This was the inaugural race for the Ringland Half Marathon and it’s fair to say there were a few teething problems. It was a struggle getting in due to heavy traffic which meant despite setting out early we were running out of time to pick up our numbers. Then there were huge queues for the toilets... definitely need more next year. It was good to have a large amount of indoor space to get sorted especially with the inclement weather. I didn’t use the badge drop as car parking was super close and handy. The walk to the starting pens was a bit chaotic with lots of families and pushchairs dordling along. The starting pens themselves were very tight and it was difficult to squeeze through to get up the start times. I couldn’t hear most of the race briefing and then they guy came round to say the start was delayed. I suspect partly due to the toilet and traffic situation. There were definitely still queues of traffic trying to get in as I was walking to the start. Once the race got underway the initial 2-3 miles were a bit tight as I became trapped behind a couple of pacers and the large crowd around them, there was simply no way through until we reached a wider section of road which was quite frustrating. At one point about 4.5 miles in going round a loop in one of the villages the whole race had to come to a standstill due to cars blocking the road in both directions. The marshall was desperately trying to get us through but it was very dangerous and as I say, everyone had to stop, wait and walk which really disrupted our race. Having spoken to other faster runners I don’t think it was so bad for everyone. Having said all that, the course itself was lovely, the marshalls were excellent and the bling was pretty good too! Plenty of water stations which is always a bonus. The pacers did a good job although seemed to be having trouble sticking to their pacing evenly. I’m sure a lot of these problems will be ironed out for next year and I would definitely do it again.