![[The web-site of the Glastonbury Road Run]](websitebannerx.png)
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LATEST NEWS
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ENTRIES FOR 2016 EVENT NOW OPEN - SUNDAY MAY 1ST
With plans well under-way for this year’s thirty fifth running of the Glastonbury Road Run, we are now in a position to supply details and start taking entries. Please see below, or select from the Menu at the top of the page. Don’t forget to enter early and claim your FREE Technical T-Shirt.After the success of the ONLINE Entry System last year, we are again using the RunBritain system and are paying your Credit/Debit card fees, so it will cost you the same as a paper entry (and you get to save the envelope and stamp!). If you would like to enter our event this way then please CLICK HERE
ABOUT THE RACES
The Glastonbury Road Run, with its main event the "Round the Tor 10K" 10K event, takes place on the Sunday prior to the early May bank holiday each year, on fully traffic-free roads. The original Glastonbury Road Run was held over a 5.69 mile course around Glastonbury Tor in 1981 and races have been held every year since, with the exception of 2004 when the event was cancelled due to the Foot and Mouth outbreak. The 10K Race, one of the largest road race events in the county of Somerset, and its largest 10K race (798 entrants in 2014) is held on a mainly rural course that undulates around the ancient and mysterious Isle of Avalon mostly following the original 1981 route, starting and finishing within a stones throw of the alleged burial place of King Arthur within the grounds of Glastonbury Abbey.In addition to the 10K, there are popular 5K and 3K events for the faint of heart, and a junior schools mile fun run that attracts over 250 competitors! Last year we got within 50 entries of filling the 10K race and, while we have increased the entry limit this year, you should enter early and not hope there will be space for you on the day. We expect to have plenty of space in the 5K, 3K and junior Fun Run, and whilst pre-entry for these events are encouraged there are a regular 300+ who will enter on the morning of the race. While most runners treat the event seriously, there is a popular Fancy-Dress competition sponsored by the local newspaper, the Mid-Somerset News. Entry forms for pre-entries are usually available from early January, with a free race T-Shirt on offer as an incentive to enter early.
The "Round the Tor 10K" is part of the Somerset Road Race Series. Check the LINKS section for details of the other events in this series.
34th Glastonbury Road Run - May 3rd 2015
This years Glastonbury Road Run will be held on Sunday 1st May 2016. Since last year's event we have been busy planning an even better event for our competitors. Many thanks to everyone who gave us some feedback after last year’s event. This year we are again using Chip Timing for the 3K, 5K and 10K; and are providing a high quality "Technical" T-shirt for all our pre-entrants. The FREE race photography service returns, after around 50% of our competitors took advantage and downloaded their high-definition photographs after the event. For those who may not have, last year’s photos will be held on-line until the end of February, and can be found HERE. After the introduction of the Age-Grading System for the main prize structure, this year we are extending it, to provide prizes to the first TWENTY-FIVE runners in the Age-Graded Results for the 10K. Head over to the Awards Tab for more details. Last year’s major sponsor, Bristol's Easy Runner, is back providing many of the main race prizes. For full details of this year's event keep scrolling down, or select from the menus on the left, or see our FAQ section. Due to the increase in entries last year we have been able to hold all our entry prices, so you can be assured that our races offer probably the best value of ANY race in the South West. We will keep adding to the information displayed on the web-site, including additional goodies made available by new sponsors, race license and course accuracy certificates, lists of entrants, a detailed Event Briefing, and Race Results, so keep coming back to the site as race day gets closer.Entry Procedure
There are four ways to enter this year's event. Firstly, you can download an entry form by clicking the following link: Entry Form Download and posting it to the organiser (address on the entry form). Entry forms can also be picked up from many of the sports and leisure centres around the Mendip area. Secondly you can collect a form from Stephen's Butchers at the bottom of Glastonbury High Street, and leave it with Steve at the shop with your entry fee. This year we are also allowing on-line entries, using the RunBritain portal. We will be paying your card transaction charges, so this option will not incur any additional expense . Please can everyone note that pre-entries close on April 17th, and free race T-shirts will only be available for those who have entered before this date. Finally, (as we would never wish to put anyone off!) you can still come along on the morning of the race and enter in the Town Hall at Glastonbury, though do please keep checking the web-site for updates on how many places we have left in the 10K as race day approaches. Please be aware that as we need to get everyone's entry onto the computers so that the chip timing system will work you must get yourself entered by 30 minutes before race start time, so give yourself plenty of time. Last year we had around 100 of you queued up to enter the 10K event on the morning of the race!!
