To celebrate our 40^th anniversary, Nigel Jones, who has been Swansea Council’s 10k Race Director since 1986, will be delving into his extensive 10k archive and speaking to some key people who have been involved with the race over the years.

Our second article is by David Flynn, who was the original Swansea Bay 10k Race Director in 1981…

Following the great success of the inaugural London Marathon in the spring of 1981 the then Director of Economic Development for Swansea City Council, Roger Warren-Evans, proposed that the City Council should stage a mass participation marathon to help promote the city.

Part of my job at the time as Sports Assistant was to organise the Council’s Municipal Championships, including the annual May Day fun run, which I gave a new lease of life to by heavily promoting it as a fun run in the true sense of the word. Being a competitive runner, it fell upon me and my Line Manager, Andrew Reid to look into the feasibility of staging such an event in Swansea.

It soon became apparent that there was no suitable route within the city’s boundaries so we started discussions with Neath Council to jointly hold an event, with a proposed route using the Mumbles Road/Promenade, A4067 and A483 in Swansea and then on to the A483 (Jersey Marine) and A48 in Neath and Port Talbot.

Whilst the feasibility of the event was being discussed in numerous meetings, a ‘Trial’ Half Marathon was held in Neath from the Cwrt Herbert Playing Fields, up and around a very tough course up to Crynant and back to Neath via some back roads.

Needless to say, this course was never used again but was the precursor to the very successful Neath Half Marathon which started at Llandarcy (A video of the 1986 event can be found on YouTube).

Here the story takes a turn and the idea of the Swansea Bay 10k was born.

A group of Swansea Harriers which included myself, Steve “Jock” Seaman and the now sadly deceased Gerry Batty and John Collins were having a pint after a club training night and the topic of the marathon came up and it was felt that there was no real infrastructure suitable to organise a marathon in Swansea, to the scale that the Council aspired to and other distances were then discussed.

John Collins had been a founding member of the hugely successful Gwent Cross Country League (recently renamed the JH Collins Gwent Cross Country League) and Gerry Batty was one of the founders of the popular West Glamorgan Cross Country League, so both had great experience and both Leagues continue successfully to this day. I believe Gerry, who worked in the Land Registry, and was always looking at maps for various training runs and races, suggested an out and back race from St. Helens Cricket and Rugby Ground to Mumbles – a training route regularly run still up to this day.

I reported this back to the Council who fully agreed with the idea and it was left to me to organise.

I won’t go into the details of the planning, but it is worth noting that Mumbles Road had never been closed to traffic before for such an event, but after several meetings with Road Safety Officer Elwyn Davies, father of Stuart Davies (the Swansea and future Wales Rugby Captain) and the West Glamorgan Highways Department, approval was given for the road closure and the work on planning the first Swansea Bay 10k started in earnest.

The route was simple, out to Mumbles on the road and back along the Promenade, but unlike today there was no foot bridge at Blackpill Lido, so the route went around the Boating Lake and onto the pavement to re-join the course.

From the outset the plan was to hold a race and fun run which would stand the test of time by ensuring that the race was of the highest quality like the London Marathon and the course was suitable for all. This was the time of fun runs springing up all over the country, which after initial popularity often disappeared after a few years.

To do this we secured local sponsors, the first being the South Wales Evening Post and then Allux Windows, along with a generous budget from the Council. This offer allowed us to offer generous prize money and pay travel  and accommodation costs for invited elite athletes such as other major races.

This strategy worked and top quality runners were attracted to the race from all over the UK and this continues to the present day.

To further bolster the race’s appeal of travelling to Swansea, a Friday night invitational 5k race was held prior to the main event in the second year of the event, around the former St. David’s Shopping Centre. This was short lived due to the demise of the centre.

I was Race Director for the first 5 years of the event before passing the baton on to Nigel Jones, who continues as the Race Director to this day.

David (Dai / Dave) Flynn

The Swansea Council organised event is due to take place on Sunday 19 September – and entries close on August 31 although they may close earlier if capacity is reached.

As it launched in 1981, this year’s event is all about celebrating the 1980’s – so entrants are free to celebrate everything 80s through fancy dress such as sweatbands, leg warmers, big hair and bright colours – anything goes! Expect themed music, 80’s characters and entertainment at retro ‘cheer zones’ along the route.

Hundreds of people new to running are expected to join this summer’s 40^th Swansea Bay 10k race, which is sponsored by Admiral. Many took up the activity as they spent hundreds of extra hours in and around their homes due to the pandemic.

