Market Harborough half marathon is a great race!  The weather this year was absolutely awful but clearly the organisers have no sway over the elements so I’m going to review this on the way it would have been with better weather on things like the local support aspect (which I know from previous years is usually great). This review is for the half marathon distance.

And if you don’t like a hilly race, this one definitely isn’t for you! 

Pros

• Lovely route with fabulous marshals (local support thin on the ground this year because of the awful weather but it’s usually brilliant)
• Good aid stations (four on the half route) with water at first and last and water and Clif blocks at second and third)
• Free photos (with the caveat that at the point of writing this I haven’t seen them yet)
• Tech T-shirt
• Free post race massage 
• Well organised
• Pacers available 
• I can’t mark them down on lack of local support this year because the weather was atrocious. I know that in previous years local support especially through the town has been brilliant.

Cons

• I wish the medal (which is good) wasn’t a generic medal for the 5k, 10k and half marathon. Just a different ribbon would be nice to differentiate between distance run
• The half marathon route doesn’t have any toilets along the route. Just one somewhere around half way would be nice in future years. 
• No goodie bag at the end, not even water and a banana.

Overall, a great race which was unfortunately affected by the rain and wind this year. Definitely a race I’d recommend.

I had ran a number of short distance races and it was time to tackle a half marathon distance again. I was hoping to complete it in sub 90 minutes but didn’t quite make it (92 minutes in the end).

It was still an enjoyable race; it was well supported as it was the same day as Market Harborough Carnival. 

This is the fourth time I have run this half marathon and I have to say, this was the best year yet! The earlier start time, and cooler weather made for ideal running conditions. This year saw the addition of a 5km race, and together with the fun run, meant there really was something for everyone.

Registation was easy, with the option of collecting your race number and timing chip in the weeks before, or registering on the day. The clear pre-race information email covered everything from parking to water stops.

The course is varied, starting in the town, with the support of the carnival crowds, and leading out through the villages to quieter country lanes. There were plenty of amazing marshals  along the route with some traffic control measures at road crossing points. The route is undulating, with a nice hill towards the end for both the 10km and half marathon routes, followed by a gradual downhill towards the finish show ground.  A free massage was on offer for competitors. 

Overall a well organised, friendly and enjoyable run, with some challenging parts - thank you Race Harborough