With my intended race of the Paris marathon cancelled until later in the year I opted to enter this “event” instead for the simple reason that I wanted to improve on my time from last year.
Then, due to the situation across the world involving the CORONA-19 virus, it was cancelled but with an option to complete the race virtually (in so much as you could run your hour anywhere whilst observing the lockdown rules).

I received my medal through the post in advance with my T-shirt, which came flocked with your race number, and I was all set to complete my hour. On a Wednesday. Not your normal day for events.

Race day - and anticipation was high in my kitchen as I watched Sky News over a bowl of honey nut loops. I had planned overnight oats but with all the panic buying in the area, Central London is suffering from a shortage of Icelandic Yak milk so the plan failed at the first hurdle.

A few stretches to Kay Burley whilst she spoke down to a government minister and I was ready to go.
Heading down to the starting line, just past the all night launderette and across the road from the Tesco Metro with the broken cash machine and a security guard that looks like Alan Sugar, and I was off instantly. No crowded pens and no serious runners in front meant I was able to push up several waves to be at the head of the pack (of one).

A steady pace ensued, slipping past the postman near the Strand and down towards the Embankment. Work from home rules helped with the pace and I quickly managed to find a decent speed through the irregular commuters and new found generation of joggers. And the odd policeman watching what was happening and who had the right to travel.

Desperate to beat my time from 2019 I took the view that flat out was best.

58 minutes in and I came across what most runners fear. The wall. No, not that wall. This one was a low two brick high affair that marked the edge of a flower garden near to the all night shop run by Shukma. He has an enviable collection of A boards on the pavement outside of his shop and I was momentarily distracted by the “hand sanitizer and face mascs” that were being offered instead of the usual “fone unloking” service. Clipping the wall I stumbled forward and only just managed to regain my composure to make a sprint towards the invisible finish line, fearing valuable seconds lost to the gods of Strava.

What followed next were elation, joy and then despair. I had actually forgot to start the app, so my 60 minutes were lost forever, but I will be back next year for one last shot at glory.

Travel tip: Choose a start line where you live instead of two tube stations away.

Race day tip: Beware the paper shops.

Value for money: Yes. The top was nice. The medal was nice. And it was my own personal route, so any personal best belongs to me.

Good concept where you run mile loops. Used it as a leg stretch before heading to Paris for the full marathon the following week. Everything was well thought out and from the starting point to the final medal collection point, with a fun pop-up expo next to St Pauls.

Good set of runners with lots of friendly comments and chats, with no big egos on display, just people running the streets a mile at a time.

Would do again if it fell before the next Paris marathon in 2020.

Inaugural race I believe. Sign up was easy - Bespoke T-Shirt and timin chip arrived 2 weeks beforehand. Comprehensive instructions online beforehand with regular updates throughout - until the day before!

Race day briefing was via tannoy in the event village; OK but not great, however it was easy to follow and understand.

The running was awesome, managed in phases so not too busy on the road; comprised a 1 mile circuit with the simple premise, "Run as far as you can in an hour" 

Really enjoyed this event and would throughly recommend.

The idea of this event was that you ran as far as you could in one hour.  The course was one mile long so runners covered the same lap several times during the one hour period.  There were a couple of large clocks counting down the hour so we knew how much time we had and lots of timing mats so runners knew where they were within the mile.  The start was just past the Dome of St. Paul's and whilst there were lots of runners it wasn't too crowded.  Sunday morning in the City of London is never crowded so it was a good time to hold this event.  Not a huge amount of support but some very enthusiastic marshalls and it was the sort of event which was really about getting your head down and running on a nice flat course.  Admin before was efficient and the start was close to lots of tube stations, so very easy to get to.  Organisers weren't keen on headphones and there was music on the course but I think that music the whole way round would have really helped.   The briefing at the start of each wave made it clear that people could walk but only on the left - liked this because it does get frustrating when you have to dodge people and being explicit really helps everyone.  There was one water station at the half way point on the course so people could grab a cup when they passed that point if they wanted to and there were bins close by.  That seemed to work well and when I ran (there were several waves of runners) the course was litter free.

I think the race was an interesting concept and kudos to Adidas for mixing things up a bit.  I won a free place in the race so didn't have to pay, I gather the cost was £40.00.  That included a nice tech shirt, a medal, some water and a Clif Bar (more Clif Bars at races please!!). I think the cost was high when you compare it to other London races like the Vitality 10k.

This was the second of the Adidas Run series I’ve taken part in and the novelty of a time bound one hour run did appeal to me and so I signed up. My feedback is as follows:

+ve

• The all inclusive price that includes all of the photos plus race t-shirt feels like good value - there are offers for previous participants of this series that bring the cost down below £40
• The logistics worked well, race pack arrived in good time, the only issue was there was no bag check label which actually didn’t cause me personally an issue as my office is close by and so I left my bag there but for others it may have been a faff 
• Running in the heart of the City of London is a great experience and although the course was only a 1 mile loop it did take in a few landmarks 
• The format worked well with the timing boards spread across the course and the siren sounded once the hour was over and all runners walked back to the finish line to collect medals 

-ve

• No goody bag, but a some drinks and a clif bar
• Water station serving drinks in cups
• The course was well marshalled and a mat every 0.1 miles which in a few places were in a very narrow part of the course
• The first few laps were very crowded and I did wonder if the pacing was fully taken account in the start pens

Overall, I enjoyed the event and would recommend it.