RACE HISTORY
First run in July 1984, the North Downs Run has proved itself to be Kent’s most enduring and popular Running event..
The inaugural Run was an immediate success attracting an entry of 528 (486men/42 ladies) and of the 384 finishers were well known local runners such as George Meredith (Cambridge Harriers) and Gary Huckwell, Roy Cozens and Malcolm Waddell (Dartford Harriers). The field also included top athletes like Nick Brawn and Mike Grattan, who went on to win the London Marathon the following year. An amazingly high 152 runners completed the event in under 2 ½ hours ….an impressive statistic
At that time, the Start was from Istead Rise Community Centre with the route passing through Ifield, Cobham, past the ‘Mausoleum’ to Knights Place (Strood), Cuxton, then onto the North Downs Way above the Medway Valley returning via Luddesdown, Ifield, across the A227 at Nash Bank and back to the Istead Rise Race HQ via the exceptionally steep Flowerhill Way.
This first event raised funds for the purchase of equipment at Gravesend & North Kent Hospital and subsequent events have raised thousands of pounds to the benefit the Lions Hospice in Northfleet.
So, the joint Race Directors, Dave Nash and Roger Francis, should be proud to have created this unique event in the Kent racing calendar…………….of the other local races of that period (Gravesend Marathon, Cobham Hall Half Marathon, Rochester Half Marathon, Dartford Half Marathon), sadly, only the Dartford Half remains
For several years, the organisation of the NDR was taken on by the late Charlie Morgan, a popular and well remembered character on the North Kent running scene. Then in 1997, a new Race Director, Mike Burgoyne, took over and continued to develop the ideas and enthusiasm that attracted to the race many of Kent’s top athletes such as Barry Royden, a winner of the NDR many times over.
With Mike’s experience in race management , the NDR continued to flourish with only slight course variations from year to year.
With the foot & mouth of 2001, the race was postponed until September which proved very popular being run in rather cooler conditions compared with the usual ‘flaming; June temperatures. But, the traditional NDR route was becoming something of a problem! For safety reasons, the local police were becoming very concerned about the runners sharing the A227 with the increased volume of traffic, especially at the Nash Bank crossing. So, this would be the last NDR from Istead Rise and changes would have to be made.
So, with Istead & Ifield Harriers having taken on a more active organisational role, it was suggested the Start be moved to the I & I HQ at Cascades Leisure Centre in Thong Lane, Gravesend. This came into effect for the 2003 race giving improved facilities and a slightly more testing but enjoyable course.
With Race Director, Mike Burgoyne, moving to the Midlands in Spring 2004, the race
faced an uncertain future. However, Istead & Ifield Harriers were persuaded to take
on the overall organisation with assistance from Mike and one or two other regular
supporters. A new Race Director, Bill Archer was appointed (who ran in the first
NDR in 1984)…………..the course saw an improved Start/Finish area and the re-
The general view was that this was one of the best organised NDR events, and this was amply illustrated in the ratings recorded for the NDR in the Runners World Readers poll in its survey of 2004 races
For 2005, there was basically the same organising crew. Just a shuffle of places with Bob Carter and Andrew Archer taking the joint Race Director’s role, whilst Bill Archer continued to provide the functions of Race Secretary and Treasurer etc….The course
again had a few minor changes and these proved to be very popular -
Race rating exceeding 90% and a very favourable race report
The success continued in 2006 and 2007 with the latter being voted at the 3rd best race in the country by Runner’s World Readers . And the 2008 race achieved a 2nd best race in the country
****** Kent’s most acclaimed long distance running event. **************