This is my home half marathon but last year, due to injury I had to withdraw so I volunteered instead, this year, I was happy to be able to run the race! Parking was outlined well in the pre-race info and on the day I opted for one of the charity car parks as not near enough to walk! A short walk to the event village to meet up with club members and get taped up and I was ready to go. Bag drop is really easy, loo queues were quite long so something to consider but overall, it was buzzing before the start and a lot of people were there early for the 5k race and family fun run which came later in the day. 

The route is on closed roads, starting from the park and heading out through residential areas before going into the more industrial part of town as you head towards Gatwick. A left turn takes you on a long pretty flat stretch alongside the airport, a landing plane went right over head us which was pretty cool as we went through Lowfield Heath. From here you take a left turn into the small village of Charlwood as you start on the more rural stretch of the route. Heading back towards Crawley a right turn along rural lanes at the 8 mile mark sees the start of the only real incline which is at mile 9. From the top of the hill there is a lovely downhill section to recover and then at mile 10, a right turn saw us heading back into town via more residential areas. The route had changed slightly this year as it went up the old high street before skirting the edge of the town centre with a very short gentle uphill to the finish back in the park. The support was great around the route, especially nearer to the town centre parts and there are water stations about every 3 miles where bins and the clean up to remove bottle was very efficient. Back through the finish and we were given a t-shirt, medal as well as water, bananas and energy bars. The event village was still buzzing with activity for some time after I finished, especially as the family run, which is run in waves, still had some people to start. 

I really cannot knock this event and am already booked in for next year!