The Elmbridge 10K is on Sunday 23 July at 9:00am and you have until 4:00pm this Friday 21 July to enter online via The Entry Point here. The entry limit of 700 is a factor to bear in mind but for just £17 (affiliated athletes) you could be numbered up and race ready for this flat, scenic, riverside run that is part of the Surrey Road League 2023.

The race venue is The Xcel Sports Hub, Waterside Drive, Walton-on-Thames (KT12 2JG) and this will be the 40th-anniversary edition of this traditional club race that has moved with the times and off some of the busy roads and onto the River Thames towpath for much of the course.

The new route was introduced in 2018 so course records are listed from then. The times to beat for a £100 bonus are 30:53 by Scott Overall (Blackheath & Bromley Harriers) in 2018 and 35:12 by Charlotte Dannatt (Camberley & District AC) last year.

Unusually, this race issues gold, silver and bronze medals. The top 100 finishers receive gold; the next 100 are awarded silver, and all other finishers get bronze. There are also generous individual cash prizes, team trophies, and spot prizes so everyone is in with a chance of a special reward.

The race starts and finishes on the running track at The Xcel Sports Hub, home of Walton AC who support the race that Elmbridge Road Runners are promoting. There is additional support from Weybridge Sports and Bodymechanics and all entrants receive a discount for both event sponsors.

More than 80% of the out-and-back course is on the south side of the Thames Path passing Rivermead Island and Molesey Reservoirs Nature Reserve before the halfway point at Hurst Park. Remember to save a bit for the sprint finish back on the track at The Xcel Sports Hub!

Last year there were 315 finishers in 1:34:18 and the winners were Jonathan Cornish (Hercules Wimbledon AC, 31:23) and the aforementioned Charlotte Dannatt (35:12). Nearly 60 runners beat 40 minutes and 184 were under 50 minutes on chip timing by Sports Systems.

Previous results can be viewed at runABC South race listing here.

Photo by Neil Wardle for Elmbridge Road Runners