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Kingsway 10K

Beware of toads on the track! 

Rochdale, 22nd September 2013 

2012 Youtube video

2013 10K results

This race was run for the second time 2013.  The headquarters were at the Kingsway Sports Arena, an excellent facility which includes a 400m track, sports halls, changing rooms with showers and lockers, and plenty of on-site parking.   The race was chip timed.

The 10K course (and the 5K) started and finished with about 300m on the track, where there was plenty of support from a lovely crowd.  The course was interesting, very undulating (some would say hilly) and on good paths, with two drinks stations  I actually found the course really hard, possibly for self-inflicted reasons, but I noticed in power of ten that there were no club runner PBs on the day.  This may be due to the course being over-distance, combined with the relentless undulations. The first three finishers were on average 3 minutes slower than their season's best 10K times. 

The organisers put a lot of effort into getting it right this year and they did well.  In contrast to 2012, very few runners got lost this year.  There were more marshals and arrows sprayed on the paths.  At the end they efficiently removed your chip and there was a medal, bottles of water,  free bananas and Jaffa cakes (no T-shirts or glass ornaments this year. Prizes were awarded in 5 year veteran categories and were bottles of wine (mostly 6% strength). The start and finish was through an inflatable thingy and the chip timing results were out the same day.

The race took place on the same day as the (less expensive) inaugural Littleborough 10K just down the road. Even so, Kingsway attracted 141 runners. 

The race was greatly over priced in my opinion (£15 to enter on the day, compared to the Rochdale 10K which is only £7 on the night for Club runners).  But it did have chip timing and the inflatable start line thingy.  The prizes were bottles of wine (my two were 6% proof) and this year there were no T-shirts or fancy glass ornament for the team prize.