28th June 2026 – RACE REPORT BY AMY
After a scorching weeklong UK heatwave, Sunday 26th saw SRC’s Nicola and Amy brave the midsummer sun to participate in the third edition of the popular Barnsley 10k. Barnsley Hospice was the races official charity and over 2000 turned out to support this, other charities or to simply run for fun.
Beginning and ending at the Glassworks, the event was superbly organised with an efficient registration and bag drop at the marketplace. With race number in place and bag stored there was just enough time for the obligatory toilet stop before posing for a pre- race photo. The crowd had a festival feel providing a loud and lively playlist which soon had runners and spectators alike in the mood for the 9am start. Word of warning- if you wish to start near the front or follow one of the pacers, it’s worth getting in position early; it was a struggle to get anywhere near the front or around the pacers even 20 mins before the start time. Hoping to position myself in-between the 45 and 50 min pacers, I struggled to get near the 60 min pacer.
Luckily the crowds spread out quickly and within half a km I was ahead of 50 mins pacer. The weather was kind so despite still feeling very warm we were treated to occasional bursts of cloud cover and cool breezes. Crowd support was second to none with many locals handing out sweet goodies and drinks whilst cheering us on. Water stops were plentiful and the one at the halfway point at Whaley Road particularly welcome. Just before the sprint finish alongside Cheapside, the local fire brigade were on hand to spray us with much welcome cold water before a buzzing crowd of supporters saw us through to the finish line.
Crowd support throughout the entire course was one of the highlights of this race. Also, huge respect to the Falcon Lounge who were providing a free lime and soda to runners who showed their medal when purchasing much deserved drink/ food.
Thanks for hosting Barnsley- see you next year!
Amy 48.16
Nicola 1.00.53
