ELEVEN YEARS OF THE ALCESTER 10K

This year will mark our 11^th year, and 11^th race, in the beautiful Warwickshire town of Alcester!

On October 5th 2025, the Alcester 10K will be back for it’s 11^th edition. The rolling course through the beautiful Warwickshire country lanes, starting and finishing in Alcester town centre, means that this is a lovely way to close out a summer running season.

We first brought the 10K to Alcester because it is the hometown of our CEO at Raceways, Martine Verweij. She loves the strong sense of community and the incredible atmosphere at all the events in the town, and wanted to give something back – and from these sentiments, the Alcester 10K was born!

Over the years there have been some wonderful memories made, and challenges faced, but every year we learn new lessons to make the next race even better.

From the early days working alongside the force of nature that was the late mayor Lennox Cumberbatch, we have loved every minute. Lennox is remembered every year with the Lennox Cumberbatch trophy for the first placed male and female under 18 year old runners, ensuring his legacy at the race lives on.

Watching our runners race to the finish, not to smash a PB, but to get a beer first at the Turks Head, spurred on by the alcoholic boost of a Hogans Cider after 7km (it’s not doping, we promise!) has been a highlight throughout. The support of Alcester Town Council and the Court Leet has been vital to the success of the event, bringing the whole community together on what is usually a beautiful autumnal day!

The route has undergone a few tweaks, most notably a full reversal to ease the traffic congestion on the roads north of the town centre, but it still offers a great challenge for serious racers, PB chasers, and running newbies. Needless to say, the atmosphere out on the route, and the welcome in the town centre at the finish line is second to none. The sight of hundred of kids charging down the High Street in the Kids Fun Run, once the adults have finished their 10K, has been a highlight of every race so far.

As the home race for Run Alcester running club, the race has always had a strong field of red shirted runners proudly showing off their Run Alcester kit – not to mention the army of Run Alcester volunteers who help at registration, on the finish line, at water stations, and marshal out on the route every year. Run Alcester now sponsor the annual Lizzie Tovey Award for Inspiration to celebrate the most inspiring runner at each race, in memory of the late Lizzie Tovey and her achievements fundraising and running in the face of adversity.

We’ve been lucky to work with some incredible local partners, including having SECO as headline race sponsors, and Marathon Kids UK (formerly Kids Run Free) as charity partners. Our charity partners, Safeline,offers free specialist, independent, tailored support to anyone affected by sexual abuse and rape. Our services includes free counselling and helplines, independent sexual violence advocates (ISVA), and prevention and early interventions to prevent the occurrence of abuse in the first place. Safeline also provides the National Male Survivor Helpline; and National Telephone and Online Counselling Service for people aged 16+ affected by sexual abuse before age 18.

When we collapsed into the Turks Head for some much-needed post-race refreshment back in 2015, we had no idea how the race would grow from just 500 runners into the incredibly well supported and much loved event it is today.

Over the years the race has gone from strength to strength, bouncing back from COVID 19 with a double edition in 2022, and hit our biggest ever entries in 2024 with over 1300 of you signing up!

We couldn’t do the race without the fantastic Alcester community, and a special mention must go to Alcester Town Council, the Court Leet, Run Alcester, The Turks Head, and Hogans Cider, and all the local volunteers and residents who continue to support the race each year.

Our tenth Birthday was made amazing by everyone involved, from all our partners to all of you and we thank you!

However in 2025, we are looking to make the race better than ever before!

So will you join us for our 11th year of the Alcester 10K?

RACEWAYS 2 RACE BUNDLE  – TWO RACES, ONE PRICE!

You can now enter all three of our races in one go – buy our NEW 2 race bundle for just £60! (Even cheaper £57 for affiliated runners)

Includes entry to:

Leamington Spa Half Marathon 2025

Alcester Autumn 10K 2025

Click HERE to enter now!

We are excited to announce the release of our BRAND NEW Raceways Events Gift Vouchers!

The vouchers are available in values of £25 or £50, and can be redeemed against any race and merchandise.

Click HERE to order yours now!

RACEWAYS EVENTS AND TEAM WASS COACHING!

