I ran this event on one of the wettest days of the year. Could the organisers have predicted the weather? Of course not. But could they have made contingency plans for this kind of weather, given that the event was called the WINTER run…? Of course they could. Let’s start with the good stuff. The volunteers were fantastic, they must have been soaked through and absolutely freezing but the enthusiasm, the costumes, the music and the continuous goodwill was fantastic and really boosted the spirits of all the runners. Pre-race information was concise and clear. And now the not so good stuff. The bag drop and general organisation was abysmal. I have entered many big city running events and the bag drop was terribly thought through. Every other event I have been to gives you a tag for your bag beforehand which means the bag drop is just a drop. Here they thought it would be a great idea to set up a system where, once you get to the front of the queue, you are given a wristband by a volunteer and they will put a correspondingly numbered wristband on your bag to then drop it off. Unsurprisingly this led to huge queues as everyone was being sensible and bringing dry and warm clothes for after the race but couldn’t drop bags off in time. My wait was over 30 minutes to drop my bag off and by the time I left the queue was much bigger! We were then sent round the houses to get to the start line. I missed my wave as the bag drop took so long but I could see that in my new wave, there were a lot of slower runners who had moved forward several waves as they just wanted to get out and run. None of the marshalls were checking which wave anyone should be in. Unsurprisingly, when our race started I spent the first couple of miles weaving in and out of people who wanted to walk the entire race. Nothing wrong with them wanting to do that, but they should have started towards the back. No water stops throughout the course which is unusual for a 10k. At the end, there was no “goody bag”, just the medal (which was decent) and a can of water. No food, no foil blankets to keep warm. And then sent round the houses again to get to the bag collection. Another 30-minute wait and, shockingly, the organisers had not set up a single marquee, tent or any kind of cover for people to get changed after the race. People were huddling under archways to try and find a spot to get changed into warm dry clothes. I feel like I walked an extra 5k just getting from Charing Cross to the bag drop, then to the start line and having to do the whole thing in reverse at the end. The final issue was being unable to get back to Charing Cross as they had closed the underpass so you had to cross the racecourse with runners still coming through. There were hundreds of people on both sides who wanted to cross and I am astonished that there were no serious collisions as the marshals had no control over the situation and it was a bit of a free-for-all. Would I do this race again? Not a chance. The organisers have no incentive to make any changes as this event will sell out every year. I get it – this is not really a running event, it is a fun run which is designed to raise a lot of funds for a very worthy cause. But when you consider what you pay to enter, what you get back is totally disproportionate.

What do you do when your carefully planned event is spoiled by cold and very wet weather? This is the question for the organisers I feel. This was my first time running the London Winter Run and there are plenty of good things to say: the enthusiasm of the organisers and volunteers, the great information pack (and bib) which was posted out in plenty of time, the fun photo opportunities with artificial snow or giant inflatable polar bear, and the thrill of running freely though iconic London streets normally choked with traffic. On the day the weather was dreadful though, and this highlighted a few issues. I was in the first wave and we were shepherded to the start over half an hour before the race began; some runners had already dumped their pre-race warm clothes and others did not have any and I saw runners get seriously cold. The race itself was fine, but when we got to the finish, cold and drenched, we had a 15 min walk to the bag drop and then had to queue to collect our bags, meaning another hour or so before I could actually get dry clothes out of the bag; there was nowhere dry to change either, one had to use imagination and find a doorway to huddle under. In the circumstances the fundraiser tent by the bag drop could have been repurposed as a changing area, or foil blankets could have been given out? And more effort to get us our bags quickly would have been good too. Another issue is pedestrians crossing in front of runners especially on the Strand, not sure how this can be fixed but it needed better marshalling.

Hugely impressed by the volunteers who braved the horrendous weather to cheer us on. As other reviewers have said, there were bottlenecks and difficulties passing people. Brilliant medal. Could’ve done with a snack at the end, as well as the drinks,given the long walk to the bag drop. Other than that a very well organised and fun race to be part of.

Considering the horrid wet weather, I overall had a fun time racing the London Winter 10k for the first time. I liked the medal, the atmosphere was good and the toilet queues were managed much better compared to other events I’ve been to. However, the course was very congested. There were several times where I was stopping and queueing to get past other people and forced onto the pavements (much more than other races I’ve done in London). I also felt the goodies package could’ve been better, or even stuff in a small tote bag as we only got a couple of drinks at the end

2nd time running the event, would I recommend it, yes... would I do it again... probably not. It is a very busy course and personally I don't find running through London the best of experiences and the course had a lot of twist backs which obviously limit speed but also result in a lot of people trying to go tight to the bends and creating difficult moments. There were also numerous occasions of people crossing over at certain points which caused runners to suddenly come to a stop. Also disagree with the having no water stops on route, as feel for a 10k there should be 1. The medal itself was good quality and the "hub" area for the event was very lively and created a very good atmosphere.

For me, it remains one of the most enjoyable races I've ever done. The quality of the course, rolling (with a few false flats up and down), which passes through the very heart of London. The volunteers are all helpful and welcoming, with a special mention for those dressed up as penguins, huskies and polar bears, as well as those present at the start to take photos. The organization is top-notch, and the atmosphere throughout the race makes it a truly special event. As mentioned in a previous comment, the only disadvantage is the bag drop located a little way from the race finish, which can seem a little long in bad weather. Without doubt the race with the most exceptional medal quality (yes, I do love a good medal design)!

Lots of entertainment enroute; plus some penguins, huskies and a polar bear. The bag drop area, start and finish weren't that close to each other, so it meant that after finishing it was a ten minute scenic walk back to the bag drop area. If it was v cold or raining, that'll been really annoying. I like these mixed ability races, although I appreciate that if you're a quick runner it's annoying weaving your way through the traffic.

My first ever race! My husband is a seasoned racer so I've been to a lot of these and experienced a lot of the swag before - sadly they'd run out of one of the items (I forget which, it was a while ago!) when I got there. I wasn't the biggest fan of the route, it kept weaving in an out and around buildings in a way that meant you flashed between hot and cold A LOT, and it made the lack of water on the route really felt - I worried I was going to collapse in the last KM or so. Otherwise fine, a REALLY good beginners race and I'm glad I did it, would hugely recommend it!

If this is your first 10K, I think it would be a really fun run to do. However, it is worth noting that it was a very busy course and at multiple points on the route there were pedestrian crossings that were not marshalled resulting in several collisions. However, I think that it was overall well organised, but I don't think I would do it again and I don't think it's worth the money.