MK Half Marathon – Fantastic.

Probably the best run event that I’ve done. Using the facilities of the Stadium:MK & arena make everything so easy. The bag drop is well marshalled (this year by the Scouts) inside the arena where it’s dry, safe & virtually no queues. No portaloos for this one, instead you get the comfort of the facilities in the arena & stadium. Outside there is many stalls & games to keep the family entertained while you’re out on course.

Starting and finishing at Stadium:MK the route takes you towards the Centre MK along dual carriage ways and roundabouts. This at first may not seem that great but the streets are lined with hundreds of people for the first 8.5km until you turn off into the park/redways. I have never competed in an event this big before. The people of MK were fantastic!! The cheering & encouragement made the first half of the race so easy. The dual carriage ways give you loads of room to spread out and run at your own pace.

Next you turn off onto the redways/park area. This was a bit more of a let down after all the cheering as the crowds are a lot more spread out and the scenery was a bit duller than expected but still made for a lovely run. One thing to note though is MK is not as flat as I thought it was. The route is up and down the whole way around. Not steep climbs but long inclines that you unquestionably start feel towards the end.

The final part of the race brings you back to Stadium:MK and the big crowds again. You enter the stadium and one final lap of the pitch to the finish. This again was brilliant way to end. Loads of people inside the stadium cheering you on, you can’t help but push a little harder.

In all a great event that looks like it might become a yearly occurrence on our race list.