I ran this race for the first and last time in 2017.

It was described to me as challenging but fun and yes, it certainly was.

I smashed my previous PB by 9 min, I was buzzing with happiness and then I couldn’t run for the next 5 months. A bad and very stubborn case of ITband syndrome. 

Yeah, if you’re used to running up and down long hills, go for it. If not, better leave it. 

The race was well organised with plenty of toilets (yes, NO portaloos!) and the bag drop inside of the stadium. There’s even enough space to do your warm up before heading out into the cold for the start line up.

The North London residents seemed to enjoy their Sunday lie-in, so don’t count on their cheers but the race organisers made up for it with plenty of live bands on the course. I loved that.

About half way at the Allianz Arena we were handed out energy drinks in cups, my t-shirt had pretty much all of it. I would practice drinking from a cup before, if I was ever confronted with it again.

I was lucky to get a free place from Vitality or probably wouldn't have entered this. 

it's an early start and getting to wembley from south London was a bit of a flaff. good set up at the start and plus points for loads of toilets ! 

start took longer than I expected and oncw out of Wembley the course was sub urban and not desperately scenic..Marshalls are vocal and encouraging all the way round which was appreviated. Enjoyed the big screen welcome at the rugby ground ..thatwas was fun and a bit different.

free race  photos were a real plus although putting a photographer at the top of the hill about mile 11 was just cruel..

the stadium.entry to finish was fun 

probably not one I would do again..i enjoyed the photos and perms but found the course a bit uninspiring 

It’s a nice touch to finish in the stadium but there are sections of the course that are a bit boring. Nevertheless it was a good race as long as you like hills, there’s a killer one towards the end, which was gratefully followed by a jelly baby station, and then a longer slope later on. Wasn’t impressed that they had run out of lucozade at the Allianz stadium stop already for the middle of the pack runners, but otherwise relatively well organised. 

Price is £45, which my seem steep, however there's no extra fees tacked on and this also includes race photos, massage and a decent good bag.

With an 8:30am gun start, the event was a touch on the early side, and with London’s public transport being a tad unpredictable (on Sunday’s particularly) it’s not ideal to get to. 

The normal pre-race gambit is long cold queues for bag drop and throngs of crossed leg runners waiting for funky smelling portaloos. But with Wembley Stadium being blessed with more toilets then any other building in the UK, this issue was agreeably removed.Bags dropped, toilet visited, coffee purchased and a selfie or too in the stadium with plenty of time to spare before gun time.

We were all cajoled to the start line on Wembley Way – again another thing to note here. All the pens were well separated and easily accessed. Often the pens at other events are full early doors and there’s no way of accessing your designated pen.

I’m not one to check course profiles and I’m glad I didn’t here, as this course was hilly and challenging. Not undulating, but actually hilly, with some brutal climbs. it was better that they were a surprise…I think.

Previous Vitality Half Marathons I’ve tackled are famous for the masses of cheering locals lining the streets, but unlike Hackney and Oxford, and maybe due to the early gun time, and Wembley Stadium focal point, the streets were absolutely empty.

This didn’t stop the marshals and volunteers doing their absolute best to make some noise though, and it was greatly appreciated. Anyone who is handing out water on Sunday morning to ruddy faced runners, instead of tucking into a fry-up and watching Sunday Brunch is a good egg in my opinion. 

At halfway you enter the Saracens Rugby Stadium and do a short lap of the running track. The spongey surface is a welcome treat and the big screen shows you running in. It’s little things like this that make you feel like a real runner. And as you approach Wembley Way, where football fans have ambled for years it’s a great feeling. Through the underground carpark and into the stadium. This felt like Olympic Marathons that I’ve only seen on tv, and another reason you should consider this half. Not many half marathons for the masses offer this unique opportunity, and for a split second I felt like a professional athlete. As you enter the stadium you get the roar from the crowd and see yourself on the big screen. It’s truly unique.

Medal, great t-shirt, selfies and a free massage, I’d highly recommend this half marathon. Definitely work on hill training if you tackle it.

This was my first ever half, and I absolutely loved the course. As a sports fan, running through Allianz Park and finishing and Wembley was a real buzz.

The waterststions provided Lucozade and Jelly Babies, and it was well Marshalled and supported.

Will certainly do this again next year!

This race appealed to me because it's around my old childhood stomping ground of North London, so I hoped the familiarity of the course would pull me round given that my training was less than adequate! The start and finish location of Wembley stadium also added to the attraction, and this had added benefits on top of the obvious! The good transport links made getting there a piece of cake, and the availability of real toilets within the stadium was such a pre-Race treat! 

I felt so relaxed on the start line, probably because the journey and pre-race preparations had been so easy and stress free, but also because I was lacking training and so just aiming to finish rather than to run it at a certain pace.

The organisation was superb, and after a well coordinated group warm up we were off. The course was wide enough to enable a decent start with minimal congestion, but within minutes I was met by the first of many hills to come on the course. Hills are not my friend, and I started to dread the remaining 12miles! However the atmosphere was awesome and the crowd support wasn't massive but was better than other races I've done, so I soon got into my stride and started enjoying myself.

