Im found being emailed only a few weeks beforehand advising I would have to collect my bib from a location in Ealing a few days before race rather unsettling and stressful, as I had naturally expected my bib to be posted to me (my fee of approximately £40 should have covered the costs), and I wasn’t familiar with Ealing or the locations and was uncertain when I would find time to get there, with other time pressures. Eventually as fellow runner was able to collect it for me (after I had to email organisers to confirm this was ok, as had not been stated in original message. I was also disappointed the bibs didn’t have our names printed on them, as they had in 2023 when I ran it there first time, therefore none of the crowd (who were fantastic otherwise) could call out my name - that made such a difference to my morale before. I tried writing my name on but It wasn’t as clear as the printed names. This is a nice touch that stood out for me last time - was amazing having my name called out by strangers cheering me on, so I really missed that this time. At the end of the Race I got a little confused and stopped too early for a few seconds as I had run over a ramp thinking that was the end. Thankfully a spectator shouted at me to carry on so I did. Maybe clearer signs showing how many meters left to end would help - not sure if I’m only one confused by that. It probably only cost me a few seconds though.

Absolutely fantastic event with seamless organisation! Great support locally along the route too with many unofficial water offerings and energy top-ups not to mention cheers of encouragement. A big thank you to the several hundred local volunteers who help make this event happen. I've done a shift myself - it's a very early start!