Race report: Canterbury 10 mile – Runner’s World (UK)

In 725, a young monk from Wessex called Willibald set off from Canterbury Cathedral on an epic 1,700km pilgrimage to the south. His destination was Rome, and in his records he referred to the route as “Iter Francorum”, or the “The French Route”. These days it’s known as the Via Francigena and while it’s not as well known as other European pilgrimage routes like the Camino de Santiago, it supports a small but steady trickle of dedicated walkers. The few that were treading the route on this chilly Sunday morning in January looked baffled to have their meditative meander interrupted by the sudden appearance of almost 1,500 stampeding runners. Of all the perils Willibald faced on his trip 1,295 years ago, this probably wasn’t one of them.

James Carnegie

Luckily, our run wasn’t quite as long as Willibald’s journey. This 10 miler started a kilometre south of the iconic cathedral and followed the Pilgrim’s Way for 3km before veering off into the Kent countryside and looping back towards Canterbury. It was my first race over this distance, bringing with it some nerves about how to pace correctly. In the end, the ultra-scientific method of going a bit slower than 10k pace but a bit faster than half marathon pace won through.

James Carnegie

Right from the off, the route offered plenty of variation. Road races can end up being quite dreary if they follow the same road for long stretches, but there were no such concerns here. A few of the more rural roads through windswept fields had certainly seen better days, but served to make those stretches of smooth tarmac all the more satisfying when they came. Most of the road sections weren’t closed, but barring a couple of bemused Sunday-morning drivers in the pretty little village of Bridge, traffic was mercifully sparse. Several inhabitants of the many charming little cottages along the route even came out to offer (very welcome) support and occasional (very very welcome) jelly babies.

James Carnegie

In hindsight, the long downhill into Bridge into should have registered as a warning of ominous elements to come. Alas, I’m having too much fun bounding downhill at speed like a deranged Labrador to realise what it meant.

James Carnegie

It’s about 5km in and I’m feeling great, coasting past runners who were previously far ahead of me. Oh, sweet innocent child. Now I know that they knew something I didn’t. We take a sharp right-hand turn off the main road, onto a narrow country lane lined on both sides by beautiful old trees. It would have been very pretty were it not for the fact that it’s also a vindictively steep hill. All the runners I passed in the previous kilometre stream past as I huff and puff and whine about the stupid hill I didn’t know was coming. Being familiar with the route is tantamount to cheating, I mutter to myself and to anyone who’ll listen, which is no one.

James Carnegie

Once the evil hill is out of the way, the next few kilometres are a gloriously fun series of twists and turns from potholed country roads onto main roads and back, up hills and down again, into headwinds and then pushed onwards by tailwinds. I get into a ding-dong battle for a few kilometres with another runner who I overtake on every downhill, but who then smashes past me on every uphill. There’s one final long uphill after about 12k and he disappears into the distance, a worthy winner of a mini-race he probably didn’t even know he was participating in.

James Carnegie

With 3k to go, we return to the Via Francigena heading back into Canterbury. Willibald never got to see it going in this direction – after a couple of years in Rome, he became the first known Englishman to visit the Holy Land and then settled down as bishop of Eichstätt in Bavaria. More’s the pity, because there’s a lovely view of the Cathedral as we head downhill back towards the finish line. It’s a tiny criticism considering how enjoyable the route is, but it is a pity that the race doesn’t actually spend any time in Canterbury. It’s a lovely little town and the cathedral, unlike many ultra-famous monuments, is a genuinely impressive structure and well worth a prolonged visit. I for one would have loved the opportunity to gallop sweatily near it.

James Carnegie

After the finish, runners return gratefully to the Christ Church Sports Centre. It’s an excellent pre- and post-race HQ for a January event – the chill sets in quickly once you stop running – and is a testament to how well-organised the event is. It is so easy to forget that an indoor bag drop, once the queues start to form, is a tremendous and welcome luxury.

My final takeaway is that I’m now well and truly converted to the 10-mile distance. A 10k is fun but is generally halfway finished before the crowds thin and you can get into a rhythm, and a half marathon skews slightly more towards the pain of endurance rather than fun of speed. There aren’t that many 10 milers around these days, and it’s hard to imagine a more enjoyable one than this.

The Rundown

Canterbury 10 Mile Road Race (2020 stats)

• First man: Abel Tsegay, 52:29
• First woman: Helen Gaunt, 1:03:56
• Last finisher: 2:44:57
• Number of finishers: 1,453

Finishing times:

<1:10: 10%
1:10-1:29: 39%
1:30-1:49: 35%
1:50:-2:09: 13%
2:10+: 3%

Like this? Try… three more ten-mile road races

Asda Foundation Yorkshire 10 Mile

This race scratches the itch of running past a beautiful church – York Minster is near the start of the route. You’ll then leave the town behind for some pretty country lanes before returning to York for the finish.

York, October 18, runforall.com

Blackpool Promenade 10 Miler

Depending on your point of view, this one could be either repetitive or meditative. The route goes back and forth along Blackpool’s iconic promenade, covering some sections of it up to six times.

Blackpool, Lancashire, May 16, fyldecoastrunners.com

Looe 10 Miler

This is Cornwall so there are hills. The total ascent is a challenging 435m so you most likely won’t trouble your BP, but stunning costal views make up for it. You also get to visit the tiny village of Barcelona (population: 4).

Looe, Cornwall, February 22, looepioneers.clubtrac.co.uk