The Lee Valley VeloPark Races give runners a chance to follow the 1-mile route around the Olympic Velodrome park and follow in the footsteps of Olympic athletes. Set with the background of the Olympic torch sculpture with Canary Wharf and The City skyline in the distance, this is a great venue for a running race. Usually used for cycling, the 1-mile loop is a Moto GP style and is full paved and mildly undulating but mostly flat making it perfect for a PB. There are several different distances on offer meaning there's something for everyone, from a 5k to 10k, 10-mile and a half marathon with a 1-mile fun run for kids too. All the races have staggered starts but most people will be running round at the same time. Organised by Run Through, this is one of many London-based runs available in the city.

Venue

The venue for this race is truly unique as it takes place in the grounds of the Olympic velodrome which was used for races at London 2012. Before your race, you can head inside to grab a snack from the cafe and watch cyclists as they blast round the indoor track. The facilities are fantastic with plenty of toilets (not a portaloo in sight!) and you can pass the time (and calm your nerves if necessary) before you start by watching the cyclists. The atmosphere at the start is fantastic as there's music playing and lots of people milling around getting ready for later starts. There's also free parking which is a huge benefit in London and Stratford station is nearby if you're travelling in by public transport. 

Route

I was a little apprehensive about the route as it is a 1-mile loop and I had signed up for the 10-mile race, which meant I would have to run 10 laps. I thought this would be boring and annoying, but it was actually great! Running 1-mile laps means you can focus on improving your mile splits each lap and it mentally helps you to keep an even split throughout the entire race. It also means there are no sneaky hills as once you've done one lap you know what to expect for the rest. It also means there are no times when you're running on your own and feeling a bit stranded. The support is great and your friends and family can see you at several points round the lap as it loops round. It's a very gently undulating course with a couple of very small climbs as you run on a bridge over a road, but other than that it's pancake flat making for very fast times. The final benefit of a lapped course is that you can pick up water every mile and not have to hold on to it, knowing there'll be more as you start the next lap.

Organisation

Run Through organise a handful of races around London and their energy and spark really shines through. For all their races, they offer plenty of water and a banana, energy bar, and flapjack at the end. They also offer free race photos afterwards and I was extremely impressed by how quickly the races photos were uploaded (by the next day!) Your family and friends can watch your splits in real time as they're uploaded every time you pass the lap marker. There's free sports massage on offer at the end and there are plenty of marshals around the route cheering you on and generally being very enthusiastic and encouraging. It's a great atmosphere and a really fun race. If you're looking for a PB or just to run in an encouraging environment, this is the race for you.

Kent Coastal Half Marathon is organised by Thanet Runners and sponsored by Kent County Solicitors. It takes place in the seaside town of Margate.

Registration

The organisers state that there is ample parking, and this is definitely true. There is plenty of space to park for free which eliminates one of the stresses of taking part. As you walk towards Palm Bay Primary School where Race HQ is located you can hear the foreboding sound of a monotonous drum beat, making you feel like Jumanji has washed up on a nearby beach. While I thought this was a nice touch, it got a little annoying after a while.

Despite the Race HQ being located in a school, there are only portaloos available for pre-race convenience, although they did eventually let people use the toilets in the school when it was very last minute. Your race number is posted to you before the event so the only thing you need to collect on the day is your chip timer which straps around your ankle. This means that there is plenty of time to stretch, warm up, and do any pre-race rituals before it's time to go.

The race start is across the road on a large grassy area with a pop-up burger bar offering coffee and food for racers and spectators and there are tables and chairs as well. Before you know it, it's time to assemble at the start. There are pacers for the half marathon which is great, so you just find the man with in a high-visibility vest with your desired finish time printed on it and stick to him like glue. 

The Course

This event is a half marathon and a full marathon simultaneously, with both races following the same course to start and then the marathoners continuing once the half marathoners have finished. This does mean there could be a lot of temptation to finish the full marathon at the halfway point if you're struggling. 

The route is advertised as being largely flat, but this could not be further from the truth! The first 3 miles loop around the local Parkrun route and are very gentle. At this point, I was happily rubbing shoulders with the pacer and was taking it very easy. Then the hills came into view.

This is the first hill. It's at least an 8% gradient and meant that I could no longer keep up with my pacer friend. Usually, I don't mind running uphill, as it keeps the course interesting and challenging and it also usually means there is a downhill to come as a reward! However, after powering up this mean hill and using a lot of my energy expecting a downhill section to get my breath back, I was met with more hills! It just kept going up!

After 8 miles I had completely lost the pacer and was struggling to keep going. I have never had a DNF in my life and definitely wasn't going to have one for this race, but as I continued running, wondering when the downhill was going to come, I started to think I might have to walk a bit. I hate to walk while I'm racing and I've never had to do it before, but by mile 10, when the uphill still wasn't relenting, I had to take a break. Considering it's an out-and-back course, I couldn't really fathom how the physics of it worked that I was still going uphill after 10 miles!

By the time the downhill came, my legs were so sore I couldn't even enjoy it! However, now that I've finished complaining about the hills, I can say how fabulous the views were and how amazing the support was. There were more marshals than I've ever seen on a race and there were even people standing outside their houses offering jelly babies to runners which I thought was fantastic. A section of the run went through a fairly busy seafront section, and everyone was cheering us on and being very supportive which was amazing. 

