I decided I wanted to run a race on my birthday again this year. After asking for race suggestions on Twitter I signed up for the New Forest 10K. The drive down from London was pretty straight forward. However, the queue to get into the parking area was very long that traffic backed down the road a long way. This was despite warnings to leave plenty of time to arrive for your race, which I normally do. It sadly wasn't any better trying to leave after the race so that's something that could be improved. The race organisers did ask that people arrive either on Friday or Saturday to pick up your race pack and tshirt early, but this isn't possible for those not from the area so the only option is on the day and it can get busy. Bag drop before was pretty straight forward, however, queuing was an issue for picking up your bags post race. Not ideal after the race as it was a little bit chilly. There needs to be more toilets for the number of runners there. The plus side though is that priority is given to those who are due to start their race, as the different distances were staggered to ease congestion. The route itself is a mix of mainly trail and some road in places. It's a lovely scenic view and I was lucky enough to see some New Forest ponies along the way. Plenty of aid stations plus I liked the rule of being told not to litter or face being disqualified from the race. Encouraging marshals, including one I know from social media who sang happy birthday to me and was playing music to encourage all the runners. I'd certainly consider running the half event next time.