NEWQUAY 10K PREVIEW.

Sunday October 4th sees the 23rd running of this very popular race, organised by the Newquay Road Runners club.

When it was first held, on the first Sunday in July 1987, the Miller 10k, as it was known then, was one of the highlights of the Newquay 1900 week festival. That year, nearly 450 runners set off from Whitegate Road, adjacent to the Newquay Sports Centre, surprisingly a figure that was not to be surpassed until the Truro Half marathon just two years ago.

In those days, Sunday morning traffic did not pose the problems of today. The course that year took the runners along the sea front, along Mount Wise to Pentire, before returning to the town and a loop "up" around the Atlantic Hotel. And that was what you called a hill. And then it was back through the town, along the sea front, before finishing on the grass in front of the Sports Centre club house.

A few years later, with the opening of the Gannel link road, a two lap circuit of the town was used, but with ever increasing traffic problems, the race was switched to the old airfield area at R.A.F.St Eval, and became known as the Cornwall 10k. With what was virtually a flat and traffic free course, this venue provided both a safer environment for the competitors, and also an ideal opportunity to run a PB for the distance without having to venture out of the county. Extremely cheap "post race " refreshments also proved more than popular with some runners !!

However, with the opening of the brand new multi million pound sports centre in Newquay four years ago, it was decided that it was time to bring the race back to its rightful "home". Due to the sheer volume of traffic in Newquay in July, the race date was moved to the somewhat quieter time of October. 2005 saw 305 runners complete the course, while 429 finished last year.

The course now takes the runners out alongside the River Gannel and out towards Crantock, before following the same "outward route" back to the Sports Centre.