As the finish line finally came into view, I thanked my lucky stars I wasn't continuing with the full marathon course and there was a great reception at the end. A beautiful medal and a free technical t-shirt were the prizes which I thought I had definitely earned after the toughest half marathon I've ever done.

Organisation

This was an exceptionally well-organised event with lots of extra touches making it very special. There were inspirational messages written on signs along the course, such as "Everyone behind you wishes they were as great as you are". All of the main marshals had their job title written on their high-vis vest which meant you knew who everyone was (race director, lead cyclist etc). The race director had a great presence and seemed completely in control of the whole event with a very cool, calm head. They had scouts handing out water and there were plenty of water stations along the route.

It seemed to be a very tight-knit running community with a lot of people knowing each other by name and the marshals cheering people on and chatting away as well. It was a very friendly, supportive atmosphere which was great.

I'd certainly recommend this race, however, do your hill training in preparation and be under no illusion about how tough it is!

Date: Sunday the 23rd of April 2017

Location: Thoresby Hall, Thoresby Park, Ollerton, Nottinghamshire NG22 9WH

Event Type and Distance: 5km run, 10km run, Half Marathon 13.1 miles run, Full Marathon 26.2 miles run, 60km Ultra Marathon run

Amenities: Post race massage, trophies, prizes, medals, food and drink, chip timing, free parking, free bouncy castle for children

Entry Price:

The Longhorn Race series will find you running over old military roads, cleared tracks through ancient woodland and grassed paths around the country estate. The route includes a few hills to offer a small challenge around the course in the most scenic countryside and forest. The terrain depends largely on the weather; in 2015 it was very dry so the ground was firm under foot, but in 2016 there was lots of rain so there were a considerable number of muddy areas.

Nothing looks more beautiful than the sunlight streaming through the leaves in this natural area of beauty. We have devised a race that takes you into Nottinghamshire's National Nature Reserve, through private areas that were once part of the 10,000 acres Royal Forest of Sherwood where the woodland is dominated by native Oaks as well as other native trees including Silver Birch, Rowan, Holly and Hawthorn. The reserve is also the site of Europe's oldest Oak tree woodland, containing over 1000 Oaks most of which are over 500 years old! It is here that the Longhorn Cattle of Thoresby Estate now roam freely, although being a very docile breed of cattle, they will be tucked away during our run race.

Sundried provided the event competitors with goody bags with additional treats from trusted businesses.

Date: Sunday the 22nd of October 2017

Location: Thoresby Hall, Thoresby Park, Ollerton, Nottinghamshire NG22 9WH

Event Type and Distance: 5k run, 10k run, 10 mile run

Amenities: Chip timing, bespoke medals for every finisher, trophies for winners, post-race massage, race village with hot food and drinks for sale, free onsite parking.

Entry Price: £9 - £27

On Sunday the 22nd of October 2017, Ollerton in Nottinghamshire will host its annual race series.

Thoresby10 is back for its 3rd annual autumnal trail run in the beautiful grounds of Thoresby Hall, north Nottinghamshire. Choose from a race over 10k or 10 miles, running along old military roads, cleared tracks through ancient woodland and grassed paths around the country estate. The 10k route is The Longhorn race in reverse, the 10-mile race is the 10k route with an extra 4 miles added through more of the estates ancient woodland. The route includes a few hills to offer a small challenge around the course in some of the most scenic Nottinghamshire countryside as well as the forest and past the lake.

The Autumn colours should make this a race to remember in this natural area of beauty. The race takes you into Nottinghamshire's National Nature Reserve, through private areas that were once part of the 10,000 acres Royal Forest of Sherwood where the woodland is dominated by native Oaks as well as other native trees including Silver Birch, Rowan, Holly and Hawthorn. The reserve is also the site of Europe's oldest Oak tree plantation, containing over 1000 Oaks most of which are over 500 years old! Look out for the Longhorn Cattle of Thoresby Estate, who usually roam free in the forest, in their restricted fields for the race.

There is also a 5k run/walk for all levels on offer. It's a different course that takes you past the beautiful church at Perlethorpe, through woodland groves and back onto the main field in front of Thoresby Hall. This event can be a gentle stroll with the family or a race to get your 5km PB. The 5km race is 2 loops of the course.

Sundried will be providing all event competitors with goody bags.

Date: Sunday the 26th of November 2017

Location: Julie Rose Stadium, Kennington Road,  Ashford, Kent TN24 9QX 

Event Type and distance:

Marathon (26.1 miles) run

Half Marathon (13.1 miles) run

10k run

Amenities: Bespoke finisher's medal, goodie bag, chip timing, live results, post event nutrition and athlete area, changing areas, showers, on-site cafe,  free parking.

Entry Price: £20 - £33

The Owler Marathon takes runners through the Conningbrook Lakes Country Park. The start and finish of the race take place at the Julie Rose Stadium, where friends and family can support you. Runners get to test their legs with this new two-lap multi-terrain run, set in the beautiful autumnal surroundings of Conningbrook Lakes Country Park while taking in the quiet roads of Brook. 

Sundried will be at the event providing all competitors with goody bags with additional treats from our partners.