Canterbury 10 Mile Road Race 2026

Canterbury 10 Race Report 2026

Cole Gibbens completes fourth win on the trot while Rebecca Weston retains her ladies title at the 2026 Invicta Canterbury 10 Mile Road Race.

A record entry of over 1800 runners enjoyed the 2026 Canterbury 10 Mile Road Race which was run in dry and cool conditions on Sunday 25 th January. The race this year saw a new course to the north of Canterbury and a new Race HQ at the University of
Kent. The organisers, Canterbury based Invicta East Kent Athletics Club, were pleased with the new course and to see so many entries with runners travelling from all over the UK to take part. It is the largest participation event in East Kent and produces
extra revenue for local businesses.

Popular local athlete Cole Gibbens (Tonbridge AC) ran 50min 17sec to take his fourth consecutive win, which was a new personal best over the 10 mile distance. He was locked throughout the race in a battle with Dillon Hobbs (Tunbridge Wells Harriers)
who ran a personal best of 50m 20s. Gibbens gained a small gap on the last hill which he maintained to the finish. Third finisher was Wegatha Zerom (Ashford AC) who ran strongly throughout to finish in 53m14s.

The ladies’ race was won by Rebecca Weston from local club Invicta East Kent. She spent a long period running with some of the leading men and finally finished in 13 th place overall with a personal best of 56m 48s. This was a great run, ahead of second
placed veteran marathon specialist and 3 time winner of the Canterbury 10 Mile, Helen Gaunt (Tonbridge AC) who completed the course in 60m 41s. Third lady was fast finishing Amelie Karlsson (Tunbridge Wells Harriers) in 62m 45s.

There was a good atmosphere and a sense of excitement about the race from the start of registrations in the spacious Sports Centre at the University of Kent until the finish of the final few . The runners were urged on by family, friends and many local residents who lined the route particularly through Tyler Hill, Radfall and Blean. Lord Mayor of Canterbury Keji Moses and Lady Mayoress Carol Reed started the race and were there at the finish to congratulate runners and hand out medals.

The race was kindly supported by Canterbury based sports shop “The Running Outlet”. Next year, the organisers will be hoping to recruit another major sponsor.

This year, the University of Kent aided the race by providing their excellent Sports Centre and campus facilities as race HQ. They also provided a team of physiotherapy students who provided a much appreciated free massage service.

Once again the Event Charity was Sittingbourne based Demelza Hospice Care for Children. They provided marshals and received a donation.

Age group winners were as follows :
Men V40 Barry Stephenson (Dartford Harriers) 55min 46sec
Men V50 Jim Addison (Beckenham Running Club) 61min 29sec
Men V60 Krzysztof Klidzia (Folkestone AC) 63min 22sec
Men V70 Paul McAuliffe (Medway & Maidstone AC) 72min 56sec
Ladies V35 Lucie Parker (Canterbury Harriers) 66min 36sec
Ladies V45 Elizabeth Owen (Tonbridge AC) 63min 59sec
Ladies V55 Marie Watson (South Kent Harriers) 75min 38sec
Ladies V65 Barbara Wenman (Canterbury Harriers) 76min 57sec

In the Men’s Team race, Tonbridge AC (Cole Gibbens, Mason Willis, Dan Bradley &
Craig Halsey) were clear winners, followed home by Petts Wood Runners, with a hard
working Maidstone Harriers Run & Tri Club third.

In the Ladies’ Team race, Maidstone Harriers Run & Tri Club put in a great performance with their top three
(Amelia Porter, Charlotte Johnston & Holly Pan) giving them the win. Canterbury Harriers performed well for second place and Invicta East Kent AC were close behind in third.

Race Director Glenn Mousley said : “We were delighted with our new Race HQ and also with our new course which was virtually traffic free. We now have additional space to expand the race both for this year and in the future. The race was competitive and the new course has proved to be fast, with many PB’s being achieved. There was a great energy around race HQ and in the race itself, with positivity all around. A good turn out from both club runners and those not affiliated gave a real feeling of inclusiveness. I would like to thank all of the runners for participating, plus our volunteers and organisers who give up their time early on a Sunday morning to work on the race. We hope to be back next January.”

Photos can be found https://www.flickr.com/photos/invictaeastkentac/albums/