The annual race, which was held this year on Sunday September 24, came first in the Welsh heats for the prestigious UK Running Awards.

Online voting has now re-opened and allows those who have already voted a second opportunity to vote again, with the Admiral Swansea Bay 10k among the final 12 races in the running for the UK-wide title.

Swansea Council is behind the Admiral Swansea Bay 10k, which is part of the year-long Enjoy Swansea programme of events and activities.

Head to the 10k voting area of www.therunningawards.co.uk to vote for the Admiral Swansea Bay, which is up against races including the Whitchurch 10k, the Berkshire 10k and the Doncaster 10k on the final shortlist.

Cllr Robert Francis-Davies, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture, Tourism and Major Projects, said: “The Admiral Swansea Bay 10k has been a major success story since being first introduced in 1981, attracting many thousands of people to take part every year.

“Catering for elite athletes, amateur runners, charity fundraisers and many others, the event, set against the glorious backdrop of Swansea Bay, is one of many that re-enforce Swansea’s status as a leading city of sport.

“The Admiral Swansea Bay 10k has been on the shortlist for this major UK-wide accolade twice before, but it’s never won. You can help change that by voting for the event as soon as possible, to help give the Admiral Swansea Bay 10k the recognition it so thoroughly deserves.”

At the 2016 and 2017 UK Running Awards, the Admiral Swansea Bay 10k came second in the best 10k category.

Voting for next year’s awards closes on March 15, with the awards ceremony being held on April 19.

Vote Now

So the weather may have lived up to the dreary forecast expectations, with rain commencing as the starting gun went, but what a day Sunday was!

From collecting my t-shirt on Friday afternoon, right through until the end of the race, the weekend was thoroughly enjoyable.

In hindsight, I didn’t realise how many people would be on site on race day, between the children’s races, full 10k participants and spectators, the atmosphere was absolutely buzzing!

With a Rocky style warm-up lead by the team at Active Swansea I was raring to go by the time the gun went at 1pm. Having timing pens at the start line meant there was no battling my way to the front, and was able to set off at a speed similar to that of my start line companions.

Plodding through puddles for almost an hour may not seem like the most fun thing to do on a Sunday afternoon, but hearing the crowd clapping and cheering really did give me goosebumps, especially at the halfway mark. A little bit of upbeat music from Heart FM at the 7k point really gave me the push I needed when my legs began to tire on the home straight as I counted down the metres left.

With thanks to the 50-minute pace runner, I managed to beat my PB with an official chip time of 51:48 by keeping him in my sights throughout the course!

I’m absolutely thrilled to have been part of such an enjoyable event and will definitely be signing up again next year, but this time with a new goal: sub 50 minutes.

In the meantime, I shall keep racking up the miles as I look to complete my first half marathon next year in my next running challenge.

It looks like I wasn’t the only one who enjoyed the race, as it’s already been nominated once again for the best 10k in the UK at The Running Awards! If you enjoyed it as much as me, you can vote for the Admiral Swansea Bay 10k here 🙂

If you loved the race, be sure to give it a rating on Facebook too!

Hope to see you all again on 16 September 2018!

Georgia x

A NUMBER of road closures will be in place on Sunday (September 24) to accommodate the Admiral Swansea Bay 10k.

About 4,500 runners are expected to take part in the main race, which leaves from outside St Helen’s at 1pm and goes to Mumbles and back.

Swansea Council is behind the event. A number of other races will also take place on the day, including 1k, 3k and 5k races for juniors, as well as the traditional 100-metre dash for mascots. All places for each race other than the mascots are now taken, so people won’t be able to sign-up to take part on the day.

The road closures listed below will be in place on the day:

* Noon to 1.30pm – Mumbles Road closed between Guildhall Road South and Sketty Lane.

* Noon to 1.30pm – Brynmill Lane closed between Mumbles Road and Bryn Road, except for access southbound to the Recreation Ground off Brynmill Lane for parking if space permits.

* Noon to 12.45pm – Sketty Lane right turn only onto Mumbles Road.

* 12.45pm to 1.45pm – Sketty Lane closed southbound. Access to Singleton Hospital and the Wales National Pool will be maintained.

* 12.45pm to 1.45pm – Mumbles Road closed in Mumbles direction only between Sketty Lane and Mayals Road. Left turn only (towards the city centre) from Ashleigh Road, Derwen Fawr Road, Mill Lane and Mayals Road.

* 12.45pm to 1.45pm – Mumbles Road closed between Mayals Road and Fairwood Road.

* 12.45 to 2pm – Mumbles Road closed in Mumbles direction only between Fairwood Road and Newton Road. Left turn only towards the city centre from Alderwood Road, Bethany Lane, Palmyra Court, Norton Avenue, Norton Road and Newton Road.

* Re-opening times are approximate because they depend on the speed of the runners.

Diversion routes have been made available where possible, with information being issued to all locations adjacent to the course which may be directly affected by the closures.

Have a look at the Race Day Guide for further details and check out our travel guide too.