This is a new race for 2017 and part of the Adidas City Run series that is being rolled out in a number of countries. This event coincides with the Royal Parks half marathon and may prove to be a popular alternative in future for anyone who doesn’t get a place in the ballot and wants to run in London. The formula for this series I suspect has been fine tuned based upon Adidas’s experiences as a headline sponsor for some of the majors and other big city marathons. My thoughts on the event are as follows:

+ve

• The all inclusive cost of £40 for the race, technical t-shirt and race photos 
• The administration and logistics were first class, everything arrived ahead of the race and on the day there was no drama with bag drops or anything else
• The start was actually on-time (which doesn’t happen at every event) and the start pens were not the typical cattle pens
• The drinks stations actually provided water bottles with sports caps, a much better option than open cups - the well placed bins also ensured no issues with discarded bottles or cups creating trip hazards
• The race t-shirt had individual race numbers printed on them which avoided the usual fafffing about with safety pins

-ve 

• The course is not the prettiest and lots of sharp turns means you’re often trying not to get cut up as you corner - for some this could impact pacing if you’re chasing a PB
• The race village was a decent size with all of usual amenities - the one obvious issue, which to be fair is not limited to this event, is the limited number of toilets based upon the number of runners and the queue that build up
• The all team Adidas blue kit was a good thing, possibly bad thing, specifically if you opt to run for a charity and want to wear their t-shirts

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this event and can definitely recommend it and I’m seriously tempted to come back next year.