The Kimbolton Half Marathon is great little event. Put on by NiceTri it was always going to well run event.
Set at Kimbolton Castle (also Kimbolton School) it was very easy to find and plenty of parking. Signs leading up to the grounds and plenty of marshals to keep things moving so no real queues to get in. Registration was dealt with very quickly, again with plenty of people helping out and knowing what they’re doing always helps. Queues for the toilets were a little long but thankful for the blokes they did have an urinal booth to help speed things up. It might sound silly but little things like that can make a big difference to someone like me who gets a little nervous just before the start of a race.
The route heads out of the castle and along Kimbolton high street then into the surrounding villages. One thing to note which I wasn’t keen on was that this is not a closed road event. I knew this going into it but didn’t think to much about it until out on course. Some drivers just do not slow down at all and can be travelling past big groups of runners while they’re still doing 60mph. Not to bad when you’re on your own at the side but in a big group with not much room can be a little daunting.
The route is also quite a challenging one. Nearly the whole first half of the race is up hill with a big steep hill just before halfway. If you set out a bit too quick you’re going to feel it later on. The next half feels a lot better until mile 11 then it goes up again. This time its very steep and I’am sad to say that I did end up walking for a very brief period as it caught me off guard slightly.
You finish up by running into the castle grounds, around the castle and to finish. It makes for a great finishers photo running in with the castle behind you. The medal and t-shirt upon finishing also look great and I’m very pleased with.
I can highly recommend this event just be aware it is not closed roads and non-runners don’t like slowing down for you.