Running the Ranelagh Harriers Richmond 10k
Fast 10k as part of the Surrey Road League
The Ranelagh Harriers Richmond 10k is an annual 10k running race organised by Ranelagh Harriers. Part of the Surrey Road League — a local tournament of races where Surrey-based running clubs compete for honours — the Ranelagh Harriers Richmond 10k is fast, flat, and a great event to push for a new 10k PB.
I was running with my running club the Sutton Striders, but the Ranelagh Harriers Richmond 10k is an open event, so while there’s a lot of local club runners, anyone can enter.
Here’s what you can expect when running the Ranelagh Harriers Richmond 10k.
Pre-race Organisation
Race sign-up was very easy through the organiser’s website, which had a decent amount of information, including an excellent course map and participant information.
You receive several emails in the weeks leading up to the event, and if you need to add some structure to your training, Ranelagh Harriers offers a 6-week training plan on their website.
Social media has improved year-on-year, with ‘flat lay’ competitions and a race hashtag now available.
Ranelagh Harriers Richmond 10k Course Profile
The Ranelagh Harriers Richmond 10k course is essentially two loops of 4km, with a straight kilometre or so section at the start and the end of the race.
With only 82ft (25m) of elevation gain, the Ranelagh Harriers Richmond 10k is fast and flat, offering excellent PB potential.
The race begins just outside the Ranelagh Harriers Club House in Ham, heading down the wide Riverside Drive for about a kilometre and then on to trails and towpath towards Teddington Lock.
About 2.5km in — just past the first water station — there’s a sharp hairpin bend that takes you up a short incline (pretty much the only elevation on the route) and onto Lower Ham Road, continuing onto Richmond Road, Dukes Avenue, Dysart Avenue, Burnell Avenue and Beaufort Road before turning left back onto Riverside Drive.
You start your second loop by heading back along the trails and towpath to Teddington Lock, past the same water station (at 6.4km in) then round the hairpin bend again and on to Lower Ham Road. The course follows the same route through the streets, finally rejoining Riverside Drive and driving home to the finish line on the grassed area just past the Ranelagh Harriers Club House.
The 2023 edition of the Ranelagh Harriers Richmond 10k had two route changes from previous runnings.
The first was a minor course re-routing towards Teddington Lock, swapping narrow trails for wider towpaths. This did introduce more elevation into the race, but nothing noticeable, and frankly, it was welcome as it increased opportunities to overtake safely.
But the second change was a biggie: it was to the final stretch into the finish line arch.
Previous Ranelagh Harriers Richmond 10k races — as well as the Ranelagh Harriers Richmond Half Marathon — had a brutal finish line experience. After passing the Ranelagh Harriers Club House, you used to run about 200m past the finish line before looping back on yourself to finish. If you hadn’t run the Ranelagh Harriers Richmond 10k before, it was straightforward to spot the arch from Riverside Drive, crack on with a sprint finish, only to realise in horror you still had 400m+ to go!
Even for seasoned runners, running past the finish line arch and looping back on yourself was very cruel.
But for the 2023 running and beyond, Ranelagh Harriers changed the finish line experience so you now run directly from Riverside Drive straight through the finish arch. It was a very welcome change!
Ranelagh Harriers Club House Race HQ
Ranelagh Harriers have a spacious clubhouse on Riverside Drive that keeps you out of the elements (in 2023, it was welcome shade from the burning sun… in 2021, when the first post-COVID race was held in November, it stopped you from shivering in the 2C winter). It also has plenty of changing rooms, showers, and toilets, as well as a counter selling teas, coffees, and snacks.
The clubhouse has been used as a bag drop area and a bib collection zone, but in 2023, these were both outside on a field, along with more toilets and several coffee and snack vans.
Parking nearby is easy, with plenty of on-street parking along Riverside Drive and a car park just round the corner on Ham Street. Access by public transport isn’t great for a 09:00 start on a Sunday, but if you can drive or car share you’ll arrive without any troubles.
Start Line
The start area of the Ranelagh Harriers Richmond 10k is on a grassed area outside the clubhouse. Runners lined up a few minutes to 09:00, and after a short race briefing, the starting pistol fired, and we were off!
As all of the 500+ runners go through a relatively narrow start arch, it can take 30–60 seconds to cross the timing mats if you’re further back. And as your Power of 10 result is gun to chip (not chip to chip as your official race result is), if you care deeply about these things, it’s best to squeeze towards the front of the pack.
After crossing the start line, you run about 200m on grass, mind your shins on a series of short bollards as you pass the clubhouse, and then you’re on to the wide, open Riverside Drive.
Riverside Drive
The Ranelagh Harriers marshals stop the traffic on Riverside Drive for the first 15 minutes or so of the race, meaning there’s plenty of space on the road and the wide pavement to settle into your stride.
If you did start further back than intended, this is a great opportunity to pass dozens of runners before the course narrows and heads out onto the trails and towpath past Teddington Lock.
