5k Runs in the South East 2026-2027
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5k runs across the South East: 217 5K races in 2026 and 2027, Brighton to Oxford and the Kent coast, with dates, venues and entry links. Nowhere outside London has more 5Ks than the South East, and the range is wide: seafront races at Brighton, Eastbourne and Portsmouth, riverside runs in the Thames valley around Reading and Henley, and trail 5Ks on the South Downs and in the Surrey Hills that make five kilometres feel considerably longer. Several of the big coastal weekends run a 5K the day before the main race, and the county towns pair a 5K with nearly every club 10K.
5k runs by city
Search by town: Brighton, Reading, Oxford, Southampton, Portsmouth, Milton Keynes, Canterbury and Guildford.
What to expect from a South East 5k
The commuter-belt clubs are strong and it shows: measured courses, a quick turnaround on results and a keen front end even at a village race. Race for Life tours the region's parks and racecourses from May to July, the summer evening 5Ks along the Thames and on the promenades finish in daylight, and December sees Santa runs from Brighton seafront to the Chilterns. Family entries are common, with a junior mile or 2K running before the main 5K at many events, and Couch to 5K groups pick these races as their graduation run. If your ideal distance is a 3K, a 4K or a 6K, let the distance slider at the top of the page do the sorting.
Other distances in the South East
Try the 10k runs calendar for the South East once five feels short, or browse the full running calendar for the region with the half marathon calendar, the marathon calendar and the trail running calendar alongside. Further afield, the UK-wide 5k runs calendar covers the whole of the UK.
Get new running races (and updates) in your inbox every month.