Race Timetable and Courses
All race routes are the same as last year for those of you who have run at Glastonbury before. To summarise, the 3K race starts from outside the Town Hall, with the 5K and 10K just round the corner on Street Road. The 10K start will be moved back to utilise a wider part of the road. The 5K will start with an ascent of Fishers Hill, while the 10K begins by following the final 200m of the course, through the finish line, and continues up Glastonbury High Street just like the days before we changed to a 10K. All three routes retain the “popular” heart-break-hill, the Old Butleigh Road. Try to smile after you've reached the top, as our Race Photographer's will be aiming to get a photo of you with Glastonbury's famous landmark - the Tor, topped by St Michael's Tower - in the background (scroll to the bottom for some images from last year’s event). Click Here for New Course Maps:10K 5K 3K Primary Schools Fun Run. The race timetable has also been adjusted. This year we will be commencing with the 5K race at 10:30am and the 3K race, at 10:40am. Once the last runners of the 5K are in, the 10K will start at 11:20am, with the Primary School Fun Run (Starting from the bottom of Glastonbury High Street) at 11:30am.
Results - The Chip Timing System
This year we have contracted FR Systems to provide Chip Timing for the event. FR System are probably the UK's leading provider of chip timing solutions, and time many of the area and national championship events, in addition to a great many more local races. The technology we have selected has the "chip" attached to you running number - so no need to fiddle about with tying a tag onto your shoes or having to queue to have it cut off at the end of the race. This does mean, however, that everyone will need to collect their numbers from the Town Hall on the day of the race, as the "chips" might get damaged in the post. The 5K and 10K races will have separate start mats - so everyone will be given an individual time, regardless of how long it takes you to cross the start line. The 3K will be timed only using “Gun” times. We even have a check mat out at the half-way point in the 5K that will let our commentary team give you a mid-race update on how the race leaders in both the 5K and 10K are getting on. No system is completely error-free, so if you think that there has been a problem please contact the organisers as soon as possible - we will have the usual video back-up so should be able to sort out any results issues. As with all other races, medals and trophies will be awarded on "gun" times, rather than "chip" times, so we can ensure that the winner is the person who crosses the finish line first. The Age-Grading System however, will use “chip” times to calculate the overall “winner” of the main prize-list. As with last year, we will have a forward start pen in each race reserved for UKA registered runners. Comprehensive results should be available immediately after the races and will be displayed in the Town Hall. Because of the large costs involved, we will continue to using manual recording for the Primary School Fun Run, and full results for this event may not be available until later in the day.
Awards
In addition to a free race T-shirt for all pre-entrants of the 3K, 5K and 10K races, each finisher will receive a commemorative medal. For the main 10K event we are once again aiming to provide one of the best value prize-lists of any race in the region, with over £1000-worth of prizes on offer. In addition to medals for the first three males and females, there are awards for under 20's and veteran's in the usual 10 year age categories, as well as a team award (first 4 males, or 3 females). With no course record for over three years, the course record bonus' have now reached £300 in cash - the current records being 30:43 for the men and 35:24 for the ladies. Prizes in the other races will be restricted to a number of junior age-groups. We will be making presentations to the first three in the 10K and the overall winners of the 5K, 3K and Primary Fun Run immediately following each race, and will be awarding the category medals and the Age-Graded Prizes and those for the locals once the results have been checked. If, as we hope, that the Chip Timing solution can provide in-depth, accurate, results we will be looking to re-introduce a traditional award ceremony at next year's event.Click Here for Prize List Details. Please come back to the web-site for updates on any additional awards that may be introduced as we are hoping to add to the list.
Race-Day Photos
Following the success of last year's Race Photography by Somerset based Photo-fit.net, we are pleased to announce that we are still one of the only races in the UK to offer each and every race competitor the opportunity to enjoy professional Hi-Resolution race day photos FREE as part of your entry fee. Many events will charge £15 or more per photo, (or if they are cheaper, it will often be for a Low-Resolution 800x600 snap) so this could save you your entire entry fee in one go! There will be several photographers on course, aiming to take photos at the race starts, on course, and at the finish. For those of you who prefer to avoid web-based publicity, your entry form has an option to opt-out of having your photos uploaded to the Photo-fit.net web-site. Watch out for the signs on the course and prepared to give the camera-man a beaming smile!
![[Official Race Photography]](photofitnet.bmp)
![[Race Sponsors]](Sponsors/sponsors2015.JPG)
