The Rye 10 has been a part of the SGP for a while so normally attracts a decent field. I’ve done it many times and in 2023 it was one my best ever races as I planned the route. Hopefully my notes here can help.

If you are looking for a rough idea on pace, target around your half marathon pace, or a fraction slower is a good starting point in my opinion. Although it will fluctuate dramatically given the elevation. Below I have posted what sorts of splits you can expect in relation to your half marathon pace.

As for the hills. 6 main hills in total although it is rolling in places.

Hill 1:
0-1 Mile (0-1.4kms)
Straight off the bat you tackle an incline, so start off conservatively, you’ll need that energy for later in the race.

Hill 2:
2-3.6 Miles (3.2-5.8km)
A real slog this one albeit not terribly steep, but just take your time and expect your pace to be quite a bit slower than half marathon speed.

Hill 3:
4.9-5.4 Miles (7.8-8.7km)
Not the longest on the course but a sneaky little bugger, with a gradient of 5-7%

Hill 4:
6.0-6.1 Miles (9.6-9.9km)
I was going to leave this one out as it’s so short but didn’t want any surprises and at it’s steepest it hits 9% gradient.

Hill 5:
6.3-6.7 Miles (10.2-10.8km)
They just keep on coming, although once at the top of this hill you have a nice downhill stretch to look forward to.

Hill 6:
7.9-9.0 Miles (12.8-14.6km)
Possibly one of the toughest hills you’ll tackle in a race, not just due to the distance and elevation but the point of the race it arrives. Take your time, and you know once you get to the top it’s a mile downhill to the finish.

Target Splits (based off current half marathon pace)

Mile 1: +15 secs
Mile 2: -30 secs
Mile 3: +50 secs
Mile 4: 0 secs
Mile 5: -20 secs
Mile 6: +15 secs
Mile 7: +30 secs
Mile 8: -30 secs
Mile 9: +50 secs
Mile 10: -60 secs

Km 1: +20 secs
Km 2: 0 secs
Km 3: -20 secs
Km 4: +20 secs
Km 5: +20 secs
Km 6: +10 secs
Km 7: -20 secs
Km 8: -15 secs
Km 9: +25 secs
Km 10: 0 secs
Km 11: +20 secs
Km 12: -15 secs
Km 13: -5 secs
Km 14: +35 secs
Km 15: -10 secs
Km 16: -30 secs

Good luck!