On the whole this is a very picturesque event which is almost entirely run on countryside roads... It's the roads however that are my only issue. Whilst it is advertised as a race on roads that aren't closed, it felt very unsafe at certain points where cars would try to squeeze past runners on small country roads. This was only really a problem in the first few miles due to the runners being bunched up and close together, and also something which can be considered more of an issue with the drivers than the organisers, but it is worth noting.

The marshals were great, the start and finish location are very unique and the medal/t-shirt are good quality (you do however receive your finishers t-shirt before the race, which would be very inconvenient if you don't have somewhere to store it!). Overall I'd still recommend this event for a small and intimate half marathon, there are just a couple of points that could be improved in the future.

Oh, how I did feel for the organisers and marshals at this years' race. The weather being particularly British and despite there only being a 30% chance of rain, the heavens opened just as we all started. Cue an hour-or-so of running in torrential rain (just enough to ensure every trace of liberally applied sun cream had been washed off), before the clouds parted and the sun beamed down on us. That being said, the marshals were all excellent and enthusiastic, rain-or-shine and are a credit to the NiceTri team.

Now, I am a fan of NiceTri races, I always find them to be well-organised affairs and the people that are involved are generally the salt of the earth. This is my second NiceTri event of the year, and my third Kimbolton Half Marathon, and today did not disappoint. I entered online via their very easy-to-use website, and then picked up my number on the day. Now, my parents live half a mile away from the start, so I didn’t use the parking facilities, so I cannot comment on that, but I didn’t hear any moans from other competitors so I’d assume they were fine.

The pre-race area was well signposted and generally, everything was easy to find. My only gripe is about the toilets. The organisers had a good array of portable toilets, as well as a trailer of urinals, which is great, for the MEN. Meanwhile, us women had a 20 min toilet queue to navigate before we made our way to the start. I would have liked a separate women’s trailer as well as the Portaloos if possible, to make it slightly fairer to the women. The queue was so big at one point I considered walking back to my Mum and Dad’s to use their facilities instead of waiting.

The route is beautiful but “undulating”. There are two/three noticeable hills, the worst being the Pertenhall hill at mile 12, but the super-fast mainly downhill final mile makes up for it. It is all well signposted and the marshals were enthusiastic and welcoming despite being soaked from head-to-toe. The course is very rural and mainly on small country roads, so the number of supporters is limited, however, those we did encounter were fantastic!

I didn’t race well and committed the No.1 running sin of getting carried away and starting off far too fast. However, I had a lot of fun and will be signing up for more NiceTri races in the future!

PS: One of the best things about this race is that the photos are free. They are uploaded to the race's Facebook page and all participants are encouraged to "Tag themselves" and download! Top marks, NiceTri. 

The Kimbolton Half Marathon is great little event. Put on by NiceTri it was always going to well run event.

Set at Kimbolton Castle (also Kimbolton School) it was very easy to find and plenty of parking. Signs leading up to the grounds and plenty of marshals to keep things moving so no real queues to get in. Registration was dealt with very quickly, again with plenty of people helping out and knowing what they’re doing always helps.  Queues for the toilets were a little long but thankful for the blokes they did have an urinal booth to help speed things up. It might sound silly but little things like that can make a big difference to someone like me who gets a little nervous just before the start of a race.

The route heads out of the castle and along Kimbolton high street then into the surrounding villages. One thing to note which I wasn’t keen on was that this is not a closed road event. I knew this going into it but didn’t think to much about it until out on course. Some drivers just do not slow down at all and can be travelling past big groups of runners while they’re still doing 60mph. Not to bad when you’re on your own at the side but in a big group with not much room can be a little daunting.

The route is also quite a challenging one. Nearly the whole first half of the race is up hill with a big steep hill just before halfway. If you set out a bit too quick you’re going to feel it later on. The next half feels a lot better until mile 11 then it goes up again. This time its very steep and I’am sad to say that I did end up walking for a very brief period as it caught me off guard slightly.

You finish up by running into the castle grounds, around the castle and to finish. It makes for a great finishers photo running in with the castle behind you. The medal and t-shirt upon finishing also look great and I’m very pleased with.

I can highly recommend this event just be aware it is not closed roads and non-runners don’t like slowing down for you.

I really enjoyed Kimbolton Half! Great value for money, easy to navigate, supportive marshals.

I couldn't really hear the briefing from where I was stood, but figured I was following the crowd anyway. As roads weren't closed (not a complaint as it keeps the cost down) there were marshals on most crossing points, though it was a shame that some weren't covered. 

Luckily I and everyone arounnd me was ok, however for the future I would reccomend that runners have a telephone number or something on their bib so that the can contact event organisers in case of a medical issue. Some parts were out in the countryside and we didn't see a marshal for a mile or so -similar with the ambulance which I saw drive past twice.

Apart from that it was a great event through the countryside, medla and t-shirt for finishing!

Signed up for the Kimbolton half as there isn't a lot of choice for racing in August.

Arrived early to find loads of parking available, directed by marshals. Registration took seconds, which gave me time to put the t-shirt they give you in the car. 

Came back to join the toilet queue which took a good 25 minutes (I've seen complaints in previous years so maybe something could have been learned by now) 

After a quick but informative race briefing, we were off, through the main town and quickly out into the country roads.This not a closed road event, but the roads are so quiet there don't tend to be any issues.

The course, in line with online elevation chart provided, rises gently for six miles with a tougher climb at the end of mile six. This is followed by a gentle downhill for five miles, a short but tough climb at mile eleven  and then a drop into the finish around the castle and through the grounds. This makes it quite a tough course to pace, which can be compounded by the weather if its windy like in 2018.

Finish area is good craic, after getting the medal, water, and banana, there are massages and other stands around, as well as the chiptiming tent where you can get your race time and position. 

This is not a pb course and I missed out on target time, but I would still happily recommend it to anyone in the area.

Did enjoy this Half overall and would recommend.

It was easy to park on site albeit rather busy with cars. A short walk to registration which has its own zone with the finish etc.

Downside is that they then give you a T-shirt before you start the race so you have to go back to the car again to drop it off.

Start at the Arch and straight through the village and out and easy to find your way. A lot of runners but enough space and good country roads.

Ran it with a pack so cannot comment on water stations but there seemed to be enough at key points.

Two nasty hills meant it was challenging enough and the finish area running past the house and on the home straight is great. A really big gantry to run under with a big digital clock so you know how well you have done. Commentator calls you in and music is pumping. great atmosphere!