ABERSOCH 10K – EVENT REPORT

The end of May brought with it my favourite 10k race of the year, and a journey over to the picturesque Llŷn Peninsula for the Abersoch 10k.

There are few locations as picturesque and evocative as a race venue, surrounded by rolling hills and beautiful coastline. Eryri (Snowdonia) is hovering on the horizon, golden beaches with crystal clear water, and if you venture up into the coastal headlands some fantastic sea views where you can often see dolphins and seals gathering in the water below.

Like many coastal tourist locations, Abersoch can trace its origins as a small fishing port, but at the turn of the 20^th century gradually began to become reinvented as a holiday resort. However this is a village far removed from penny arcades and funfair rides. Isolated from the railway network, Abersoch was never a mass tourism location, but instead became the haunt of wealthy families predominantly from the North West who would rent houses in the village for long summer holidays. The local sawmill gradually diversified into a garage (that is still trading today), where the family chauffeur would be able to park the car, and have a small shelf on which to store their tools, polish and cloths.

Over time, it has retained a rather affluent image with several celebrity links. The nearby Warren caravan park has evolved from a modest beachside campsite to become a luxury holiday hotspot, with former England footballer Kyle Walker amongst the clientele, whilst out at sea, survival expert Bear Grylls owns one of the two St.Tudwal’s islands that sit just off the coastline.

Today the little village is bustling with holidaymakers during the holiday periods, and along with the great beaches, is well known for watercraft with boating, yachting and jet-skiing all popular activities.

With such an outdoor emphasis, it perhaps isn’t too much of a surprise that there is an active running calendar across the year. The Abersoch 10k is a long-established event and also forms part of the ‘Abersoch Triple Crown’. Run by the North Wales ‘Sensation Group’, the 10k event traditionally takes place in late May, followed by the Abersoch Triathlon in June, before a 20k trail race in September which utilises many of the surrounding coastal paths.

The Abersoch 10k is certainly a picturesque route, but it’s by no means easy! After a start overlooking the old harbour, runners stream gently uphill through the village, a fantastic start with the streets crammed with cheering spectators, who can then take a short stroll down to the beach for the finish (more of that later!)

For the runners, the cheers fade into the distance after the first kilometre, still gently climbing before heading towards the nearby hamlet of Sarn Bach, and a feeling of leaving the coast and moving into the countryside.

There are a few downhills which certainly need to be embraced, because things get a bit tougher as the course moves back towards the coastline, with a small trail section allowing some fantastic sea views.

There isn’t too much time to enjoy the scenery though, as the fourth kilometre brings the toughest and most iconic part of the course, an uphill scramble towards Bwlchtocyn, which is known as ‘Tocyn Brutal’ and even has its own timing loop as a race within a race!

Whilst there are steeper hills to be had, it’s nonetheless a challenging gradient, lasting for a good kilometre, with much of the climb being on a rough gravel track, eroded away by rainwater with large rocks and boulders to navigate. It’s energy sapping, feels never ending and it’s always satisfying to pass the ‘Tocyn Brutal End’ sign as you pass the end of the timing loop and move into the village itself, although a welcome water station is followed by a couple of sharp hills as you get to the very top of the nearby hill.

It’s certainly a great view once up here, having completed around 6k, and there’s then a few long downhills for the next couple of kilometres to get a bit more pace in the legs! You gradually wind down towards the coast, passing many of the surrounding campsites where there’s usually a few guests stood by cheering you on! The course eventually veers alongside the Abersoch Golf Club before finding the beach itself for the final kilometre.

Those spectators who cheered you on at the start have made a short walk down to the finish area which is on the main Abersoch beach, and certainly has a beachside party vibe. When you reach the sand however, this party looks disconcertingly far away! It’s time to dig in deep and conquer the sand, saving a bit of energy to hurdle the groynes which lines the first part of the huge beach. Once over the final hurdle, it’s a Grand National final push to the finish line, as the crowd gets ever bigger, the beach more crowded before the finish line opens out in front of you. The sand on the last 50 metres is especially soft, providing a last final challenge before crossing the line, a tough but satisfying challenge completed!

