Run Hackney Half Marathon

this is the first ever half in hackney and am interested to see who's doing or thinking of entering this event, there's no details on how many can enter and how well it will be organised
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  • Think I read somewhere that the entry is 10000, No idea about the organisers history or credentials.

    I lived in Hackney for 6 months and know all of the course except for the bits n the Olympic park and it is flat and potentially fast.

    Not sure the date works for me as I may well be at the in-laws that weekend. 

  • Go CazGo Caz ✭✭✭

    Are you sure it's the first ever half in Hackney? Hackney Half was in RW's top five races for PB potential a couple of months ago. 

  • Think that that was a different event. There is a half that is basically multiple laps of Hackney Marshes which may have been the one included in RW's PB events.

     

  • I'm tempted. Wish it was a bit cheaper.

    10,000 seems quite major for a brand new event. I'm predicting complaints about lack of portaloos.

  • I'm in with two friends of mine. Hope it will be a good event!

  • Johnny2323 wrote (see)

    I'm tempted. Wish it was a bit cheaper.

    Considering the extent of the road closures including some quite major routes I don't think it's that badly priced.

     

  • Afternoon all,

    I have signed up for this as my first HM, as it is timed perfectly for me in my progression to the first marathon (Yorkshire Marathon, October).  

    Not the cheapest out there, but I agree with 2wheels in that I am confident that this could be traced directly back to the extent of road closures required - and a big part of my interest in the race is the chance to run around this interesting patch of London on closed roads!

    Really looking forward to this one, but like the original poster I am crossing my fingers that the organizers of the race get it right (or at least more right than wrong!) first time - especially wrt portaloos!

    Pete

  • @2wheels Good argument.

    I decided to go for it. 

  • I've signed up.  Decided to take a punt.  It's a little pricey and website is too flashy so am sceptical but looking forward to it as it's a really interesting route and nice to participate in an inaugural event.  Things are missing from the website like list of individuals already signed up and there is only sketchy info about getting to the start but I have fingers crossed that all will be well!

  • Rip off, despite the road closures. For new runners only who know the price of everything......

  • I'm in as i'm doing York as well.
  • Seems a bit of a trend forming.

    I've signed up and am also doing York marathon. Should be a good tester race to see what shape I'm in before the training properly kicks in.
  • I've not signed up for Hackney yet, but I plan to after payday and I am doing York as well!

  • dbrb2dbrb2 ✭✭

    I've just signed up mainly because it is close to me. But ~£45 is about £15 what I would consider reasonable - especially since it is hardly running through the centre of the city or any particular beauty spots, and neither does it start/finish near a train station.

    I received a very excited automated email telling me that I was registered, and that soon I would be able to go to the "online shop" to buy a race t-shirt.

    That last part really is grasping....for that money they could at least throw in some cheap printed t-shirts...

     

  • Does anyone no if the overland is running that day?

    TFL is suggesting a route using buses, but annoyingly the only link to planned engineering work I can find doesn't include the overland...

  • @2Wheels -

    LONDON OVERGROUND: Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 June, no service between Highbury & Islington and West Croydon / Crystal Palace / Clapham Junction / New Cross. Replacement buses operate.   LONDON OVERGROUND: Sunday 22 June, no service between Willesden Junction and Camden Road (via West Hampstead). Replacement buses operate between Gunnersbury and Camden Road. Use the District line for travel between Richmond and Gunnersbury. A special train service also operates between Willesden Junction and Stratford via Queens Park. Valid tickets will be accepted for travel on local London Buses services between Shepherd's Bush and Willesden Junction.
  • I've gone for it, simply because it's a first, I thought it would be nice, and it's close to home.  But 45 quid is steep for a half. 

  • Thanks Matthew

    I'm reading that as the overland to Startford is running so I've entered and worse case scenario I'll just get a taxi from Finsbury Park when I get off the train. Though it does make you wonder that when the overland is by far the easiest way of getting there is so much work going on. Surely they could have sorted something with TFL

    Looking forward to it, guess I better do some running now...

  • Hi,

    I cycle around the area quite a bit and there is a bit of an incline from the start up to Clapton.  I couldn't find a good profile online to I created one.  The official course PDF is a bit sketchy around the Olympic Park so I've had to guess a bit but the rest of the route should be good.

    http://ridewithgps.com/routes/4635410

  • Thanks for creating that Nigel, all looks good.

    How's everyone's training going for this?

  • I'm beginning to have a few niggling doubts about this.

