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I LOVED IT! Thanks for all the encouragement.
I ran 2.42 which I am so pleased with, I ran the whole way and I wasn't running alone either! The crowds were brilliant and the weather was lovely.
Two thumbs up from me. I hope the rest of you enjoyed yourselves too.
Same time next year peeps?!
Stand around in the cold?? It was really warm.
Just got back home, got round in 2.04, happy with the time, thought the music was a big let down. Good course though,
GoodEnough - well done on your first HM pleased you had a good day.
FF - 2:04 for me too ! A few mins off a pb but quite content with time given how warm it was and with the ups and downs after mile 4. Was pretty impressed with the race overall - after hearing about last year was prepared for a bit of a shambles but thought it was all quite slick. Agree that the music wasn't quite the highlight it was billed as - too many big gaps between stages - but all in all had a good day out.
Tracey G - get well soon <<offers Lemsip>>
Oh dear poor bloke.
I am waiting to here how Tracy did.
Hi All... been wallowing in unattractive trait of self-pity
Great start, lovely and early (chilly first thing but right for running before it go to hot). Loads better than last year, but fiasco last year was caused by lack of transport (sorted this year), so later start to allow people more time to travel, and horrendous rain before and during the race. Agree music wasn't great but loved the gospel type church group cheering people on.
Worked well with my name in graffiti art - so MUCH support when name's on t-shirt. Lovely support from OH, and 15yr old son (first time he's supported me!). Banana Army tent full of goodies for runners. Loved the RTTB hands as well as the inflatable bananas. Ah.. the race....
Here goes... 1-5m, really good. 6-8m severe stitch, thanks for the big hill which slowed me to a point I could actually concentrate on breathing to get over it, then 10m+, horrific knee pain made me walk to a point I could recover it, then run/limp with the rest. Sorry guys.. 2.41 (yes, great for a first half, but naff for the 4th half and also a PW). Regardless of the time, the pain had me in tears. RICE all afternoon, hence late reply (not really the self-pity, although embarassed). The training went so perfect/well, and I couldn't have done anything different if I tried. First time I got so in to it, one of the worst I've done.
Concerned for the person wrapped on the floor in foil by St Johns just before the end
Bring on Southend 10k then Royal Parks Half
Sorry it didn't go according to plan TracyB. But you did well to finish with it hurting that much.
Running is a funny old business. Things can go perfectly in training, then you have a race like today that wasn't in the script. But then sometimes you get a really fantastic race out of the blue. Just can never predict how it's all going to go.
Hi all,
Finished my very first race in 2:37....agree that the music was a little disappointing and had a major panic moment at the first water station when they'd run out of cups and were handing out the whole 2 liter bottles...umm those things are heavy!!
Luckily the gatorade station had bottles but it meant I carried the damn thing all the way through because I was scared it would happen again. Also learned that too much gatorade makes my stomach hurt!
Overall, a fun time - didn't make me want to run a whole marathon, mile 12 onwards pretty much made me want to die haha
- CJ
Head up Tracy! The good news is you get to forget it all and redo really soon!
Great meeting you and your support troop today!
The course is not particularly hilly (see Hastings or even Reading) but does require some hills to be tackled in training, unlike say Cardiff, GNR or Royal Parks Half.
Hope people will come back next year as the event has the skeleton of a decent run and could become great.
well done everybody, i ran it in 2.10 which is a slight disappointment as I wanted run in less than 2h, the hills really killed me and i agree the music was a big big let down. I'm not entirely sure what the story was with the different pens as they seemed to be allocated by number and I doubt numbers were allocated according to the estimated times? Apart from that organisation was good.
it was quite hot which i wasn't quite prepared for but hey we can't complain about having nice weather in this country
Well done everyone.
EI22RE - seemed to have mislaid the phone after I told you to stop calling me
so didn't have your number to txt that your incentive failed miserabley 
. How did you do? Fab I bet.. perhaps should have given you my race number 
LTR - the 2L bottles made me laugh... people even had to tip out water to be able to run and drink from them. What was all that about? Still, at least there was water.... Well done on your time.. know the feeling.. have decided after today to def focus on no more than 10milers... I do okay in those! (After Royal Park and Brighton Mara - I'm a trier at least.. if nothing else).
Hi FF! This year was meant to be better than last year (my first ever half)! and it wasn't. Not sure I'd do it again. I let it beat me.....
Still.. £500 for Leukeamia Research ...
When they emailed out the race numbers I was given one in the 8000s but since it never arrived due to the post strike I had to get another one this morning. Imagine my horror when they gave me one in the 1000s and tried to get me into one of the top pens!
I started in pen 5 and still had tons of people pass me in mile 1...can't imagine how I'd have felt up front and watching 8000 people go by!
-CJ
Tracy - Thanks again! I ended up finishing in 1:37 chip time. My goal was to run under 1:40 and that worked out well. I am glad I decided to run after all.
As for the race, it was my first half and my first large race in Europe. I thought the organization at the start of the race was brilliant. I decided to move up into pen 3 instead of 5 (because of my number in the 11ks) and probably could have moved to 2 or even 1 to be more comfortable for the first few miles. That did not stop me from running a wee bit too fast at the beginning.
The music part of the race was disappointing. It started off so well at the beginning but then was just like any other race really. The most ironic really was that the speakers in and around the finishing area were broken and only delivering bits and pieces of the music.
Gatorade did a brilliant job, I thought and the water stations were well manned.
All in all, it was a great day and everyone should be proud!!!
Martin
Morning Martin,
Funnily enough.. as I went for my final and third wee since I arrived, or was it forth
I got caught up in Pen 1 walking to the start! I nearly stayed there... parallel living.. if I'd got in the way of Pen 1, I might have run it better 
Plus, it was hot for this time of the year. I am sure you will do better and you'll see an improvement in the Royal Parks 1/2. Just make sure to rest up!!!
Hi all,
This was my first race and I wasn't expecting it to be so much fun. I agree the music was a let down but the general atmosphere was better than I was expecting and my cynicism about the whole "crowd carrying you around" line was disproved.
I finished in 1.46 which I'm really happy with having been aiming for 2 hours.
Can anywhere recommend any other good halfs for spring within easy travelling distance of London?
Hello all, well done and congratulations on a tough course
it was a tough race especially when the su came out adn it got abit too hot.
Well i finished my first ever half marathon on 2.15, which i'm so chuffed about, as through out the race i thought i felt like stopping and giving up, the race was a mental test for me, the crowds were amazing, as i didn't have any of my own supporters i felt really supported by the crowd, as i had my name of the top they kept calling me and cheering me on. there were good water stations around, the music wasn't too bad although all i can remember was loads of vans with speakers and one girls singing live near the beginning and a church guys talking near the cinema.
The hill nearly took me, there was two and i was not ready for them, i had to walk/run up the hills
all in all i'm really happy with the result for a first timer and i hope to improve it for the next, silverstone march 2010
Must admit this race was better than i expected after reading stuff about last year, really enjoyed it, music was a let down but liked the course.
4729RussellOliverMale1307 M50-54 3 201 :5 6:00168301:49:55173900:56:212259
well pleased with my time as i was aiming for 1.50
Good organization good drinks very good support in places felt the last couple of miles was a bit of a drag but a very good run.