It was six years ago when we last reported on the Eridge Park 10 Trail Challenge in beautiful Eridge Park, near Tunbridge Wells, Kent. This 10-mile trail race will again live up to its 'Challenge' name on Sunday, 28th September 2025, and everyone is welcome. There will be free cake, free beer, and a bespoke 25th-anniversary memento for all finishers!

Our Kent-based reporter, Alan Newman, has diligently checked the records and can confirm that the best times over the past 25 years are held by Tonbridge AC athletes Nick Barrable (59:51 in 2007)—still the only person to have run the hilly course in less than an hour—and Lucy Reid, who won the race outright with 1:07:04 in 2018!

The defending champions are Oliver Varney (Eastbourne Rovers AC, 1:06:36) and W35 Ashley Fennell (Tunbridge Wells Harriers, 1:21:37). There were 268 finishers last year in just over three hours. Only 25 runners beat 90 minutes, which speaks volumes about the challenging nature of the course.

The distance may be a mere 10 miles, but the varied terrain, with some tough climbs, has been testing runners' resolve for the past 25 years. The weather forecast looks good, with light cloud, a gentle breeze, and temperatures rising to around 14C, but it's been wet in Kent this month and that's likely to continue until race day, so expect some muddy patches.

Eridge Park Estate is the family home of the Marquess of Abergavenny. The Eridge Estate is reputedly the oldest enclosed Deer Park in England. The Nevill family inherited the Estate in the heart of the High Weald in 1448 and has been there ever since. The Estate provides a home for many small businesses occupying former farm and estate buildings. While several public footpaths cross the Estate, the main park area is not open to the public unless attending events such as the Eridge Park 10 Trail Challenge.

With stunning views, your run will take in the country estate's former carriageways, three beautiful lakes, a Saxon hill fort topped with a Victorian folly and several natural springs. The one-lap course is on tracks, grass, and woodland trails, and some sections are steep, rutted, and narrow.

For full information and entries, visit the Nice Work race management website here.

Results are available at the runABC South race listing here, where you can also register directly.

Photo from 2022 courtesy of Tunbridge Wells Harriers