We have teamed up with our good friends and colleagues at Team Wass Coaching to give you the knowledge, planning, and motivation to smash your 2023 running goals! Whether you’re a complete novice, or want to beat your PB, you can join our brand new running community today!

1. Individual membership – £10 : You’ll receive a detailed 16 week plan from Team Wass Coaching to hit their 10K or Half Marathon Goal.
2. Community membership – £20 : You’ll get an individual 16 week plan provided from Team Wass Coaching, and additional access to the “Raceways Team Wass Running Community” – a social Facebook group and email newsletter to provide you with community support, feedback, to share ideas and experience, and for Becky from Team Wass Coaching to provide weekly tips and motivation.

Sign up to your 2023 Coaching journey when you register for any Raceways Events race HERE

RUN THE ALCESTER 10K FOR FREE BY FUNDRAISING FOR OUR CHARITY PARTNERS!

Raceways Events CIC has supported the Leamington based childrens’ charity Marathon Kids UK
(formerly Kids Run Free) for over 10 years.

This Year we are very proud to be supporting our new charity partner, Safeline, who since 1994 have given free specialist, independent, tailored support to anyone affected by sexual abuse and rape. Our services includes free counselling and helplines, independent sexual violence advocates (ISVA), and prevention and early interventions to prevent the occurrence of abuse in the first place. Safeline also provides the National Male Survivor Helpline; and National Telephone and Online Counselling Service for people aged 16+ affected by sexual abuse before age 18.

Since they opened there doors they have helped over 100,000 thousand people who in turn help shape the services and support they provide.

Please take a look at there website:

CLICK HERE

THE SUSTAINABILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF OUR RACES

At Raceways Events CIC, we are striving to do all we can to reduce the environmental impact of all our races, while continuing to deliver the great events our runners expect from us every year. Here are just some of the ways we are improving the sustainability of our events…

Recycling and Litter:

We operate a “No Trace Policy” at all of our races. Our teams sweep the race route fully to collect all litter, which is then discarded appropriately. We work with local waste disposal operators to ensure suitable recycling options are available for the disposal of all litter associated with our races.

We also ensure that all water bottles or cups are collected and recycled appropriately.

Water:

Where possible, we endeavour to avoid using single use plastic bottles at our water stations, and seek out solutions using mains water supply and water cups where possible. Where our race partners provide finish line water bottles, we keep these to a minimum (depending on the number of runners) and ensure they are recyclable where possible.

Medals:

“You asked, we answered”

So we tried Wooden medals but the truth is, you just didn’t like them! We’ve listened to your comments, and we have gone back to using the metal ones and we think you’re going to love them!

Don’t worry though, any leftover medals are split apart and recycled appropriately.

T Shirts:

As with our medals, we have decided to offer finishers T shirts as an optional extra, for a small fee. This allows us to only order the precise number needed, which will reduce the number of left over T shirts that end up being thrown away. We can also produce higher quality T shirts, which means that they are not simply worn once and discarded, never to be worn again.

Goody bags:

As with many of our fellow event organisers, we have moved away from physical goody bags for all race finishers. You can still get your post-race snack, water, and medal or T shirt (if you’ve purchased one!), but they’ll be ready to be collected individually.

Registration:

To reduce our paper use, we do as much as possible through online processes and email communications. All registrations are taken through online portals, we send out all our race information (before and after the race) via email and posted on our websites, and (where possible) have race numbers collected at race HQ prior to the race rather than posting them out.

RACE DAY INFORMATION

Click to download the race day information: Alcester 10k 2024 Race Information Pack

Please see below for any Frequently Asked Questions

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Where is event HQ?

Event HQ will be at Centenary Fields, Alcester, B49 5QP.

What time is registration?

Registration for both the Alcester 10K, and the Kids 1km Fun Run, will open at:

Saturday 4^th October 12pm – 6pm

Sunday 5^th October 7.00am – 9.00am

We would strongly suggest that you collect your bib and chip on the Saturday to minimise queues on Sunday so that your Race can start on time.

How do I collect my race bib and chip?

