for local charities. A 1.5K Fun Run is held at the same venue and is open to runners aged 9 to 90!

Just a few miles north of Sevenoaks at historic St Clere Estate, former home of the father of Henry VIII’s second wife Anne Boleyn, the Spartans will be out in force all weekend searching for the holy grail of Spartan life – the hallowed Trifecta medal!

The 2018 Spartan Race season opens in Kent and promises to satisfy weekend warriors, trail hunters and obstacle racers alike. Situated on the scenic North Downs, known for its rolling hills, this beautiful yet challenging course will host Spartan Sprint, Spartan Super and Spartan Junior races in a two-day OCR extravaganza.

Meanwhile, a few miles south of Sevenoaks at Paddock Wood, one of the largest races in Kent takes place on Sunday morning (8 April). The 27th Paddock Wood Half Marathon will be another sold out race with 2,500 starters. Last year's winners in this rural tour of Kent's hop fields were Daniel Gaffney (South London Harriers, 1:08:36) and Tracy Barlow (Thames Valley Harriers, 1:14:07).

A little further east we find the Kent Spring Marathon and Half Marathon based at Charing School, near Ashford. Billed as an ideal event for those who prefer an alternative to the big city mass participation spring marathons, this event uses the quiet lanes surrounding Ashford, Westwell and Charing with a multi-terrain section along the Pilgrims Way.

A check of the comprehensive runABC South race listings brought to you in association with Sports Tours International does show quite a few events are taking place elsewhere in the region but it seems that Kent has cornered the running market this weekend.

Image courtesy Sevenoaks Rotary 10k