Porthcawl 10k race report

A few years ago, 10km races were my least favourite distance. The same level of pain as a 5km but twice as long. So I actively avoided them, not running a single one between 2018 and 2025.

Barry 10km last year changed that - a tune-up race during Ironman Wales build-up, I loved it. I was finally able to hold threshold pace for long enough that it felt more like a long warm up with a 5km to finish, and without the pace modulation a half marathon requires.

I'd hoped to start my summer this year by returning to Barry and setting a new PB. However, injury had other ideas; instead, the race was a return to double-figure distance, but with some run/walking and a time well off what I'd hoped.

The series

Step in Porthcawl 10km - the third in the Run4Wales 10km series. It takes place in July, with the other races being Newport (April), Barry (May) and Cardiff (September).

I'd signed up for the three-race package last September at a price of just £30 a race, with the ability to transfer races I couldn't attend. The races are well organised and supported, and all within easy travelling distance of Cardiff.

Course

It's fair to say that the Porthcawl 10km is an "interesting" course, rather than a PB one. There's approximately 67 metres of elevation; compared to Cardiff's 9, that's mountainous.

Most of the elevation comes in the second half of the race, between 6km and 8km. Runners turn right off the promenade, through the town centre, and then climb up a long drag before emerging at Rest Bay and descending. There are two smaller climbs on the first half of the course too.

The figure-of-eight loop balances out the risk of headwind, but some parts of the course are far more exposed. A strong west-to-east wind punishes runners on the first half of the course, especially through Trecco Bay, but then helps on the final dash to the finish from Rest Bay (following a large part of the parkrun course).

In terms of entertainment, expect bands, DJs and choirs at various points. There's also a slightly bizarre section through the middle of a shopping mall, which at least provides some wind protection.

Logistics

Parking can be pre-booked at three car parks for less than £10, and with public transport options being limited, I'd recommend a car or lift share.

Porthcawl is notorious for traffic bottlenecks, and thousands of runners descending unsurprisingly causes problems. Expect long queues - so long, in fact, that the race has been delayed by 30 minutes and 10 minutes in the last two years because of it - and make sure you arrive early.

We parked in Sandy Bay car park, a 15-minute walk from the start, and stopped off in one of the cafes en route for a toilet break with minimal queues. Highly recommended if you want anything other than a urinal, as the queues at the start were extremely long.

A well-organised and quick baggage drop can be found near the start. The roads and pathways before the start and down the promenade are extremely busy, but if you go past the start onto the closed roads of the route there's plenty of space to warm up before finding your start pen.

My race

My target time for the race was sub 34:30, so I lined up in the white pen about 10 rows back from the front to stop myself going out too quick. Luckily I didn't head in too early, as with the delay, 20 minutes in the hot sun was more than enough, even at 10am in the morning.

The gun went off and I quickly realised my starting position was badly flawed. The first few hundred metres are downhill, so the faster pace was easier than I expected. Plenty of swerving and dodging other runners.

The initial outward section finishes with an uphill stretch before a 90-degree turn takes you downhill to the coast, and it was here I caught up with a group and settled in. Thinking sensibly, I sheltered myself from the wind for the first section of the return back to the start line.

500 metres later and a quick look at my watch: disappointment. The pace was well below target. Gritting my teeth, I pulled out into the headwind and battled through for the next kilometre or so. My Metaspeed Tokyos weren't overly impressed by the gravelly, sandy surface, but they coped.

Half way into the race and a familiar sight - back past the start line. This is when the race really starts: a long drag all the way until past 8km, and a headwind to boot. For a reasonably heavy runner, I've always enjoyed hills more than I should, and they make up a big part of my training.

The turn off the promenade and through the town centre sees plenty of support. Not that I noticed much. Head down, picking runners off, until I caught up with a group of three about half way up the hill. They'd made a handy target to aim for initially, and now they helped drag me up with my heart rate rocketing.

Towards the top, I pushed on, trying to bridge to another runner ahead. Finally hitting the downhill, I got close before he surged, and from there it was the classic battle to get to the line. Watch ticking down - 600 metres, 500 metres, 400 metres. Holding something back over the last hill and then the finish line in sight.

With 100 metres to go, the gap was the same. Someone shouted "sprint finish", and somehow I obliged, burning legs finding a little more and taking 16th place on the line.

20 minutes later, finish time confirmation: 34:00 and a big PB. Slight disappointment in not getting a 33:xx was overwhelmed by knowing conditions had been difficult and my race strategy suboptimal. A good result all round, and a time I'm confident I'll beat on a faster course.

Training

Most of my training this year was done between January and April, before an injury saw me miss most of April and May. Porthcawl 10km was just a B race, coming three weeks before my summer A race - the Dragon 50 miler.

These two factors meant an unusual training block: focused on strength and building volume, with no speed or tempo work.

The only exception was a 4 x 1km track interval session on the Wednesday before the race to work out a target pace. Four reps in the low 3:20s were doable and a handy confidence builder.

My full Dragon 50 training plan, covering my return from injury, can be found here.

What's next

Porthcawl 10km marked the end of my return-to-racing build block. Next up, a welcome two-week taper, before my first attempt at an ultra marathon - the Dragon 50. Write-up coming soon.