The good organisation continued with more than adequate aid stations, more marshals than I could count and enough toilets on route also. The route is an out and back course, which I quite like as I can better gauge how far through the course I am without constantly checking my garmin, and is also good if you have loved ones supporting you.

The event price includes all of your photos which was a nice touch, and spurred me on when I saw the photographers.. however I do think the organisers decision to place a photographer at the top of the biggest Hill was comical and slightly cruel, as most people looked their worst at this point! Nevertheless it spurred me on to try to look like I was moving faster than 2mph and got me going again after that monstrous Hill  (at mile 10!).

The final mile of the course is nice, heading back towards Wembley stadium and the fabulous finish line. The finish is what makes this event so special, with big screens showing you crossing the line and a party atmosphere spurring you on. I managed a sprint finish, collecting my medal, t-shirt and goody bag shortly after. 

In an ideal world there would have been a little bus driving me to the station as the walk felt quite long after my sprint finish stole every last ounce of my energy, but I guess the walk was a good cool down. All in all, a really enjoyable race I will hopefully be doing again in years to come, along with a bit more hill training as preparation! 

Definitely the earliest start ever - 8.30am!! My sat nav didn't like the postcode and the car park wasn't well signed so it took a while to get there, but navigation has never been my strong point.

Great baggage drop and a warm room to wait in, loads of toilets before the start so absolutely no queing which was nice. The start line is just outside the stadium, really easy to get to and loads of marshals and voluteers about.

The race started on time, and the course was pretty well signposted, although I thought the mile markers weren't very accurate. Again, loads of marshals and voluteers along the way. Excellent water stations (small bottles, although the Lucozade was in cups) and quite a few bands along the way. I was surprised there wasn't more local support, spectators seemed to be encouraged to go straight to Wembley Stadium for the finish.

The route is described as undulating, and it really was. The hill at 10 miles was a killer, and there was another one just before 12. You can see the stadium for a very long time before you actually run into it, so the last bit felt very long to me! But its totally worth it - running into Wembley for that last bit is amazing.

Lovely medal and t-shirt at the end, plus a bag, Lucozade (a whole bottle) and a banana. I didn't get a massage but they were available. Free photos too. However, I've had all this from much cheaper races  -  I paid £45 for this which is pretty expensive for a half marathon.

Worth running, but mainly for the finish.

The banner headline for the race says, "The greatest finish line in the world", I would maybe dispute that a little if you consider you can also run and finish inside London's Olympic Stadium, but nevertheless, it's still a buzz to be able to end a half marathon under the iconic arch of the famous stadium.

I had a place offered to me in the race through Fitness rewards/Vitality, and was also asked to pace the event by the race directors, entry fee was therefore not applicable to myself, the fee was £45 which seems a little steep for a half marathon.

Organisation was superb, as a pacer I had access to the behind the scenes activities that preceded the race, and was able to see the well thought out plans being put into place, the large number of volunteers being well briefed and prepared before being sent out to the posts.

A very early start, 08.30am, to allow the event to reopen the roads of the route early to avoid traffic problems, getting to Wembley by car was easy and parking was avaialble in the stadium car parks. Last years very impressive race village on the Wembley lawns, was greatly scalled down and moved inside the stadium concourse and was a little disappointing, The bag drop had also been moved inside as well, and seemed to operate well, runners given plastic kit bags with their number attached to, which was then stored in well marked drop areas.

Starting pens were clearly marked and well marshalled on Olympic way, formally Wembley way, and the pre race warm up kept the runners entertained before the start.

Started right on 08.30 with no problems, being the 2 hour 30 min pacer meant I was in the final pen, and it took about 10 mins to reach the start line.

The route is described as undulating by the race website, for that read mostly flat with some fairly big hills thrown in!, the final hill between 9 and 10 miles causing many grumbles amongst my pace group!

The route took runners away from Wembley through local suburbs and parks, passing the RAF Museum at Hendon on it's way to The Allianz park rugby ground. Excellent water stations and aid stations were frequent and manned with cheery volunteers, and the course was well marshalled throughout. Some bands and drumming groups on the route, made up for the lack of local supporters on the roads.

After a lap of the Rugby ground it was time to head back on the return leg, following the same out route back for most of the way.

My only complaint with the drinks stations would be concerning the 2 lucozade stations where drinks were poured from bottles into small paper cups for runners to drink from, I assume to cut down on waste and litter, but some around me found it hard to run and drink from the cups.

On arrival back at Wembley runners were directed into the stadium and did a half lap of the pitch before finishing on the touchline and crossing the chip timing mat.

A good medal, quality Tech finishers shirt and goodie bag were efficently handed to finishers and a designated "selfie zone" allowed runners to get that all important medal shot pitchside, without causing a blockage in the finishing straight.

A very well organised, and enjoyable race to sum up, despite the lack of big landmark areas out on the course, the uniqeness of the finish make it one that you should consider running at some point