    I've asked on the FB page whether the time of 20 minute from Stratford to the start is accurate and had no reply. Noticed a few others have asked the same and nothing. Google says noticably longer as do a few friends that live ovver there. I'm kinda screwed if it does take longer as my first train gets in to London at 0725 so not a lot I can do other than cut it very fine! 

    A few other people have asked other questions relating to parking and toilets and the like and got no answer either. In fact the only post I could see getting a response was someone asking what make the advertised energy drinks were and with less than 2 weeks to go (at the time of the post) the response was basically that they don't know yet. Surely with 10000 runners they should be able to answer that!

  • Hi 2Weheels, I think they are being a little keen with 20 mins, I think a fast walker would be able to do it in that but most people won't.  Can I recommend you head to Leyton, it is 1 more stop on the central line and will take you 20 mins to get there at a normal pace.

  • http://s4.runnersworld.co.uk/forum/images/post-top-left.png?version=2014240

    I also have a place for the Hackney Half up for grabs - have had nightmare hay fever last few weeks and it's really thrown my training off so I'm going to have to give it a miss image

    Race is June 22nd through Hackney's brilliant parks including the new Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

    £50 for the registration (face value), no charity element.

    Please email me janeeverett@hotmail.co.uk if interested, happy to meet up to hand over the number - I'm in and around E8, EC1 and WC1 over next few days but flexible for meeting points.

    Thanks image

  • Matthew Norgate wrote (see)

    Hi 2Weheels, I think they are being a little keen with 20 mins, I think a fast walker would be able to do it in that but most people won't.  Can I recommend you head to Leyton, it is 1 more stop on the central line and will take you 20 mins to get there at a normal pace.

    Yes I think I'm going to head to Leyton, conflicting information on the reply to my FB post and a post about travel plans on the facebook page about the supposed 20 minute walk has done little to ease my concerns.

  • Fully understand as there are a lot of options to get to the start area as it is in the middle of a few places but not right near any!  I think they are trying to push people to the Stratford Tube/Train etc as it is big easy to get to station that is use to dealing with large crowds.  That is purely a guess by me though!

  • Hi all,

    Beginning to really look forward to (the running part of) this one - my first half marathon.  Went for my last race-distance LSD run 10 days ago and, due to the heat, accidentally took waaaay more out of myself than anticipated.  Nonetheless, recovery is afoot and I got through 10k at goal race pace for my last weekend run, and felt pretty good.  My original goal for training was to get through this in under 2.5 hours, but I think I might have a tilt at under 2:15 on the day, barring any calamity or a return to temps in the high 20s! 

    To the organization, I share 2wheels niggling concerns.  Have also been posting on facebook and am finding that the organizers seem to be significantly better at pumping out motivational marketing messages than they are at providing tangible, useful information.  Cant help but shake the feeling that this was expected to be a much smaller event than it turned out to be for year 1!  Transport issues have been discussed above (even just coming from Greenwich, it will be tricky to arrive by 8am!); but I also wonder if anyone has seen a map of the race village?  Finding it tricky to plan a meet up point for after the race without one (despite the organizers insistence that we should be planning such things!)

    Nonetheless - if they have a well set out village with enough portaloos and a decent start pen organization to get us moving from arrival to start line with ease, then all will be forgiven image

    Pete

     

     

  • Pete

    The thing that worries me most is something that won't effect me, but when a race has 10000+ runners, 2 weeks beforehand the organisers should be able to answer the question of what energy drinks are provided. Now while I couldn;t care less as I'll stick to water it does raise concerns about the organisation. Unless of course social media is outsourced.

    I'm coming from Herts, my train gets in at 0723, if the overland was running I would get to Hackney in 20 minutes and be less than 10 minutes walk away, as it is it will take me nearer 30 minutes to get 20+ minutes walk away. If it is organised, then great, but I suspect that a lot of people are going to get there late meaning a rush for baggage drop.

    In a way I'm actually glad that I lost almost 3 weeks training in May/June as this has gone from a target race and hoped for PB to nothing more than a hopefully enjoyable 2 hour LSR around where I used to live.

  • I've not found the race village either, which is a little annoying!  That said like Hollandasp if it's nice and smooth on the day all is forgiven.  I think we will be ok on that front as the people who organise this also do Plymouth half and that gets good reviews (except for the steep entry, sound familar? image

    Link to Plymouth reviews below to hopefully relieve a little pre-race stress:

    http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/events/ratingsall.asp?v=2&ugn=6349

     

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