I really enjoyed this event. I love history and I love castles so to do an event that starts and finishes and Hampton Court Palace is, I think, pretty special. 

Pre-event I found the information helpful and it answered all queries. Was nice to have the bib sent through in the post as I like to be able just turn up and run rather than have the hassle of sorting out race numbers on the day. 

The race village itself was easy to find and a nice busy - enough people to have a good atmosphere but not so busy that it felt overhwelming in the post-Covid times. Loads of toilets both portaloos for the event and toilets in the grounds of Hampton Court Palace itself. Weirdly, when I went there were lots of people queuing for the first set of portaloos despite there being no queues at the ones slightly further back. 

Also, there was a bag drop! :D It was outside so I was glad I'd put everything in plastic bags to keep in dry in the event of rain but it was super quick and easy to drop off and pick up after the race. 

Announcements over the loud speaker let people know when they should head to the start area based on their estimated finish time and King Henry VIII was there to wave people off. 

I'm not from the area and it was my first time there so I found the route interesting. There's a loop up along the river, turn right at the bridge at the top, and then head back down the river and through the town to then do a shorter loop repeating the pretty river section and then turning left to run through the golf course back to Hampton Court Palace. Marshals were around to ensure it was safe to cross and there were lots of water stops en route. I can't recall that many signs (may have just been me) but it was really obvious where to go so no chance of getting lost. Lots of locals were out to shout encouragement too.

Most of the route is on tarmac, path, or pavements with only a small section on grass. I was worried about the grass bit beforehand due to an ankle injury but the ground was solid and it was absolutely fine to run on. 

It was fantastic to see Hampton Court Palace for the finish and really helped to motivate me for the end section. Lovely encouragement for runners coming in from staff at the finish line too. 

There was no actual goody bag but at the end I picked up my awesome medal (love the design!), T-shirt, big bag of Epsom bath salts, and edible treats. 

My legs were still tired from Brighton Marathon the week before and I'm struggling with an ankle injury but without those, the course would have been perfect for a PB. 

It's definitely a race I'd be interested in doing again. My only (small) criticism would be the number of plastic bottles that go to waste. I'd be happy with smaller amounts of water in paper cups to save on waste and littering. But overall I definitely highly rate this event and would recommend it to anyone after something fun on a nice route with a great atmosphere and an awesome race medal and T-shirt. 

Pros: The crowds were excellent, they really spurred me on when I was flagging and the bands dotted along the course were a welcome distraction. 

Starting and finishing at Hampton Court was lovely and it was surprisingly easy to find free street parking nearby.

Brilliantly flat course, mostly along the banks of the Thames, great for first HM or PB chasers.

Cons: Running through the town was less than picturesque and a bit of a slog but running across an uneven field for the last 1-2 km was soul destroying, your energy is already flagging and now you need to watch each step to avoid turning an ankle on the homeward stretch, I would have preferred the field to be at the start.

I signed up to this HM as my first believing there was no cut off time, but 2 weeks before the event, I received an email saying anyone who could not finish within 3 hours would be collected by the sweeper bus. I nearly pulled out of the race altogether at the prospect of running 19-20k only to DNF. If there is a cut-off time this should be made abundantly clear before they take your payment.