was a good race.

Was not very organised at beginning as did not know where the start line was. No Pre-Race briefing.

the Pacers were excellent and I personally would like to thank the sub 55min Pacer for all his encouragement throughout the race.

Course was mainly road but some tight lanes to navigate through and if in large group hard to get space

Overall a good race

I registered for this race at the same time as registering for the English Half Marathon so was given a discount and the registration process was very easy. I have been kept up to date with any changes by regular emails.

The route is on closed roads through Birchwood Village, Birchwood Forest Park and part of Croft, starting outside Birchwood Shopping Centre. There are plenty of toilets and great facilities within the shopping centre.

The route itself was a mixture of closed smooth roads, gravel pathways and there is a very small stretch of poorly maintained uneven road in Locking Stumps. It was also quite a flat route with only 3 inclines which could barely be called hills.

The event was very popular with a lot of runners but due to the race starting on a main roadway it was easy and comfortable to get running without colliding with other racers.

The marshalls were situated along the whole stretch of the route and were brilliant. They were fantastic at directing everyone but also very cheerful and provided great motivation!

All in all, this was a brilliant race which is local to me. The organisers, Spectrum Striders, have done Birchwood proud for another year and I can't wait to sign up to the race next year too!

Enjoyed the Birchwood 10k this morning. Despite drizzly conditions morale was maintained around the course by lots of friendly marshals. The corse goes through a lot of twists and turns and marshals wete present at all of them (and at plenty of spaces in between), giving clear directions and words of encouragement too. Very well organised out on the course although some PA announcements at the start might have helped a little (but the pre-race instructions sent by post were comprehensive).

Course itself is pretty urban with some sections on pavements alongside open (but not busy roads). Won’t be to all tastes but I didn’t mind. Tarmac throughout and he nerally flat but with a few motorway overpass ramps towards the end. Potential trip hazards every now and then when mounting or stepping down from pavements but nothing that ought to be a problem; visually impaired runners should be fine with a guide runner.

A friendly and inclusive event with a nice medal and t shirt. Refreshments restricted to water only at the finish with a half-way water station (well manned) which is fine for a 10k in my view.

Only real improvement suggestion to organisers would be a baggage drop. Given the weather today, it would have been nice to have brought a change of clothes for after the finish. That said, most people came by car (loads of parking) so this would only be an issue for the small number of people on public transport (the race starts a few hundred yards from Birchwood train station). Pre race instructions were clear there would be no baggage drop so I didn’t get caught out.

Will definitely do this again next year:

Birchwood 10k can work in tandem with the English Half marathon, so you get a nice little discount if you enter both together which is always nice.

Birchwood is a lovely suburb town with much of the run being on footpaths and off the road, but the road you do use is closed and coned off, so you always feel safe.

The course is relatively flat, so pretty quick paced if you're looking for a PB. 

Prior to the race, competitors gather next to Birchwood shopping centre by the train station. It's just a case of hang around until the group start to gather around the start line. It lacks any group warm up for those who enjoy that, and there's no instruction or entertainment for the start. 

You get drinks stations, they're nothing special but they do exactly what you need them to; provide water.

Marshals guide the way at any point where you could possibly go the wrong way, so you can follow the course without confusion.

Considering Birchwood is small, there are plenty of points where local support is gathered to give you a bit of a cheer, based on the name on your number tag- which is always helpful.

All in all, it's a quick enjoyable 10k through a leafy suburb. Yeah it has development areas but the Spectrum Striders have done a brilliant job in organising this event in the past, and I don't  doubt that will continue to be the case.

If you sign up for EHM you get this race discounted and this is why i enter it.

Personnely I dislike the course it can be narrow at times with uneven surfaces and subways, roundabouts and the dreadful motorway bridges, the run up to these bridges seem like forever.

Its very handy to have a shopping centre at the start/finish with lots of parking and toilets to use, and if its raining before the start you can just sit around in there.

The medals seem to be very similar the past 2 years as well as the T shirts, a change would be nice, but its a fairly cheap race to enter so I cant complain.

A decent 10k but could do with some course alterations.