I had never ever heard of the Headcorn Half before I entered, the only way I found this was because this was one of the only races google told me that was on that was in line with my marathon training plan in my area.

I arrived at Headcorn to an incredibly underwhelming atmosphere, apart from the odd toilet sign, the "Registration this way" sign and a few dozen people dressed in Lycra, you would not know that a half marathon was taking place.

I got into the local school hall, picked up my number very quickly and had a lot of time to kill. Apart from a seemingly DIY start line and a few portaloos, there was not a lot there for anyone to do pre-race. Thank goodness for the local swing park for my two boys, their grandad and uncle to keep them entertained while I ran!

As we were about to start, the gentleman with he starting horn arrived and informed us this was a lovely race with "Jaffa cakes at the end with water along the route!" This got a round of applause from everyone, however I was starting to get a tad worried about the oncourse entertainment, no earphones and only Jaffa cakes at the end? I prefer the smaller races but this one was seemingly tiny in comparison to other local runs I've done. I was starting to think how I would stay motivated during the race....

My worries and concerns disappeared at the first corner. This was a magnificent and really competitive race. There were many times when those who passed me had a smug look on their face, followed by a look of bewilderment when I overtook them and then another look of smugness when they managed to get past me again. Very rarely am I overtaken in races or do I overtake people so this was a really exciting race for me, incredibly competitive and I was loving it. There was a lack of support around the course itself and the no earphones rule could've made this a boring race for some, but not for me. This was brilliant.

Although the scenery was lovely, it wasn't unique: very similar to that of the Maidstone Half or Paddock Wood Half. It was very green around country lanes and not too hilly which was nice.

The start line also acted as the finish line and I crossed it in 1:27:38 with a 22nd chipped finish. Not my best time or position for a half but I didn't care, it was a great race and one I couldn't recommend enough.  For just over £20 too it was an absolute bargain and one I will certainly do again if schedule permits.

I thought this would be a quiet, low key affair. It was and that's what added to the magic of it.