Royal Parks Half Marathon

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After a week of lavish food and wine in Italy mid-September, then a week at Beerfest less than two weeks later, I wondered why I had signed up for the Royal Parks Half Marathon. Leaving less than a week till d-day, I had to hope my 'pre-drinking' training set me in good stead! And with a course that ran past London's most iconic landmarks, I was determined to compete.

As the name suggests, we ran through Hyde, Regent's and St James' Park. Then it was past Wellington Arch, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminster, up the Thames along Embankment, through Trafalgar Square, The Mall and finally past Albert Memorial to finish back in Hyde Park.

The weather on race-day couldn't have been better and the course was superbly organised for the 12,000 who took part and the thousands who turned out in support. All things considered I was proud of myself for finishing within two hours, and to run the whole race without stopping. 😊

Here are the links to the pro photos and the official website if you want to enter next year - I highly recommend it!

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Photos

Hanging out with the 'park animals' in the finishing area
The guy dressed as a rabbit won the whole race - turns out he's a top Kenyan middle distance runner, and is going for gold in 2012!!