Hya everyone,

As we wrap up the 2026 DK Mile Series, I want to extend a sincere thank you to every volunteer who supported the events this year, we’ve again received a huge amount of positive feedback from athletes, and the overwhelming message is gratitude for the volunteers, I want you all to know how much your contribution has been appreciated, not just by me, but by every athlete who has taken part.

This year also saw both the men’s and women’s course records smashed, a reflection of the growing standard of runners attending and the strength of the series overall.

Looking Ahead to 2027

Next year’s series will depend on the NCC works programme, I’ve been assured that updates will be provided as plans become clearer, the promenade works are scheduled to begin this month (September), with the hope of completion by April 2027.

Ground works for Links Road, the Mermaid car park, and the Summer Cup start area are the next concern, ideally these would be scheduled after the summer, similar to the approach taken with the promenade, which would allow the DK Mile 2027 Series to go ahead as normal, I will keep everyone updated as soon as timelines are confirmed.

Safety and First Aid Improvements

To date, we have had zero accidents at the DK Mile, an incredible achievement considering we have now held 85 events, over 6 years and with 471 individual athletes taking part, my instincts tell me we are due one eventually. So the aim is to ensure that when it does happen, it is not serious and we are equipped to deal with it.

Plans for next year include equipping all marshals with first aid kits, and offering free (not compulsary) 1 day first aid training courses to all regular volunteers, this will strengthen our safety provision as numbers continue to grow.

Wave Spacing and Course Flow

One area identified for improvement is the spacing between waves, particularly around the narrow section between the walls as athletes enter and exit the bandstand area, unlike parkrun, runners are travelling at much higher speeds here, and this is where most overtaking naturally occurs.

As groups have become larger and faster, this section has become more congested, so the proposed change for 2027 is to keep one minute between Wave 1 and Wave 2, and extend to two minutes between Wave 2 and Wave 3, this should allow the danger zone to clear before the faster runners, then the juniors, reach it.

The downside is that a third timer may need to remain at the start for an extra minute, meaning they may not reach the finish before the first runner arrives, the upside is a more spread‑out finish, giving the timers and loggers an easier time, overall this change should create a safer event and give athletes a better chance of improving their times.

Awards and Series Structure

Awards are always challenging to manage on the night, with 22 individual awards that all have the potential to change on the night. Also with the pressure of fading light. I have several ideas, but each one solves one issue and creates another.

One option is to use only the first five races as the series counters, and treat the final race as an individual championship event. This would give a ready‑made list of winners, but it would need to be clearly communicated at the point of entry, I will continue to explore options and welcome any thoughts you may have.

Volunteer Numbers

Across the 2026 series, we had 42 individual volunteers, and 177 individual athlete entries, this level of support is what keeps the DK Mile running smoothly and safely, thank you again for everything you have contributed this year.

Any thoughts or feedback are very welcome.

Thanks,
Tony Dunn (tony@dkmile.com)