Council cabinet member Robert Francis-Davies said: “Lots have people have taken up running, jogging or walking over the past 16 months.

“Many might have already done enough training to run the 10k – but don’t yet realise it!

“Running has been an escape that many have enjoyed, particularly over the past year or more, and it’s offered genuine health and well-being benefits.

“For those who’ve run and jogged in recent months, the 10k is a great opportunity to enjoy a flat scenic route in a new way. It can be a stimulating new challenge – and they’ll even get a 40^th anniversary race medal!”

Like other running events in Wales, last year’s event was postponed as a result of the pandemic. This year’s event is extra special as it marks the 40^th Swansea Bay 10k.

It will be the 15^th occasion that Admiral has sponsored the event, which as well as the 10k, offers 1k and 3k junior fun runs, along with a 10k wheelchair race and a mascot race.

Rhian Langham, Admiral’s Head of People Services, said: “We’re delighted to continue our sponsorship of the Admiral Swansea Bay 10k race and fun runs for the 15th year.  Supporting events in our local community is very much part of our culture at Admiral, so it’s great to be involved in an event like this, especially after a challenging year. I’d like to take this opportunity, on behalf of everyone at Admiral, to wish all the runners the very best of luck.”

The council’s events team continue to closely monitor the pandemic situation. The Admiral Swansea Bay 10k will take place in line with the relevant regulations and guidance from Welsh Government, Public Health Wales and UK Athletics.

Measures such as a staggered start to the race will ensure the event is safe for everyone involved, including the wider local community.

Those who booked places for the 2020 event were automatically guaranteed places for this year’s celebratory anniversary event.

Visit swanseabay10k.com for more information and to book your place on the start line.

Over the next few weeks to celebrate our 40^th anniversary, Nigel Jones, who has been Swansea Council’s 10k Race Director since 1986, will be delving into his extensive 10k archive and speaking to some key people who have been involved with the race over the years.

Our first article is by Chris Peregrine, who in 1981 was working as a young reporter for the South Wales Evening Post. Chris promoted the start training tips, wrote pre and post articles for some of the early Swansea Bay 10k’s and took part in the first race…

New frontiers opened up for people of a certain ilk in 1981.

The emergence of the London Marathon in March that year changed the face of fun running forever, allowing glorious amateurs to take their place alongside performers on a high profile stage that was elevated to unimaginable levels over the ensuing years. And the same could be said of the first Swansea Bay 10k, which confidently followed in London’s footsteps that October.

But it is no good organising a mass participation event if no one knows about it. The message had to be got out, and what better way than through the newspaper that continues to serve the community, the South Wales Evening Post? We were up for the challenge.

Partnership working is a buzz phrase these days, but back in 1981 a joined up approach was hardly a default setting. The success of the inaugural London Marathon had pointed to the potential of putting on something which inspired people to push themselves. In Swansea’s Guildhall there was anticipation within the then recreation department that the event being planned would also capture the new mood for running for all. Experienced Swansea Harrier John Collins was brought on board by the council to help Andrew Reid and Dave Flynn with the organisation. There was another man with a pedigree in that department to call upon. Three years earlier Berwyn Price had won gold for Wales in the 110 metres hurdles at the Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, Canada, and he happened to be a colleague of Andrew and Dave’s.

The team had been compiled, and someone was needed from the sponsors, the Evening Post, to spread the word. It was time to get the old Adidas tracksuit and trainers out. While pounding the streets was not new for some people, others, it was felt, needed some guidance as how to approach a 6.2 mile run, so it was decided to pen some weekly training tips. There was a distinct feeling in the build-up that this new thing called the Swansea Bay 10k could be the start of something big. Having kindly informed entrants what physical effort would be required in the build-up and on the big day itself, it would have been somewhat rude not to take my place in the line-up alongside nearly 2,000 others.

So wearing a Post People t-shirt, it was off from St Helen’s down towards Mumbles  and back again. I recall posing the question in the next day’s paper as to whether there were in fact two races as runners appeared coming towards me as they headed for home. They were a strange breed, apparently called elite athletes. But in keeping with the branding on my top, I gallantly decided to run with people I was more familiar with, Post readers, not that the conversation flowed as the miles were clocked up. The finishing line was good enough to make an appearance at some point, and it was a short while later that I remember thinking, ‘They’re onto something here’.

Chris Peregrine
Commercial Writer, South Wales Evening Post, WalesOnline

Find out more about this year’s Admiral Swansea Bay 10k and book your place on the start line