One of the few races on this weekend with #StormDennis kicking up a fuss!!

My first half Marathon under very tough conditions , found the course to be a boring route with loops which when facing 3 mile of strong head winds brings a negative factor into your head to over come . 

The event otherwise was well organised , the pacers were in top form getting everyone in on pace times bring followed in demanding conditions.

At the finish awaiting was a great medal and decent tech shirt , water and choc snack .

Another trip to blackpool to run up and down the fylde coast.  Very similar to the 10 mile route but a bit further down the coast.  Tricky coastal winds on the way back down the prominande.  Always worth mentioning that for a "flat route" the course does undualte a little but nothing I would call hilly!

I used this race as a practice for pacing another half marathon later in the year so was happy to come in at 2.10, especially as the course ran a little long.

More great FCR bling and freddos at the end along with a really nice tech top.

Review of Great North West Half-Marathon 2018.

Like previous reviews i travelled to attend this event. B & B’s were plentiful & reasonable. Entry & pre event information was good. I collected race prior to race. Something unique to this race was the fact that you could take shelter in local big hotels, thus keeping warm & no cue at the toilets. The guys on the PA system were enthusiastic at the start. The route consisted of two loops along the sea front, you completed each loop twice. You never left the seafront & there was no escape from the wind. Water stations were well stocked & manned. Support in parts was plenty & vocal. On completion you recieved a great medal & t shirt - i feel the t shirt could be better. With a field just short of 1000, i expected & felt the race deserved more. I would certainly return.

The beauty of Blackpool is there is more B&Bs than you can care to imagine, so this made this race an option for us travelling from a good few hours drive away knowing the ease of getting a room sorted. Picking up numbers pre-race day wasn't an option for us, but with an 11am race start, this wasn't really an issue either. Number pick-up was straight forward, and baggage drop was an unmanned / help yourself trailer. Fine for us, but something to bear in mind if you would bring valuables. Race itself was a looped course along the promenade, 2 small loops, followed by 2 bigger loops. The majority of the race is flat with a couple of little climbs (all short, but will slow you down). You'll either have the beach to your left and a wall to your right (heading north) or the beach to your right and the road / hotels to your left (heading south). Dependant on your outlook, its either good coastal views, or a bit groundhog day. Would say it's a PB'able course overall (i toook 5 mins off mine, 1.43 to 1.38). A really decent medal at the finish (nice and weighty), plus a freddo and bottle of water. Finisher tshirt too, but this was a bit naff imo. Overall very enjoyable race that i'd recommend

Travelled across from Hull for this race, and I have to say ultimately it was a journey well worth it. It was well organised for the key parts - social media comms, event info emails, and the race day registration itself. I really enjoyed the route running along the sea front for 4 laps although I would see why some would see it a little dull and repetitive, if you love running by the sea then this route is great for you. It is relatively flat in terms of overall elevation however I couldn't call this a flat route as when you go up climbs they are very steep time killers, and if there is any southerly based wind like the 25mph one this year, you have the classic wind hill combination of the devil and it really takes a special effort not to die off as you will slow down on these sections. Crowds are pretty decent in the main crossover section of the loops. There is availability of 4 water stations well positioned on the route. All the volunteers seemed super enthusiastic which is always nice! I really enjoyed the atmosphere of this event, and was pleased with my effort of 1.29.46. Cool medal afterwards. My only criticisms of the event is that there was a 1.30 pacer advertised by the organisers but there wasn't one, not that it effected me on the day thankfully but still not ideal for a few people aiming for the big landmark. Secondly, the t-shirt design was a throwback to the poor efforts at events of 10 plus years ago. And finally, just my personal opinion but many local organiser events usually offer free or dirt cheap photo's especially when you pay a decent entry fee, this wasn't the case sadly.

Firstly can I say I had a slight foot injury and I wasn't sure if I should take part in this run, decided too and thought I would drop out if I felt the need, because of this my prep wasn't the best and I struggled towards the end but even so this was a good run, well organised and scenic with the course ran along the beach front. I have read varying information about it being flat, hilly etc. The course starts with a two lap loop that takes you over the start line again then onto the longer two loops further down the promenade this is where there were inclines but the majority of the route is flat. There were plenty of water stations around the course and I noticed that they were being collected quickly to prevent them being blown onto the course. At the end I collected my medal (chunky medal to!) water and chocolate bar.