I ran the LPS Devizes half marathon for the second time having first competed in 2017. Online registration is straight forward, the event is reasonably priced (compared to other events in this category), information pre-race is very good with social media updates along with Emails and text messages. There is no designated parking, but on street parking is available in Devizes, with only a short walk to the event centre.

Race numbers are collected on the day, with prior notification of your number either via text, full entry list on line or failing that the printed entry list displayed on the day, this makes collecting your number on the day very quick. The main event centre is set up on the green, with a coffee van and snack stall serving bacon rolls & burgers. Toilets are Portaloos or a 5 minute walk to the nearby leisure centre, pre-race there was a queue for the loos. Bag drop was manned by 2 cheery volunteers who were quick & efficient both pre & post race.

The run itself starts in the nearby street, the start area was a bit too congested and would have benefited from a bit more space, pacers are provided but with the narrow start getting near to your preferred pacer took a bit of wriggling. due to teh congestion we were still at walking pace up to & beyond the line but after the first 200m this did thin out. The course is on open roads, this was well managed but on the far reaches of the course relied on the local motorised being sensible.

The route was well sign posted for both direction and distance, Water stations were positioned around the course, the first one around the 4 mile mark which did feel as though it may have been better suited nearer the 3 mile mark, the other water stations were plentiful and ideally located with jelly beans etc being handed out. The route itself has a couple of hills, but it’s all relative if you run in the Peak district they are nothing more than a bump, the first is around 2K the other around 19K. The route follows rural roads its very picturesque but does mean spectators are sporadic, so are mainly found in the villages or junctions where the Sunday morning cyclist have congregated. The finish is on the green where it all began, crowd support is wonderful, with cheers as you circle the green for the last 400M. Medals are good quality and are handed out with a bottle of water and a buff, no T shirts this year which may disappoint a few. The event is well organised, well managed with an abundance of marshals on the course, it’s a popular event that sells out most years is equally suited to the club runner or enthusiastic first timer, as with a lot of local events this has a really friendly all-inclusive feel, definitely one for the diary.