Chester half marathon is a special one for me as it was my first ever race in 2016, so it's now going to be a regular in my diary.

The race, briefing and logistics is superbly organised by Andy and Chris, they really know what they are doing and think of every detail for runners. This race is becoming more and more popular as the field grows every year, with 6,000 runners in 2017.

The route was the same as 2016, mixture of city and countryside. There and many marshalls who do a superb job and the local support is excellent. Aid stations offer water, Lucozade and High5 gels - more than the average on a half I feel.

The goody bag is excellent, containing more Lucozade, lots of chocolate and haribo. The medal is really good quality, chunky and weighty - what I like to see. And there is always a brilliant tech T.

On to the race itself, I knew this year was going to be a struggle as I wasn't fully recovered from a bad dose of tonsilitis that really knocked me for six and left me still feeling weak. It was a bit of a slog going round to be honest, but I took it easy as I have the RnR Liverpool the following week. There are a couple of hills out on the course and the final mile is a relatively steep hill bck in to the city and felt harder than last year!

All in all, this is a great race, expertly organised, with excellent local support and a large field. One for the diary evey year!