THE 10th and final week of the Babcock 10k series sees runners focusing on rest to ensure they are ready to go for next month’s 10k.

With now less than a month till the opening race in Helensburgh on Thursday, May 9, it is important for all levels of participants to be well rested before the big day.

If this will be your first 10k, it is important to plan ahead so you don’t have anything to worry about on the day of the race. You should aim to arrive at the event early so you have plenty of time to get ready and warm up. Remember, don’t start too fast. Get the race underway at a steady pace that you can maintain for the whole distance - if you’re feeling good as the race progresses then you can increase your pace. Most importantly, however, and after all the hard work, go out and enjoy the event.

It is much the same for intermediates and advanced runners in that rest is key before planning ahead to the big day.

With a month to go to the first race, entries for the series are surging towards an incredible 1500 runners.

The elite field at the front end of the race, meanwhile, is the best it has been since the inception of the series nearly 40 years ago.

Recently-crowned Scottish Cross Country champion, Adam Craig from Inverclyde, is using the series to tune up for a big attack on his personal best for 10,000m in the ‘Night of the PB’s’ at London’s Parliament Hill Fields, where his target is a sub 28:30 time.

With Dumbarton following Helensburgh on May 16 and Shettleston bringing the series to a climactic conclusion in Glasgow Green on Sunday, May 26, Craig will run all three events and has recruited his Scottish team mate Luke Traynor from Giffnock North to go head-to-head with him as they chase a time in the low 29-minute range.

Traynor recently represented Great Britain in the World Cross Country Championships in Denmark and while disappointed with his 107th position on a brutally hilly course with multiple obstacles, he soon made amends with a decent run in America’s third biggest race, the Cooper Bridge River Run last Saturday where he was 12th in 30:11 in a race won by Kenyan Silas Kipruto in 27:58 and dominated by world class Kenyans and Ethiopians.

Series Chair and Helensburgh Race Director, Kevin Johnson is delighted to have so many internationals in the line up this year: “We would have to go back 20 years to the likes of the Vale’s Glen Stewart to find athletes of the current calibre featuring in the series. The Babcock 10k Series is likely to produce some of the fastest times in Scotland this year and perhaps the UK.”

Runners can take advantage of the current April Madness offer of £5.00 off individual race entries till the end of the month. That reduces entry fees for unaffiliated and affiliated runners from £21.50/19.50 to £16.50/14.50. Just visit entrycentral.com or babcock10kseries.co.uk for more information.

  • Week 10, beginners: Monday - rest; Tuesday - 20 mins easy run; Wednesday - rest
  • Week 10, intermediate: Monday - rest; Tuesday - 3 miles; Wednesday - rest
  • Week 10, advanced: Monday, rest: Tuesday - 6 miles with 4 x 0.5 miles at 10k pace; Wednesday - 3 miles easy.