CRYSTAL PALACE 5K 10K, HALF MARATHON & JUNIORS

I did the Half Marathon on the day. I was a bit trepidatious on arrival as I had not had any further communications since booking (despite emailing and asking). Things like car parking and start times were still up in the air. When I arrived they did not have mine or my wife's details on file, so I had to show my booking reference and then they gave my wife a half marathon number instead of a 10K number. Sounds all very negative and it was a bit but the race was nice, tougher than I imagined and I bought a nice hat from a vendor so all good in the end.

Well organized. Arrived and easy to see where to go to get my bib and drop off my bag. Arrived a little early and no wait for porta potties. Organized warm up and announcements for starting based on estimated finish. Volunteers at about 4 key spots on the 3ish mile loop of the park to cheer you on and make sure you didn't eat it turning a slippery corner. Water only in one place, but you run by it 3/4 times in the half marathon, so it's all you need. The course was a combination of road, hard gravel, and mud in December weather, but only a few places where big puddles were inevitable. My phone Strava said it was 13.51 miles, so a little bigger discrepancy than I normally see. Also good to note it was 797 feet of vertical gain, so be ready to be running either up or down hills. Only issue I saw was lack of mileage signs. There is also a 5k and 10k going on, so lots of signs, but I was checking distance and the only sign(s) I saw that even came close to what we could be at was a 2 mile sign, and a 12 mile sign. Best to have GPS on you or you would have no idea how far you have gone or your pacing. Finishing medal and snacks were great.

A very pleasant run. I had never run a 10k before and was on my own so felt a bit nervous about running through a notoriously hilly terrain on a cold January day. However as I made my way over to the event village and saw the buzz and hear the enthusiasm and support from the girl with the microphone I felt at home. The race was so well supported from the sponsors, the group warm up to all the volunteers taking time out to cheer on a group of people going for a park run. The route was brilliant - a mixture of light hills, slopes and flat terrain both on pavement and grass. Periodically throughout the course there were motivational signs from Run Through and hearing the sounds of the guy with the steel drums was encouraging. I really enjoyed the run, even for a novice like me, and as I crossed the finish line and heard my name called out over the tannoy, and later on enjoying a free flapjack, I felt really glad I did this. I wore my medal for the rest of the day!