Hampton Court Palace Half Marathon
I was one of the 3445 runners who finished the Hampton Court Palace half marathon this Sunday (17 March). This was race number 6 in my 70th year challenge. I finished in 2hr 19mins 31secs, just within my target of 2hr 20mins, so I was delighted.
This event has a lovely setting: it starts and finishes in the park and the race village has Henry VIII’s Palace as a backdrop. The route is flat, and mostly on hard surfaces – the Thames path and some roads: the final section is on unpaved paths and grass in the park. It was a clear, chilly day with light winds – perfect running conditions. Pre-race information was impeccable, there were lots of marshals and in general the administration worked well (getting everyone to the start on time caused a few human traffic jams but we got there in the end).
In case anyone is thinking of entering next year, it is worth noting that there are two Hampton Court Half Marathons, the Quicksilver in February – which runs close to but not in Hampton Court Park, and the Royal Palaces one, in March, that starts and finishes in the Park.
I would recommend the Royal Palaces route.
Val is running for Alzheimer’s Research and you can support her at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/val-kirby1
Well done Val!xx