Admiral Swansea Bay 10K

Admiral Swansea Bay 10k

Runners and supporters hit Swansea seafront for annual 10k success

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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 40th 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 15th 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!

Ras 10k a Ras Hwyl Bae Abertawe – Y Dechrau

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Dros yr ychydig wythnosau nesaf i ddathlu ein pen-blwydd yn 40 oed, bydd Nigel Jones, sydd wedi bod yn Gyfarwyddwr Rasys 10k Cyngor Abertawe ers 1986, yn archwilio’i archif 10k helaeth ac yn siarad â rhai o’r bobl allweddol sydd wedi bod yn rhan o’r ras dros y blynyddoedd.

Yn troi am adref | 1982 | Llun trwy garedigrwydd: Wales Online

Mae ein hail erthygl gan David Flynn, cyfarwyddwr y ras 10k Bae Abertawe wreiddiol ym 1981…

Yn dilyn llwyddiant mawr y Marathon Llundain cychwynnol yng ngwanwyn 1981, cynigodd Cyfarwyddwr Datblygu Economaidd Cyngor Abertawe ar y pryd, Roger Warren-Evans, y dylai cyngor y ddinas gynnal marathon i dorf o gyfranogwyr i helpu i hyrwyddo’r ddinas.

Rhan o’m swydd fel Cynorthwy-ydd Chwaraeon ar y pryd, oedd trefnu Pencampwriaethau Dinesig y Cyngor gan gynnwys ras hwyl Calan Mai flynyddol, y rhoddais fywyd newydd iddi trwy ei hyrwyddo’n eang fel ras hwyl yng ngwir ystyr y gair. A minnau’n rhedwr cystadleuol, fy nghyfrifoldeb i a’m rheolwr llinell, J Andrew Reid, oedd ystyried ymarferoldeb cynnal digwyddiad o’r fath yn Abertawe.

Daeth yn amlwg yn fuan nad oedd llwybr addas o fewn ffiniau’r ddinas, felly dechreuon ni drafodaethau gyda Chyngor Castell-nedd er mwyn cynnal digwyddiad ar y cyd gyda llwybr arfaethedig gan ddefnyddio Mumbles Road/Promenâd, A4067 a’r A483 yn Abertawe ac yna ymlaen ar hyd yr A483 (Jersey a’r A48 yng Nghastell-nedd a Phort Talbot.

Wrth i ymarferoldeb y digwyddiad gael ei drafod mewn nifer o gyfarfodydd, cynhaliwyd hanner marathon “prawf” yng Nghastell-nedd o gaeau chwarae Cwrt Herbert i fyny ac o gwmpas cwrs heriol iawn hyd at y Creunant ac yn ôl i Gastell-nedd trwy rai ffyrdd cefn.

Ni ddefnyddiwyd y cwrs hwn byth eto ond roedd yn rhagflaenydd i hanner marathon Castell-nedd llwyddiannus iawn a ddechreuodd yn Llandarcy (Gellir gweld fideo o ddigwyddiad 1986 ar YouTube).

Yma mae’r stori’n datblygu a chafwyd y syniad o ras 10k Bae Abertawe.

Roedd grŵp o Harriers Abertawe a oedd yn fy nghynnwys i, Steve “Jock” Seaman a Gerry Batty a John Collins, sydd bellach wedi marw, yn cael peint ar ôl noson hyfforddi yn y clwb a chododd pwnc y marathon a theimlwyd nad oedd isadeiledd addas ar gyfer trefnu marathon yn Abertawe i’r raddfa yr oedd y cyngor yn ei ddymuno ac wedyn trafodwyd pellterau eraill.

