I entered the Big Half after not being able to get a place in another London based half marathon. There were worries it would be called off due to the severe weather warnings in the lead up to race day. But it turned out to be ok running weather in the end whilst other races across the counrty succumbed to the snowy and icy conditions. As the event is organised by the same people who organise the London Marathon it was pretty much a slick operation to the point I almost missed the bag drop, as the lorries were on a strict time schedule to get to the finish line in Greenwich. Lesson learnt for when I run the marathon.

The start point is just after Tower Bridge, which you run over on the return portion of the race. Parts of the course cover the London Marathon route but some parts could do with changing for next year. Lots of runners weren't particularly happy about the Rotherhithe Tunnel section early on. You felt you lost all sense of time in there and a lot of runners had issues with GPS on their watches as they ran through and after leaving the tunnel. Some parts of the course had loads of spectators and some not as much. There were some somewhat dull areas of the course and running over cobblestones was definitely not my favourite.

I loved the finish line near Cutty Sark. The walk to the bag pick up was rather long but granted it helped that marshalls were handing out foil blankets afterwards so we could stay warm. I loved the medal. The race tshirts were nice but as they were men's sizing they don't fit properly, which is a shame as it's quite a decent technical tee.

I wouldn't mind running it again but hopefully there might be some changes to make it much better.