This was my first Half Marathon and bitter sweet as I was running in memory of a friend and colleague who had collapsed and died at the finish in 2017. I trained all winter for this and was determined to make it count on the day. The Xempo pacers were brilliant and thanks to them I exceeded my expectations. Parking was an issue, not so for me as I had staying in the local Holiday Inn recommended by the organisers and was able to leave my car there. Some of my work colleagues who were running used the park and ride and were very delayed getting there.  Also found that there were not enough toilets with huge queues forming. I lived the race itself however, lovely course, second half more scenic than the first and even passed Mo Farah on the tow path!! (Although he was running in the opposite direction!!). The “in town” bits were a tad treacherous with a lot of street furniture and curbs to negotiate and there were several places where there were jams of people due to the narrow paths and traffic on the roads. If I hadn’t been following the pacers who were doing an excellent job of calling out obstacles, I fear I may have tripped or taken a wrong turn in some places. I would love to go back and do it again one day but I won’t be rushing back next year.