ON any given weekend, Harlow residents will be getting in their cars and driving out of town to compete in road races across the region.

Usually, it is relatively close to home: Bedford, Milton Keynes, Stevenage, Portsmouth, London to name just a few.

On some occasions, it is just over the border: Hatfield Broad Oak 10k, Ware 10 miler, St Clare Hospice 10k (Hastingwood) and Stort 10 and 5.

There are also times when runners have competed abroad. From New York to Estonia to Australia.

But the one place they don’t seem to have an opportunity to run is Harlow.

It wasn’t alway this way. Those with long memories recall the Unigate Marathon. In 1973, it was featured Iive on BBC Grandstand.

Until 2019, there was the Harlow 10. A wonderful race that started out at Mark Hall Sports Centre and made its way out into the countryside.

But it stopped in 2020 (Covid) and has never returned.

It also seems to be the case with the senior schools. The West Essex Schools Cross Country Champs take place over near Chingford. The West Essex Track and Field Champs in Chelmsford.

Even Harlow Athletics Club don’t host any events at their home track instead have been running nomads for a long long time.

According to sources, the athletics track at Mark Hall is the wrong way round?

In the interests of balance, the Harlow primary schools brought back the Harlow schools cross country champs back in February. There is the Race for Life 10k in May but that is primarily a charity walk.

There is also the Harlow parkrun, where since, 2014, an average of 250 people every Saturday morning, run, walk, jog, wheel their way around a 5k course in the town park.

There is also plenty of evidence of people just out running on their own. People who don’t need a bib, a medal or a time to validate what they do.

But it does seem a shame that a town of over 95,000 people and rising doesn’t have a signature even that could stand out as a flagship event for the town.

Part of the problem may be that there are a lot of running organisations in Harlow: Harlow AC, Harlow Running and Tri Club, Innovation Multisport, Parkrun and Beyond, Hercules Coaching, who, how do we say, haven’t alway seen eye to eye. But that may be overstated.

However, there may be hope on the horizon. We asked the chair of Harlow Running and Tri Club for a comment.

Phil Middleton said: “I agree that Harlow has always had a proud tradition of running events, and you are right, the last Harlow 10 was back in 2019. At that point the Council highlighted their concerns with the number of road crossings on the course, which meant we couldn’t continue in the same format. Not long after that, Covid hit and all mass participation events stopped.

Right now, the amount of roadworks in Harlow would make it very difficult to stage a safe and enjoyable race. We’re very conscious of the impact on runners and the wider community.

That said, we do have a sub‑committee within the club that plans our sporting events, and they’re actively looking at the feasibility of hosting another race in the future. With close to 300 members, we’d love to see Harlow back on the racing calendar.

“It’s great to see, and we are supportive of, new events planned in the local area, and it’s a shame that Harlow doesn’t currently have its own. We’re committed to exploring options to bring something back when the conditions are right”.

In conclusion, with all the investment coming into the town, it would be good to see a running event in Harlow that would put the town back on the map. Here is to 2026.