It's a Piece of Cake 10Km

Dear Runners,

It has been a matter of days since the 2017 edition of Cakerace. I think its safe to say that, overall, an amazing time was had by all. As with all races, every year, we learn something new and the responses we have received to our survey will be taken forward to 2018. We’re especially pleased you enjoyed our new course.

We were delighted to welcome The Right Worshipful The Lord Mayor Of Manchester to start our race. He completed the race himself in a cracking time of 55:19. 

The male race was won by Steven Duffy (34:51) of the newly named Newcastle Frontrunners. Following in second place was Martin Dunn (35:05) of Manchester Frontrunners and third male was our Club Chair, James Moles (36:23). 

First female was Diane McVey (36:54) of Wilmslow Running Club. In second place was Sharon Johnstone (40:22) again of Wilmslow Running Club. In third place was Jacqui Khoueiry (41:59) of Wakefield District H & AC.

Completing the field of runners on the day was Su Page who crossed the line to huge cheers at 1:33:01.

We were pleased to welcome Frontrunners from London, Glasgow, Leeds, Newcastle, Liverpool and of course Manchester. Prestwich AC, the barrel of laughs that they are, were out in force at a designated club championship race. There were too many other clubs to mention individually but our overall field was a gorgeous 298 runners.

Most importantly: lashings of lovely cakes; the sale of which raised a spectacular £722 for The George House Trust. Their vital work has been supporting people living with HIV in the North West since 1985. In the past three years you have raised a whopping £1600 for GHT and we are delighted and honoured to support them.

This is one of my last acts as Race Director. It has been a joy, if not a stressful one at times, to organise this race for the past two years. I could not have done it without the help and support of an amazing team; and that team includes (what data now confirm) are the best race marshals in the known universe. There is a huge community of fun runners in the UK and Cakerace is nothing if not fun, fun, fun.

I’ve loved literally everything about it. See you next year… as a participant

John x

Dear Runners,

Thanks very much for entering the 2017 edition of it’s a piece of cake 10Km. This email intends to provide you with all the necessary information for race day.

The race will be held on Saturday 29th April and will start at 10am. If you have run with us previously you will be used to assembling on the athletics track at Boggart Hole Clough. This year the route has changed and the start and finish have moved to the cafe at the bottom of the main driveway. Please check the location of the cafe (race HQ) at www.cakerace.co.uk We will also upload some maps to Facebook and twitter tomorrow.

Transport:

Boggart Hole Clough can be acessed by a number of busses. Details can be obtained from www.tfgm.com. The most convenient stop is on Charlestown Road. If you arriving by car there is lots of parking at the Charlestown Road entrance car park. If the car park fills up you may park on the adjacent roads; please ensure you observe local bylaws. 

Important! No vehicles may be parked on the main drive leading down to the Cafe/Race HQ; it is reserved for Emergency access only.

Race Numbers:

Please collect your race numbers on the day. They will be available from approximately 8:30. We have plenty of safety pins.

On the day entries:

We are able to accept on the day entries. Bring your fiends or family along if they fancy a run (over 18s only in the race). Please, if possible, bring the correct change. £12 UKA affiliated £14 other entrants.

Refreshments:

The Cafe will be open for the sale of hot and cold beverages from approximately 8:30.

Toilets:

There are toilets available in the cafe but if a queue starts to form there are additional toilets adjacent to the main car park. All runners love a few toilet trips before the start so you may wish to make a trip before you take the walk down to race HQ. You could also incorporate a toilet trip into your warm up.

Bag Store:

A free, secure bag store for runners will be available from approximately 9am in the main cafe building.

Main warm up:

The main warm up will be at approximately 9:40 so please ensure you have your race number, have dropped your bags off and have been to the loo (again) by this time.

Race Start:

There will be a short speech from The Right Worshipful The Lord Mayor of Manchester following the runner’s safety briefing. Race start is at 10am.

Clothing and weather:

The weather forecast for the weekend is for dry mild conditions (no hail this year); however, Manchester is Manchester so please bring additional layers and a waterproof top layer as a precaution. The entire race is held on concrete paths therefore, standard running trainers will suffice.

Most importantly: CAKE!

We have a cake sale at the end of the race. All proceeds go to support the vital work of The George House Trust. Please bring a little change with you and indulge in some much needed home baked cake at the end. There are also awards for the best cakes so what’s not to love.

Thank you and we look forward to seeing all of you on Saturday.

Yours

Race Director