The English Half Marathon was surprisingly good. I only entered this race last minute as I hadn't been quick enough to get a place in a more local half marathon on the build up to The Yorkshire Marathon.

The first half of the race was tough, I had been warned there would be some hills but I wasn't prepared for just how much elevation there was for a road race! The first half of the race also had quite a few twists and turns down country roads that didn't help with pacing.

The second half of the race however was brilliant! Lots of downhill, not too steep but enough to help you along as the legs began to tire! This race is an almost guaranteed negative split!

The finish line is as the famous Warrington Golden Gates and all the runners have to run down the 'red carpet' to the finish. On the day there is also a 10km race and family fun run which made for a great buzz and atmosphere and a great family day out.

The 'swag' included a technical T-Shirt and finishers medal as well as lots of goodies such as a High-5 nutrition pack- the only downside was that they didn't give you a carrier bag so you had to balance all of your goodies in your arms whilst wobbling down the finishing funnel! - A missed sponsorship opportunity there!

A great race with a great atmosphere. See you there next year?

runhelenrun.co.uk