I entered The Big Half almost a year ago without thinking twice - a half marathon on closed roads in London were I live, run commute, drive, shop - I was convinced that it would be a good one. And it was! 

After the bad weather over the preceding week the weather on race day was perfect running weather. I live 10 minutes away from the start area and got to the bag drop around 7:20. The baggage facility was well organised. No queues and well manned. I handed my bag in and headed to my start pen around 8:00. The atmosphere at the start was fantastic as was the support from the public, marshalls and volunteers along the course. The refreshment stations were well stocked with water and Lucozade Sport, however I did't need to stop at all before I wasn't thirsty at any time during the race. It would have been good to have rubbish bins so that people could throw their bottles in a bin rather than on the street. 

I stayed with the 1:45 pace group all the way. This was the first time that I've joined a pace group in a race and I had a great experience.

5 parkruns and a sprint finish

The first 5k is straight down The Highway and into the Limehouse Link tunnel up to Billingsgate fish market. It was really cool to run in the tunnel since you'll never get a chance to do that on a normal day.

The next 5k is through Canary Wharf to Wapping via Limehouse Causeway, Narrow Street and a small bit back on The Highway. 

The cobbled streets in Wapping didn't bother me in the slightest as I'm used to running on them every week.

The next 5k is takes you out of Wapping back on The Highway again across Tower Bridge, into Jamaica Street to Rotherhithe. 

The final 5k is a loop around Surrey Quays, down Lower Road into Deptford before you enter Maritime Greenwich. 

The final stretch is takes you out of Deptford and into Maritime Greenwich finishing at the Cutty Sark.

The finish area was extremely well organised with medal collection, foil blankets, goody bags before heading into the grounds of the Maritime Museum to collect your personal bags. The bag collection was just as easy as the drop off. 

I headed to the meeting area in Greenwich Park. The Big Festival was just as well organised as the Big Half. There were stalls selling different types of food, a dining tent were you could eat, and the entertainment tent were local artists performed. There was changing area and toilets, rides for kids and pop up New Balance store. 

The Big Half is a great addition to the running calendar and I would definitely do it again next year and recommend that everyone does it.