Tay Ten

 

The 2024 Tay Ten be held on on Sunday 28th April (race time is 11am).

Entries are made on Entry Central – the race sold its last (350th) place on 14th March. We are now operating a waiting list and reastically expect to offer places to those on it if/as/when any entrants withdraw click here to join that list!

Join our Tay Ten Facebook page for updates!

New/changes for 2024: doubled prize pot; prizes for age category records; under-20 category; catering facilities; slight course change (even faster?!); choice of eco-medal or no medal (with lower entry fee). See below for more details.

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The 2023 Tay Ten took place on Sunday 30th April 2023. There were 228 finishers. The races were won by Alison McNeilly of Dundee Road Runners (1:04:34) and (just) by Alistair Gudgin of Fife AC (54:29), both runners successfully defending their 2022 titles. Full results can be found here. Thanks to all who ran, organised and helped!

Above: The 2023 Tay Ten sets off in soggy conditions (left); the men’s race hots up some way from home (right).

Above: (left) It’s a proper sprint battle on the home straight, as Alastair Gudgin (Fife AC) just holds off Mark McGuire for the men’s title …. while (right) Alison McNeilly of DRR is less pressured for the ladies’ crown (instead requiring a sepia photo to deaden the impact of her day-glo gloves).

Photos from Brian Stewart Photography, with great thanks. More photos of the race can be found here.

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The Tay Ten (TT) is Perth Road Runner’s open/all-comers’ ten-mile race held each spring. It starts and finishes on the athletics track at the George Duncan Athletics Arena in North Muirton, Perth. It offers a fast and flat course, ideal for anyone chasing a 10-mile PB, yet also suitable for newcomers to the distance! Ten-mile races are increasingly rare, yet remain a feature of many clubs’ standards and awards systems. Look no further than the Tay Ten!!

The TT was first run in 2014. It was preceded by the brutal Heaven & Hell Half Marathon (historic results of which appear below). The TT takes place on tarmac, asphalt and hard surfaces; it is a road race (in surface terms). Around 90% of the route avoids public roads and traffic, using paths and cycleways around the north of Perth. The course climbs just 25-30 metres total in its length. Perth parkrun runners will be familiar with the section of the course near the start and finish.

Licensing

The race is licensed by Scottish Athletics; the 2024 licence can be found here.

Health & safety

  • The race’s risk assessment can be found here. We encourage participants to take a look.
  • Insurance is provided via the Scottish Athletics licence.
  • First aid will again be provided by Active First Aid Scotland.

Sponsors

In 2024, we expect to be sponsored by:

Tunnock’s – legendary producers, based in Uddingston, of – among many deliciousnesses – the Caramel Wafer and Tea Cake. Provide a small mountain of Caramel Wafers for the race. Have sponsored the Tay Ten for some years.

Highland Spring – bottlers of Perthshire spring water, based in Blackford. Also a long-term sponsor of the Tay Ten, they provide our water station and finisher water.

Fyffes – one of the largest and oldest tropical produce importers and distributors, especially of bananas … a very small proportion of which will be availabe at the Tay Ten finish. Based in Livingston locally.

Race entry

is via Entry Central. There are no on-the-day entries. There will be 350 places available in 2024. The race is always popular with clubs from across Scotland – many of whom use the race as part of their championship/grand prix series – and typically sells out quickly. Minimum entry age under SA rules is 17 years of age (an athlete celebrating their 17th birthday on race day may compete). 

Entry fees

Traditionally, a medal has been given to all finishers. As the environmental footprint of such practices creates more concern, we now offer entrants the choice (on signing up) of no medal (with a lower entry fee) or an eco-medal (which can be kept/admired or planted!, see here). Entry fees for 2024 will be:

  • no medal: Scottish Athletics member £12, SA non-member £14.
  • with medal: SA member £15, SA non-member £17.

Updates

Watch this page and/or join our Facebook page.

Catering

We will be joined by Brew 52, who will provide hot and cold drinks, cakes and snacks (for a fee: you don’t get those included in such a daftly low entry price!). 

The course

The Tay Ten course change sees a slight alteration in 2024, when compared with previous editions. The new/altered course can be seen here. The change occurred at around 6-7 miles into the course to obviate a short section of road that is becoming increasingly busy and unpredictable. The nature of that change is shown here. The slight-but-necessary adjustment-for-distance is made by including a slightly longer section of the athletics track at the start. Consenting with local authorities is well progressed and the course was re-measured by AUKCM on 3rd January (certificate here).

Timing: Since (and including) the 2015 race, the Tay Ten has been chip timed. Given the rising costs of doing so (these being invariably met by the runners) and improvements in alternative technologies, it will not be chip timed in 2024. We have been trialling, testing and becoming proficient with webscorer for the last year and, like a few of our neighbour clubs, are hugely impressed by it. The 2024 Tay Ten will be timed by this method. The traditional trip-to-the-timing-van will not be possible (no van!), but we will have live ‘official’ results showing on a laptop screen at race HQ.  

Event records and previous winners

Male: Alistair Gudgin, Fife AC, 54:04 (2022).

Female: Annabel Simpson, Fife AC, 59:21 (2019).

We’ve pulled together the overall winners, age group winners, team winners and the records for those categories in our race history table here. Overall results for each of the races appear below.

Race prizes

Our prize pot is increasing sharply in 2024; we are doubling our previous prizes and adding age category record prizes and an Under-20 age category.

There are prizes for:

  • 1st, 2nd, 3rd prizes for male & female (£60, £50, £40 + glass mementos).
  • 1st prize for male & female teams (XC/position-based scoring system, 3 in team score; decent wine).
  • 1st prize (only) for male & female age categories as below (£30 + glass mementos):
    • Under-20s: aged 17-19 inclusive on the day (NB: if aged 20, athlete competes in the Senior category);
    • Vets: M 40-49 and F 40-49;
    • Supervets: M 50-59 and F 50-59;
    • Master Vets: M 60-69 and F 60-69; and
    • Vintage Vets: M 70+ and F 70+
  • Course records (£50)To be 100% clear, this is all-comers (overall/absolute) records, not age group records! … but see also…
  • Age category records (£30). See link immediately above for current age group records. Note that, in this first year of the category, Under-20 course record prizes are not offered.

Results from previous years:

2023 (228 finishers)

2022 (237 finishers)

2019 (271 finishers)

2018 (297 finishers)

2017 (307 finishers)

2016 (270 finishers)

2015 (266 finishers)

2014 (171 finishers)

also held in 2020 and 2021 as a virtual 10K race.

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For completeness, here are the results from the Heaven & Hell Half-Marathon, prior to the launch of the Tay Ten:

2013 (106 finishers)

2012 (179 finishers)

2011 (156 finishers)

2010 (196 finishers)

2009 (192 finishers)

2008 (115 finishers)

2007 (70 finishers)

2006

2005 (114 finishers)