Roedd John Collins wedi bod yn un o aelodau sefydlu Cynghrair Traws Gwlad hynod lwyddiannus Gwent (a ailenwyd yn Gynghrair Traws Gwlad Gwent JH Collins yn ddiweddar) ac roedd Gerry Batty yn un o sylfaenwyr Cynghrair Traws Gwlad boblogaidd Gorllewin Morgannwg, felly roedd gan y ddau brofiad gwych ac mae’r ddwy gynghrair yn parhau i fod yn llwyddiannus hyd heddiw. Rwy’n credu bod Gerry, a oedd yn gweithio yn y Gofrestrfa Tir, ac a oedd bob amser yn edrych ar fapiau ar gyfer rasys hyfforddi amrywiol, wedi awgrymu ras allan yn ôl ac ymlaen o gae criced a rygbi San Helen i’r Mwmbwls – llwybr hyfforddi a ddefnyddir yn rheolaidd hyd heddiw.

Dywedais wrth y cyngor am hyn a oedd yn cytuno’n llwyr â’r syniad, a gofynnwyd i mi ei threfnu.

Dwi ddim am fynd i fanylion y cynllunio, ond mae’n werth nodi nad oedd Mumbles Road erioed wedi bod ar gau i draffig ar gyfer digwyddiad o’r fath o’r blaen, ond ar ôl sawl cyfarfod gyda’r Swyddog Diogelwch Ffyrdd, Elwyn Davies, tad Stuart Davies, Capten Rygbi Abertawe a Chapten Rygbi Cymru’r dyfodol, rhoddodd Adran Priffyrdd Gorllewin Morgannwg gymeradwyaeth i gau’r ffyrdd a dechreuodd y gwaith ar gynllunio’r ras 10k Bae Abertawe gyntaf o ddifri.

Roedd y llwybr yn syml, allan i’r Mwmbwls ar y ffordd ac yn ôl ar hyd y Promenâd, ond yn wahanol i heddiw doedd dim pont droed yn Lido Blackpill felly aeth y llwybr o gwmpas y llyn cychod ac i’r palmant i ailymuno â’r cwrs.

O’r dechrau, y cynllun oedd cynnal ras a ras hwyl a fyddai’n dal prawf amser trwy sicrhau bod y ras o’r ansawdd uchaf fel Marathon Llundain a bod y cwrs yn addas i bawb. Dyma’r adeg y cynhaliwyd rasys hwyl ledled y wlad ac yn aml roedd eu poblogrwydd cychwynnol yn diflannu ar ôl ychydig flynyddoedd.

I wneud hyn, aethom ati i sicrhau noddwyr lleol, a’r cyntaf oedd y South Wales Evening Post ac yna Allux Windows ynghyd â chyllideb hael gan y cyngor ac roedd y cynnig hwn yn caniatáu i ni gynnig gwobr ariannol hael a thalu costau teithio a llety ar gyfer athletwyr profiadol gwahoddedig fel a wnaed mewn rasys mawr eraill.

Gweithiodd y strategaeth hon a denwyd rhedwyr o’r safon uchaf i’r ras o bob rhan o’r DU ac mae hyn yn parhau hyd heddiw.

Er mwyn hybu apêl y ras o deithio i Abertawe ymhellach, cynhaliwyd ras 5k wâdd nos Wener cyn y prif ddigwyddiad yn ail flwyddyn y digwyddiad o gwmpas hen Ganolfan Siopa Dewi Sant. Roedd hyn yn fyrhoedlog oherwydd tranc y ganolfan.

Roeddwn i’n Gyfarwyddwr y Ras am 5 mlynedd gyntaf y digwyddiad cyn trosglwyddo’r awenau i Nigel Jones, sy’n parhau i fod yn Gyfarwyddwr y Ras hyd heddiw.

gan David (Dai / Dave) Flynn

Swansea Bay 10k Race & Fun Run – The Beginning

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To celebrate our 40th 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.

Turning for home | 1982 | Image Credit: Wales Online

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

Cyflwynwch eich ceisiadau heddiw ar gyfer ras 10k Bae Abertawe Admiral a fydd ar thema’r 80au

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Disgwylir i’r digwyddiad a drefnir gan Gyngor Abertawe gael ei gynnal ddydd Sul 19 Medi a bydd y cyfle i gofrestru’n cau ar 31 Awst, er gall hyn fod yn gynharach os nad oes lleoedd ar ôl cyn hynny.

