This was the inaugural Shoreditch 10k which will make up a series of 4 adidas city runs next year. Prior to the race you were sent your technical adidas race tshirt with your race number preprinted on it. This was a joy and so much nicer than having your race number pinned/clipped on your tshirt. It was also really nice quality although you would expect this with the hefty entry fee! It looked really good having all participants in the same tshirt, just be careful to order the right size or size up if unsure as it’s obligatory to wear it and you can only change sizes the day before! Luckily mine fit really well!
The race village in Shoreditch Park had a really great atmosphere and was organised really well. Bags were dropped in easily in a matter of seconds & toilets were adequate for the number of people. There was free yoga which fitted nicely with the hipster area. Prior to race day you receive an email stating which wave start you would be in however there was no indication on your person so I think people were just entrusted to go to the correct wave. I don’t know but suspect people filled the starting pens on a first come first served basis as wave A filled very quickly whilst others were empty. There was a hilarious warm up from Tom Daley who wasn’t really sure what he was doing but everyone had fun nonetheless and then the race set off promptly & without issue!
The route takes you around the streets of Shoreditch but to be honest it did feel like you could be running any street, anywhere really. I probably didn’t notice much of the highlights though as I was being paced rigorously by hubby to get my first sub50 and struggling massively. Also towards the end there are a lot of twists and turns and doubling back on yourself (reminiscent of Oxford Half) which I didn’t enjoy and a nasty bit of cobbled section which my legs hated. However the finish line comes quickly as you renter Shoreditch Park. I was delighted to just sneak in under the sub50 and the cherry on top was being given my medal by Tom Daley!
As well as the medal you got a free Clif bar, pack of sweeties and Lucozade. I really enjoyed the pre & post race experience and think it was just about worth the £40+ price tag but the expense would put me off completing the full series next year! Unless they can guarantee Tom Daley every time! ;-)