Although a club called Tunbridge Wells Harriers was founded in the late 19th century and existed until the 1930s, the origins of the current club may be traced back to the running boom of the early 1980s. Tunbridge Wells Runners was formed by a small group of individuals that had trained together for the first London Marathon in 1981, originally meeting at the Coach Road lay-by in Rusthall or at Major Yorks Road car park. After the marathon, the training runs continued and the club was formed - with many club runs then starting from the Cross Keys PH in St Johns Road.
The club staged its first half marathon in January 1983, with 53 runners using a variation on the current course with a start near the Wellington Hotel. The club membership continued to grow, and the difficulties that this brought about at the Cross Keys necessitated a change in venue. In 1985, the club moved to the Tunbridge Wells Borderers Sports Club - the purpose-built pavilion at St Marks Recreation Ground on the Frant Road used by the Tunbridge Wells Rugby Club and the Borderers Cricket Club.
As the club developed, so its range of activities changed, and cross country,track and field, and triathlon were added to the Clubs origins in road running. The Half Marathon continued to grow in size and stature, and with the increase in field to several hundred runners, the start and finish were moved to St Gregory's School in Reynolds Lane. The event, now a recognised 'pre-London' race in March, has hosted the Kent Championships and raised several thousand pounds for charity.
In addition to the Half Marathon, the club has an excellent record in the hosting of cross country events, with inter-club events, league meetings, county championships and the British Veterans Championships all having been promoted by the Club.
1997 saw members voting to change the name of the Club from Tunbridge Wells Runners to Tunbridge Wells Harriers. The name change is but a small part of development plan that is hoped to take The Harriers further into this century with as much success as the original Harriers had in the last.
In 2006, the club moved to a new base at the Nevill Ground off Warwick Park, sharing facilities with Tunbridge Wells Cricket and Hockey clubs, providing improved facilities for the growing number of Harriers running each week.