2026 was my third year of competing at this event, and like many who visit this area, we usually opt to stay in one of the various camping and caravan sites that occupy the surrounding hillsides, Cim Farm being a particular favourite of ours. However with newborn twin girls, staying in a tent didn’t seem such a good idea!

With rental properties in Abersoch being an unjustifiable cost for a base location, we searched a little further afield and were able to locate a privately owned static caravan on a quiet site at neighbouring Pwllheli. A quiet little campsite, it provided a bit more space and comfort, yet despite not being on the doorstep was still only a 15 minute drive away.  

The race preparations began with a visit to the event registration, which takes place in a side room at the nearby Vaynol pub, and as always was very busy! I resisted the temptation of a beer-garden pint, there’d be plenty of time for that.

With preparations not the best for the event, I opted to start further back in the pack and bed into the event gradually, as it’s a course that demands respect and I wanted to ensure I had enough energy saved for the demanding mid-section. During the first 2k I was able to tag onto some runners who’d also started further back and begin to pick off some of the field, settling into a nice rhythm. Making the most of the downhill sections, the pace picked up a bit as I prepared for Tocyn Brutal, and the demanding, hamstring burning climb! There was quite a bit of run/walking being done by myself and the surrounding competitors as we ascended the rocky uphill, and towards the end as we reverted back to the tarmac, a welcome relief as the local resident of one of the cottages at the top of the hill has set his garden sprinkler onto half of the road, ideal to make a quick diversion to cool down!

Start of Tocyn Brutal (2025 race)

Once Bwlchtocyn is in the rear view mirror, it’s always especially satisfying to reach the highest points of the course, and afford a quick glance at some of the coastline views from the highest points of the course, but there wasn’t much time for sightseeing as there was still some distance left.

As we gradually descended back down the country lanes towards Abersoch I prepared for the long beach run to the finish, and as always it looked disconcertingly far away as I entered the beach. But equally this was the final stretch to the finish and time to concentrate on hurdling the groynes, being sure not to lose concentration and trip, I noticed a few close calls from others!

Battling through the sand to the finish (2025 race)

I think I could have finished a little stronger, but was pleased to complete this section and finish another Abersoch 10k. My time was a couple of minutes slower than last year but preparations were a lot better then, and I was pleased nonetheless to put an enjoyable run together. There were quite a few moments, out on the course where it was nice to metaphorically take a step back and appreciate how much I was enjoying being a part of this great event.

After savouring the beachside post-race atmosphere, a cold dip in the sea was especially relaxing! The crowds still lingered on the beach as the last few runners made it home, and the queue for the beachside bar grew larger and larger.

It was time however for a post Abersoch tradition, and following a leg stretching walk up the steep hill that connects the main beach road to the village, it was off to St.Tudwal’s pub for a well earned Guinness.

We’d parked on the outskirts of the town by the nearby Warren beach, a place that has many childhood memories from holidaying at the neighbouring Fach Farm caravan site, just a short walk from the beach, and it was nice to relax and let the babies enjoy this beach for the first time.

With the event being on a Saturday morning, I decided to miss parkrun, there is a nearby event at Hafan Pwllheli and with a bit of planning it is possible to do the double-header as the Abersoch 10k doesn’t start until half 10, but I have only done this once and wouldn’t plan to do it again… neither event is particularly easy!

However there was the opportunity for some ‘voluntourism’ as it turned out the relatively new Cei’r Gogledd junior parkrun was nearby and had a couple of volunteer openings. It was great to see a couple of familiar faces from the Hafan Pwllheli parkrun and see a new event thriving.

The saddest part about the Abersoch 10k is leaving the area with it over for another year, but on the plus side the countdown has already started for next year’s event! The organisers offer early-bird entries as soon as the Tuesday after the race, and 2027 is already booked and paid for!

Whilst I’d never say this was an easy 10k, I’d fully recommend it as a scenic, coastal event in a fabulous seaside village that really seems to embrace the event and carries a big race atmosphere as everyone crowds the narrow streets!