First time at the Royal Parks Half and definitely coming back!

16,000 competitors this year, so easily the biggest event I have ever been involved in - it took 20mins to get over the start line! The organisation was excellent, with technical t-shirt and race number sent out in advance, so no need to check in on the day. The chip timer was embedded in the race number too, so no faffing about.

The venue is obviously pretty cool ;-) though not all of the Royal Parks are covered (that would be an ultra!) you do get to see some of the sights of London (Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square etc). It's closed roads too, which is a real buzz in the centre of London.

Marshalls were excellent and there were loads of them, all cheering and clapping everyone along the way. The crowds were big too, especially in Hyde Park, so you get encouragement around the whole route. 

The course is almost entirely flat with only one or two slight inclines, but hardly worthy of the tag. The weather was perfect as well, so we really saw the best of the parks.

Aid stations were primarily water, with a few lucozade stops as well. I'm not a fan of sports drinks, but it caters for those that are.

The festival side of things was great too. Plenty of food and coffee stalls to keep spectators occupied and help refuel everyone post-race. Plenty of toilets, including urinals. The baggage tent was huge and efficient, but the quests were still very long with over half hour wait - get there early!

I had a charity place which I am told cost £120, which seems a bit toppy. I don't know what the entry fee is.

Only minor quibble would be that it starts at 9am on a Sunday in central London, which is tough on the best of days. This year, getting to the start line was a mission for many people as engineering works seemed to be going on across the south east! I only just made the start time, despite a 5am alarm and only coming in from North Kent. Not something the Royal Parks Foundation can control, but worth bearing in mind if you're travelling in from outside the big smoke.

All in all a fantastic event and will definitely do it again.

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