You can collect your Race BIB and timing chip from registration at Centenary Fields. Please collect them on Saturday 4^th October if you can, to reduce the number of runners congregating at registration on the morning of the race. Don’t forget to pick up you race T shirt from registration if you have ordered one!

Where can I park?

Parking is available at Festival Fields, Stratford Road, Alcester. This is a large field on the north side of the Stratford Road, next to the river. The nearest postcode is B49 6PG.  The best way to access the parking, and avoid any early road closures, is from the A46 via the Stratford Road.

What time does the race start?

The race will start at 10am. Please make sure you get to the start line in good time, and please move into a position that matches your estimated finishing time – there will be signage to guide you into the right place.

What happens if I cannot take part?

Unfortunately we cannot offer refunds if you are unable to take part. In some circumstances however, we can transfer your entry to an alternative event, as long as you notify us by email before the race day.

Can I transfer my race number to a friend?

To transfer your entry, please come to registration (see times above) and speak to a member of the team, who will be able to sort this out for you.

What time will the roads reopen?

There will be rolling road closures throughout the race, with roads being reopened once runners pass through.

The Stratford Road  (8km onwards) will be reopened at 11.30am. Any runners remaining on the course will have to move onto the footpath at the side of the road in order to finish the race.

How do I claim my medal and T shirt?

All runners will receive a medal when they cross the finish line. If you have ordered a finishers T shirt, you will be able to collect it from regsitration when you collect your race number. Please double check before you arrive that you have ordered one!

Is there a bag drop?

There will be a manned bag drop onthe High Street, near to the Start/Finish line.

ROUTE MAP

ROAD CLOSURE INFORMATION

Click to download the road closure leaflet: Autumn 2024 Road closure leaflet

Road Closure Information – Alcester 10k 2024 – 5^th October

There are approved road closures in place on the morning of the event to ensure the safety of athletes, spectators and motorists, which will affect Alcester, Kinwarton, Great Alne, Walcote & Haselor.

The roads will be reopened at the earliest possible opportunity once all runners have come through, to minimize disruption to local residents and businesses. The specific timings for each road affected are below. Please note that these timings are the latest times at which the road will be closed and reopened.

Please also see the map below for more information.

If you have any questions, please email office@raceways.org.uk

Alcester: High Street

Closed from 6am until 2pm, when the event will finish.

Alcester: Henley Street

Closed from 6am until 2pm, when the event will finish.

Alcester: Kinwarton Road

Closed from 9.30am until 11.15am, when the last runner will have passed through.

Motorists will only be able to access this road once it is officially reopened.

Captains Hill/B4089:

Closed from 9.30am until 11.30am, when the last runner will have passed through.

Motorists trying to access Alcester will have to divert to the A435 via Kings Coughton.

Motorists trying to access Great Alne will have to divert via Spernal Lane (please note that a two way traffic control will allow through traffic at Great Alne).

Great Alne: Spernal Lane

Closed from 9.45am until 11.45am. There will be a two way traffic control in place to allow through traffic, although motorists will not be able to access the B4089 until this has reopened (see above).

Pelham Lane:

Closed from 9.45am until 12pm, when the last runner will have passed through.

Motorists trying to use this route either northbound or southbound will have to divert via Aston Cantlow.

Walcote and Haselor: Mill Lane

Road closed from 9.45am until 12.15am, when the last runner will have passed through.

Motorists will only be able to access this road once it is officially reopened.

Motorists trying to access Great Alne will have to divert via Aston Cantlow.

Motorists trying to access Alcester will have to divert via the A46 Stratford Road.

Stratford Road:

Road closed EASTBOUND from 9.45am until 12.30pm, when the last runner will have passed through.

This road will remain open Westbound, allowing access into Alcester from the A46.

Motorists trying to access/exit Gas House lane will be able to access/exit via Stratford Road until 10.15am, at which point this will be at the discretion of traffic management operatives managing this junction. This junction will reopen as soon as the final runner has passed through.

Motorists trying to exit Alcester town centre will have to divert via Evesham Street towards the A435.

Motorists trying to exit Oversley Green to the A46 will have to divert via Alcester town centre, and Evesham Street as above.