It is a well organized race going through Kent countryside. Start time is at 10am, which is unusual but nice for those coming from afar. Also lots of marshalls and public supporters throughout the course to cheer you on. It is usually advertised as flat and fast but in actual fact there are a fair few hills through the course, although mostly with a gradual incline. What lets this race down though is the organisation, which is a little bit over the top, especially for the majority of runners who are not going to be elite level. Essay like instructions are sent multiple times before the race and on the day some marshalls seemed to be trigger happy in telling people that they would be disqualified for certain things. This even happened at the finish line for some of the participants and was not always handled in a nice way but really threatening and condescending. This put a bit of a negative spin on the whole experience, which should have been a great achievement. Apart from that, I would recommend the race overall.

First time running the Paddock Wood half marathon and I certainly will be back. Great course, great organisation and communication too. Lovely day for it in terms of weather as well which was a nice bonus. I think the start does need some thinking about though in terms of staggering. They effectively just released us at the same time and running up the high street at the start was very chaotic and I was waiting for someone to trip me up but thankfully, that didn't happen. Definitely need a pen style to release based on times. Apart from that, perfect event for anyone local to the area.

Organization was fantastic, one of the best runs ive done its fairly flat, water stations fill paper cups from a fire hydrant mixed feelings about that, parking was ample and not far from the start a nice warm up warm down distance, toilets were 75% good amount available. 3000 runners and the sun came out was a lovely day, biggest bug is they didn't record times after 2 hours I paid just the same as the people that finished under 2, why they didn't post my time. Very disappointed. So event great very busy 1-2km but then nice and open. Just the timing company need a kick up the backside.

I say it every year, but if you are looking for a flat, fast, PB potential half marathon, there really are not many better races than the Paddock Wood Half Marathon. The logistics are absolutely outstanding and although there are a few quiet sections on the course spectator wise, the support you get from the other runners and those dotted around the course is brilliant. I was asked again to join the pace team and run at 1:40:00 with Becky Morrish, who is an excellent pacer to run with - really friendly, helpful to the other runners, encouraging and once again got the time spot on. The rest of the pacers are all very experienced runners for their time, and the calming atmosphere they create for everyone who are trying to get their PBs and may be a touch nervous is fantastic to see. The course itself, aside from a few undulating sections which we call 'speed bumps' is a very quick route with course records that make you gasp that anyone can run that quick, and is a nice quiet route for anyone who doesn't want to get overly distracted by loud noises, cars whizzing past etc. The marshals are absolutely brilliant and encourage you every step of the way, and the aid stations are placed in the right spot with cups to be more eco-friendly. When you cross the finish line, the medal this year was a gorgeous slim-line choice and one that is rather chic and different compared to previous years and the atmosphere as you finish is very warm and welcoming. As usual, thank you Paddock Wood for another outstanding edition of your race. Really fantastic morning

Overall it was a great event and definitely with PB potential (I know, because I achieved one :-). The pacers were excellent and really engaged with the runners. I drove to the event, but it's very close to Paddock Wood station for people who need/prefer to use public transport. The route does go out into the countryside, but it's not especially scenic - which isn't surprising given that it's so flat! I only have two negative comments. Firstly, some of the pre-race information with respect to parking was a little contradictory and confusing. Secondly, and more importantly, for the 2022 event there appear to be no official photos of anyone apart from the leading group - literally just 211 photos of the same small group of people taken from the back of the lead vehicle. This wasn't the case with previous events and was a major disappointment for me and I'm sure for others too.

So this was my first time at PW and what a great running event this was... the race organisation was amazing.. Communication via email was regular, informative. The marshal supervision around the whole course was fabulous, so encouraging and enthusiastic. The race start had plenty of toilets, a decent bag drop and registration. The route was flat apart from a couple of slight inclines but nothing to worry about so it has great potential for a P.B. Once you crossed the finish line you received a nice medal, a can of non-alcoholic beer, bottle of water. I will definitely be back for 2023.

This was the first time I took part in the Paddock Wood Half Marathon, and will certainly won't be the last - in fact I have already entered for 2022. 

This is a well organised, local race, organised by the Paddock Wood Athletic Club, with the support of the local people and businsess, and is evident from the moment you arrive that this is an event organised with love for the sport, and not a money making exercise. 

The course is flat and fast, with only a couple of inclines, certainly the flattest half course in the area and definite PB potential. Speaking of which, I did manage to get a PB on the day, despite the heat, with teh help of the 2:30 pacing team - special mention and thanks to Spencer & Stuart for giving their own time to help people achieve their goals - you are legends gents!

There are good transport links from London and there is parking near by - both at the Train Station and in a local business that has given their parking lot to raise money for charity. If you live in London and are looking for a PB half marathon, I cannot recommend the Paddock Wood Half enough!

 

On Sunday 5th September, I took part in the Paddock Wood 2021 after being asked to be a 1:40 pacer.  After taking part in this race a number of times over the years, I was delighted to have been asked back to run with my co-pacer, Becky, and we both had a great day.

Considering there was still some mild anxiety from some with regards to the pandemic, the organisers did an excellent job keeping all the runners updated over the tannoy and online/postal communications, and ensuring we were in the starting pen with relative ease just before the race started.  After the countdown, we were away with our group and on our way to the country lanes and lovely scenery that Paddock Wood had to offer.

The course itself, minus one or two little up and overs, is very flat and certainly one if all goes well should see you get a really good PB, and the group who we had who tried to get under the 1:40 time did a fantastic job.  The weather was a tad on the warm side and it took it's toll on a number of our group, but the aid stations were perfectly placed as always, with great encouragement from the marshals, and we still had a good number of runners with us until the last uphill at 11 miles.  It was at this point Becky (who was doing a fanastic job pacing) and I told our group to go on without us if they felt comfortable, as the course for the final 2.1 miles is a good combination of flat and downhill.  We caught up with a couple of our runners, but did our best to get the crowd encouraged to get them over the finish line in the time they were after, and we crossed the line in 1:39:46.

It was a great day and fantastic event, but the main thing was the group we were with and ensuring their race went the way it was supposed to for them.  The medal was the one we would have received in 2020, and it was good that the organised recycled the medal instead of ordering all new ones just due to the change of date.  There was a statement that came out which mentioned the lack of water at the finish which some of us didn't even notice, but it was a good proactive response from the organisers to acknowledge the issue and address this as something that needed fixing before the 2022 edition.

Thank you Paddock Wood for a great day, hope to see you next year!