I've ran the Two Tunnels 10k races previously and knew what to expect in terms of the route but this was the first time I had ran the half marathon.

Logistically the event is easy to get to as the park and ride isn't too far from the event village. I parked nearby on street parking which was a short walk to the start. Logistics is one of the things I worry most about when racing so knowing I could get there easily and then get away again easily afterwards made me happier. On the day there are many different distances ranging from a family friendly colour run through to 5k, 10k and then Half Marathon with varying start times and waves. Firstly this eases congestion at the race village as both the queue to collect your bib and the queue for the (ample amount) portaloos was small. Secondly this allows the organisers to limit the numbers in each wave meaning there isn't a large amount of people gathering for too long in the start pen. 
 

Once you have collected your bib you can take your bag over to the bag drop tent, literally a 30 second walk from collecting your bib. The bag drop tent was well managed as you walked in one side, took your bag to the area for your race distance, and then walked out the other side. As it was in a large tent this doubled up nicely as an area for me to quickly put some layers on post-race as it had started to rain and was a little quieter. 
 

The start/finish is at Brickfields Open Space in Bath. In these times you couldn't have a better place for an event village as there is so much (and I hate to say it) space! The portaloos were to one side as you enter with wide funnels for queuing and plenty of hand sanitizer. Further down the field is the registration tent to collect your bib, again with wide funnels and clearly marked with the waves on although I still managed to initially get into the wrong queue. With dry weather there was a lot of room to sit down both before and after the race however due to the nature of the course the only real area for spectators is at the start/finish.

10 minutes before your wave starts you get called into the start pen for a pre-race brief. A lot of information is emailed, and is available on the website, prior to the day however I did find myself getting worried about the turnaround point back in the village. Spoiler alert; I needn't have worried. 
 

The half marathon route is an out and back route twice along the disused railway route. If you have ever ran the 10k it's the same route twice however you run slightly further out before turning around. This brings us to the uniqueness of the course with the tunnels. The first is about 400m in length however the second tunnel is a mile, as you run out and back twice you run through each tunnel 4 times. They are not the widest, you do need to be careful as you'll have runners coming the other way but also pedestrians and cyclists coming down the middle. I liked the tunnels as felt like I could zone out but also there was no wind, I felt like I was running faster but it's hard to tell as GPS goes awry (your course will look shorter on Strava) in the longer tunnel. The rest of the course is tree/bush-lined footpaths but there isn't really anywhere suitable for spectators. 
 

There was a refreshment stop just after the second tunnel with plenty of water in cups (the pre-race emails advised there wouldn't be cups) and orange segments. All of the marshals were fantastic and I felt so well supported throughout the race, everything was well signed and I needn't have worried about the turnaround! 
 

The route is predominantly flat however it is Bath so there will always be undulations and watch out for the short sharp section just before the end. The event isn't chip-timed though. I knew this from having ran the 10k so made sure I started right at the front on the line despite it meaning I got overtaken pretty quickly. I hoped my time wouldn't be too different from the official time but it still ended up being out, I can only think that when I crossed the line it took me a while to stumble through to leave 😂

On finishing you walk through another funnel which takes you to a marquee with an incredible selection of snacks, water and you are then given your medal. The races are usually held as a series providing you with opportunity to go back and collect more medals. In past years these medals have been interlocking although I don't believe they were this year. 
 

All in all a highly recommended event with a unique route, straight forward logistics and a super friendly event team. I'll definitely be back! 

What a great race, it had a really good 'Club' feel to it, easy to get to using the Park and Ride, enough amenities, all the organisers and marshals were happy, smiling and encouraging. That was my first race in a while and a great experience, not only would i recommend this, but i will return to do another Relish Running event in the future. 

Upon registering for this race I didn't envisage missing 2 months of training leading up to it but had heard so much great stuff about it I thought what the hell. Meeting our dedicated bus at the park and ride set great standard from the off. Arriving at race HQ it was easy and quick to pick up my race pack and get ready. Great toilets that was helped by having a male urinal helping to keep ques down. Bag drop was simple and quick. All staff were bubbly and helpful which again was great. Instructions prior to the day were very clear and at our waves alotted time we were briefed very clearly despite the fact that this was 16th race of the day. The GB athlete taking the warm up was an added bit of class. Of we went out of the field and onto the shared pathways leading to the tunnels in the races title. Have to say I struggled with the slight inclines to tunnel 1 where the sensory of a lit tunnel that you couldn't see the end of did at first seem quite strange. Out of tunnel one and on to the bush and tree lined picturesque pathways to tunnel 2 that again made this 10k like no other. Whilst getting used to the dimly lit tunnel with no end that lasted for over 1km your senses were bombarded by the light changing speakers playing music. Just past tunnel 2 was the water station and a little further again the turn around point. Now used to the tunnels I actually enjoyed them even as far as embracing their uniqueness. At the 7km I was hurting and hurting lots due to lack of training and possibly unused to upslopes being a flat run hunter lol. Left Achilles and right quad were in bits but kilometres 8 and 9 were reached thanks to great marshals and some fantastic fellow runners encouraging, conjealing and ego massaging. I could hear the fan of so i must be close, ah a final steep online to re-enter the hq field and the finish line was a brutal twist that my body did not appreciate. Upon entering the finishing straight of around 250m the crowd metaphorically speaking put my on their shoulders and carried me to the finish line. Making my way to the medal station I was met with smiley lovely volunteers handing out medals, chocolate fruit and a cuddle if required. All in a fantastic race that is like no other race I feel.

I will be back next year for all 4 events. 

The Two Tunnels run is unique in the fact it goes through two tunnels, one of which is over a mile in length. This makes for a very different feel to a run. It was one of the most awesome runs I have done because of this.

Relish running as always did a fantastic job of staging a friendly and well-run event with a great atmosphere. 

And to top it off, the beer retailer was brilliant too. 

See you at next year's runnings.

Entered the race as something different.  Although logistics difficult, the organisers put on buses, easy registration and good email communication.

However, there are far too many events on and too many waves.  5k, 10k, 21k, 42k, 50k, egg and spoon, sack race etc etc.

This meant far too many people on a course that was good in places but racing on public paths and canal towpaths means lots of traffic.

The two tunnels are great, very unique but thats it. 4 x 10k out and back would have been preferable to trying to dodge towpath users, dogs, steps, gates and 4 road crossings.

A challenging course, but race is trying to do too much.  Marathon feed stations were ok, and frequent enough but a very low key finish, no chip timing and no info about how to get back to park and ride.

Dropping this down to a 2 race event would be better.  

This was a great first ultramarathon for me. The out and back ten km loops might put some off but the support you got from the other runners as you passed them really kept you motivated. We got to know each other by race numbers so the shouts of "Hey 45, good to see you looking strong" and the high fives etc really gave you a boost. And then over the course of the morning around 1500 runners doing different distances were set off in waves which gave the feel of being part of a much bigger race. They managed to organise this so that it felt busy but never congested. 

The quality of the feed stations was unreal, a wide variety of drinks, snacks, and gels both in the ultra funnel at the end of the lap and the 5km turnaround. 

The marshals were brilliant, and as I'm generally a back marker it was great to see them offering enthusiastic support right to the end. Looking up your name and giving a personal shout out was a nice touch. 

And the course, it's basically like being on a narrowboat but on foot. Although some of the music in the tunnels was a bit spooky. 

All in all I'm not sure I could have picked a better first Ultra. Thanks to the organisers, you did a great job.