 Er mwyn dathlu lansiad y digwyddiad ym 1981, bydd digwyddiad eleni’n dathlu popeth sy’n ymwneud â’r 1980au, felly mae croeso i’r rheini sy’n cymryd rhan ddathlu popeth am yr 80au drwy wisgo gwisg ffansi fel bandiau chwys, cynheswyr coesau, gwallt mawr a lliwiau llachar – ewch yn wyllt! Gallwch ddisgwyl cerddoriaeth a chymeriadau o’r 80au a digon o adloniant yn y parthau cefnogi ar hyd y llwybr.

 Disgwylir i gannoedd o bobl sydd newydd ddechrau rhedeg ymuno â 40fed ras 10k Bae Abertawe’r haf hwn a noddir gan Admiral. Dechreuodd llawer o bobl redeg ar ôl iddynt dreulio cannoedd o oriau ychwanegol yn eu cartrefi oherwydd y pandemig.

Meddai Aelod Cabinet y Cyngor, Robert Francis-Davies, “Mae llawer o bobl wedi dechau rhedeg, loncian neu gerdded dros yr 16 mis diwethaf.

“Mae’n debyg bod llawer eisoes wedi hyfforddi digon i allu rhedeg y ras 10k, ond nid ydynt wedi sylweddoli hynny eto!

“Mae rhedeg wedi bod yn ddihangfa y mae llawer wedi’i fwynhau, yn enwedig dros y flwyddyn ddiwethaf neu cyn hynny, ac mae wedi cynnig buddion iechyd a lles go iawn.

“Ar gyfer y rheini sydd wedi bod yn rhedeg neu loncian dros y misoedd diwethaf, mae’r 10k yn gyfle gwych i fwyhau llwybr gwastad, llawn golygfeydd mewn ffordd newydd. Gall fod yn her gyffrous newydd – a bydd y rheini sy’n cymryd rhan yn ennill gwobr i ddathlu pen-blwydd y ras yn 40 oed!”

Fel yr holl ddigwyddiadau rhedeg yng Nghymru, gohiriwyd ras y llynedd o ganlyniad i’r pandemig. Bydd ras eleni’n un arbennig iawn am ei bod yn dathlu pen-blwydd ras 10k Bae Abertawe’n 40 oed.

Dyma fydd y 15fed achlysur i gwmni Admiral noddi’r digwyddiad, sydd yn ogystal â’r 10k yn cynnig rasys hwyl iau 1K a 3K, ynghyd â ras 10k i bobl mewn cadair olwyn a ras masgotiaid.

Meddai Rhian Langham, Pennaeth Gwasanaethau Pobl Admiral, “Rydym yn falch o barhau i noddi ras 10k a rasys hwyl Bae Abertawe Admiral am y 15fed flwyddyn. Mae cefnogi diwyddiadau yn ein cymuned leol yn rhan fawr o’n diwylliant yma yn Admiral felly mae’n wych bod yn rhan o ddigwyddiad fel hyn, yn enwedig ar ôl blwyddyn heriol. Hoffwn achub ar y cyfle hwn, ar ran pawb yn Admiral, i ddymuno pob lwc i’r holl redwyr.”

Bydd Tîm Digwyddiadau’r cyngor yn parhau i fonitro sefyllfa’r pandemig yn agos. Cynhelir ras 10k Bae Abertawe Admiral yn unol â rheoliadau a chanllawiau perthnasol Llywodraeth Cymru, Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru ac Athletau’r DU.

Bydd mesurau fel dechrau’r ras ar adegau gwahanol yn sicrhau bod y ras yn ddiogel i bawb sy’n cymryd rhan, gan gynnwys y gymuned ehangach.

Sicrhawyd lleoedd i’r rheini a gofrestrodd ar gyfer digwyddiad 2020 yn awtomatig ar gyfer digwyddiad dathliadol eleni.

Ewch i swanseabay10k.com am ragor o wybodaeth ac i gadw’ch lle ar y llinell gychwyn.

Get your entries in for the 80’s themed Admiral Swansea Bay 10k

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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 40th 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 40th 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 40th Swansea Bay 10k.

It will be the 15th 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.