*2022 Race entries are now closed*

THERE are just two weeks left for fitness fans and charity fundraisers to get their entries in for this year’s Admiral Swansea Bay 10k.

Swansea Council is behind the event, which is being sponsored by Admiral. As well as the 10k, there are also 1k and 3k junior fun runs, along with a 10k wheelchair race. About 5,000 people are expected to take part in this popular race once again this year.

Robert Francis-Davies, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Investment, Regeneration and Tourism, said: “An exceptionally popular feature of Swansea’s annual events calendar, the Admiral Swansea Bay 10k is a terrific race for elite athletes, charity fundraisers and people looking to tackle their personal bests or conquer personal fitness goals.

“Set against the iconic sweep of Swansea Bay on a flat course, this award-winning event also includes junior races for children, which give a great introduction to road-running.”

The Admiral Swansea Bay 10K has won numerous awards over the years and around 4,000 runners took part in last year’s main race, on a course that heads from St Helen’s Ground to Mumbles and back.

“People who take part are overwhelmingly positive about the experience because of the quality of the race’s organisation and management, and the support they receive from hundreds of people lining the route.

“With entries closing on August 31, I would urge anyone interested to enter this year’s event as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. Remaining places are limited, and the race always reaches capacity, often before the closing date.”

This is the 16^th Swansea Bay 10K that Admiral have sponsored. Paul Billington, Admiral UK Wellbeing & Workplace Support Manager, said, “We’re proud to be sponsoring the Admiral Bay Swansea 10K for the 16th year.

“Seeing so many people come together to take part, from professional athletes to those trying it for the first time, is fantastic to see. Over 200 Admiral colleagues have signed up to the challenge and are looking forward to another great event. Good luck to everyone taking part!”

*2022 Race entries are now closed*

Swansea Council is planning for this year’s event to take place on Sunday, September 18. An early bird entry offer runs until January 31. 

  Last year’s event marked the 40th edition of this highly popular race that always offers a flat, scenic coastal course.  

 The event has consistently won awards and the council wants it to continue as a high-quality event, attracting runners of all ages and abilities.  

 Swansea Council established the run in 1981 and has continued to organise it ever since – embedding it in the city’s annual events programme.  

 This summer will be the 16th 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.  

 Council cabinet member Robert Francis-Davies said: “The Admiral Swansea Bay 10k is a landmark in the running calendar and attracts participants from all over the UK. 

 “It’s an exceptionally popular feature within Swansea’s annual events calendar; it’s fantastic for elite athletes, charity fundraisers and those looking to tackle their personal bests or conquer fitness goals.  

 “The tremendous Swansea Bay backdrop and flat course help make it a top class event. “Last year’s special anniversary race was a huge success – and we’re confident that the 2022 event will be another big hit. 

 “We anticipate that demand for places will be high once again this year. We’d therefore encourage anyone interested to enter as soon as possible in order to avoid disappointment - once the race places have gone, they’ve gone!”  

 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 16th 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 wish all the runners the very best of luck.” 

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

 Plans will be reviewed as any new guidance is released and this may involve changes and additional measures to ensure the 2022 event is safe for everyone involved, including the wider local community. 

 Around 4,000 runners took part in last year’s 10k, running between St Helen’s and Mumbles. The event was voted Best 10k in Wales in the 2019 Running Awards. 

 Book your place on the 2022 start line and take advantage of the early bird offer

RUNNERS and spectators took to the streets of Swansea today (/ on Sunday) for the Admiral Swansea Bay 10k – with a colourful 1980s theme.

 Around 4,000 runners took centre stage for what is one of the top events of its kind in the UK. The event was voted Best 10k in Wales in the 2019 Running Awards.

As well as the main 10k event, there were also 1k and 3k races for juniors plus a 10k wheelchair race.

The 40^th anniversary staging of the annual race took place between St Helen’s and Mumbles – and the 80s theme saw fancy dress and more fun related to that era.

Some aspects of the event naturally looked different to previous years because of the measures that the organisers, Swansea Council, had put in place measures to reflect the fact that Covid-19 is still with us and to help minimise the spread of the virus for all involved.

Changes included a lower number of entrants, fewer areas where runners were bunched together and a staggered start process.

 Robert Francis-Davies, cabinet member for investment, regeneration and tourism said: “The Admiral Swansea Bay 10k is a key part of Swansea’s event calendar so it was good to see it back.

“Thousands of people enjoyed the atmosphere and had a great few hours out. We’re doing all we can to keep them safe and we thank everybody who contributed in any way to making the event a success. And we can say right now we plan to have it back again next year on September 18, so running fans should get the date in their diaries.”

It was be the 15^th occasion that Admiral has sponsored the event.

All race results will be available to view online.

Photo-fit.com are the official photographers of the 2021 Admiral Swansea Bay 10k. 2021 race photos are now available.

And here’s next year’s date for your diary – we’re delighted to announce that the 2022 Admiral Swansea Bay 10k will take place on 18 September 2022. We can’t wait to see you all there!

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