Teddington Lock
Just over 1km in, the course takes a right-hand turn and onto a short trail section through the woods, appearing on the towpath at Teddington Lock. This rerouting was new for 2023, and the towpath section — which was only 200m or so — gives you the opportunity to push past more fellow competitors before heading back up and on to the narrower trails.
Trails
The Ranelagh Harriers Richmond 10k follows trails for a kilometre or so that are pretty narrow in parts, making passing rather tricky. This is also where you’re likely to come across other members of the public, either walking, running or cycling (the race doesn’t have exclusive right of way), so your stride can be affected somewhat by the lack of passing opportunities, protruding vegetation and non-runners.
As you approach the hairpin bend onto Lower Ham Road, you pass the first water station at 2.4km in — as well as a sprinkler — which on a hot day is a great place to grab a cup of water to rehydrate as you need to slow down anyway for the hairpin, so you might as well take a slurp of water at the same time.
Lower Ham Road
The hairpin turn onto Lower Ham Road can be slippery at times with the dust from the towpath, so it pays to slow down and take the corner gently. It’s a short, sharp incline onto Lower Ham Road and pretty much the only noticeable uphill section of the entire race.
Lower Ham Road then flattens and the straight run towards Richmond Road is a good opportunity to again push on as there’s minimal traffic and a decent amount of space.
Round the Streets
At the end of Lower Ham Road, you take a slight left onto Richmond Road for a short section leading up to a Shell garage. There’s then a further left-hander onto Dukes Avenue, followed by another left-hander onto Dysart Avenue.
Dysart Avenue leads onto Burnell Avenue, then Beauford Road in a sort of u-shaped section of quiet road. So, while the road isn’t closed, it’s rare to see moving traffic so that you can run quite safely on the road.
At the end of Beaufort Road, you take yet another left-hander onto Riverside Drive and follow the road back to where you had initially turned on the trails leading to Teddington Lock. Turning left and heading back along the trails to Teddington Lock, you begin Lap 2.
Lap 2
Lap 2 of the Ranelagh Harriers Richmond 10k follows an identical route from the first lap, heading towards Teddington Lock, back onto the trails, past the water station (now at 6.4km in), then onto Lower Ham Road and round the streets, back to where Lap 2 started.
Riverside Drive to the Finish Line
Blasting past the Lap 2 turn to Teddington Lock, you pound Riverside Drive back towards the Ranelagh Harriers Club House and the finish line arch. After a tough race, it’s tempting to crack on at this point, but you need to remember there’s still over 1km to go, so you need to maintain your composure for a bit longer.
On a hot day, this final push along Riverside Drive can be exhausting, as the heat radiates off the pavement and the sun beats down on your back.
But when you see the finish arch come into view, you know it’s not long to go. There’s also a helpful ‘400m to go’ sign to help you gauge your sprint finish, and as you now go directly through the finish arch (as opposed to round the grassed area and back on yourself) when you’re close enough to give it one last push, you can drop the hammer and power across the line.
Race Strategy
The Ranelagh Harriers Richmond 10k is a flat course with only 82ft (25m) of elevation and an excellent opportunity for a 10k PB attempt. Many local Surrey-based running clubs use the event as their own ‘championship’ race, deciding who wins their annual age-category awards.
Arguably, the best race strategy is to run even or negative splits, running Lap 2 and the final push along Riverside Drive to the finish line faster than the race’s first half. That’s much easier said than done, as your energy levels have probably tanked by this point, especially on hot days. But that’s no reason not to try!
You’ll also need to prepare for potentially getting stuck behind slower runners or other trail users as you head towards Lower Ham Street, and you will definitely need to slow down to take that hairpin turn. But otherwise, with the quiet streets and several wide roads, there’s plenty of opportunity to settle into a pace and pass others, meaning a great time should be possible.
Reflections
Running the Ranelagh Harriers Richmond 10k is always a pleasure. The organisation and venue are excellent; the course isn’t too challenging and has a lot of variety. The post-race refreshment options are also great, and in 2023 and 2024, you even got a free cold beer in the goodie bag.
The only thing to be mindful of is the weather. The Ranelagh Harriers Richmond 10k is usually in June, so mid-20C temperatures at gun time are likely. So while it’s a great course to go for a 10k PB attempt, make sure you’re properly hydrated and take advantage of the water station just before the hairpin bend onto Lower Ham Street — you need to slow down to take the corner anyway, so use that opportunity to down a glug or two of water.
So make sure you sign upfor the next Ranelagh Harriers Richmond 10k and give it a go to see if you can bag a new 10k PB!
If you’ve liked this race report, you can check out my other reports on local Surrey races like Running the Ranelagh Harriers Richmond Half Marathon, Running the Kingston Spring Raceday 20-miler and Running the Chessington Valentine’s 10k.
And if you’d like to hear more about races further afield, you can see my reports on Running the Boston Marathon, Running the Berlin Marathon and Running the Athens Authentic Marathon.
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