Reading Half Marathon
Reading half marathon is a race I was supposed to do last year. Just like Newport half marathon, it fell victim to the snow.
The event organisers then proceeded to handle the cancellation of the race poorly. Every other race that weekend was cancelled on the Saturday but Reading wasn’t cancelled until the morning of the race.
This was despite pretty much everyone knowing what the weather was going to be like. So after leaving it until the last minute to cancel, they then refused to issue refunds or the chance to defer to this years race. As a compromise every entrant was given a £40 Sports Direct voucher.
This was disappointing to say the least. I am under no illusions that the logistics of closing a large part of Reading for the race and the subsequent costs involved meant they were reluctant to cancel and had already put a lot of money into the event.
Unfortunately for them, most other races either deferred entries or gave full refunds so they didn’t look too good at the time.
Because of all that I wasn’t planning on entering again. That changed when they sent an email to all of last years entrants offering a decent discount on early bird entries. I decided to enter and I’m so glad I did.
Making up for last year
I remember reading in the build up to last years race that the organisers promote it as being one of the best in the country.
It has a unique finish in the Madejski Stadium, home to Reading Football Club, and fully closed roads. I didn’t necessarily buy into the hype but I can now totally see why they view it that way.
The event was fantastic. The organisation, from the assigned parking to the race village was good. Everything you needed was in the race village as well as access to the stadium.
Like most of the bigger races, over 14,000 runners took part, the start was done in waves according to your predicted finish time. This was also well organised and communicated.
I cant remember the time I put down on my entry but I was in the red wave with the 1hr30 and 1hr35 pacers. This was perfect for me as it was to be a training run in race conditions at marathon pace
Despite it only being a training run, I found myself feeling more nervous than usual. I made the almost 2 hour drive there on my own as it was too early a start for Steph and the girls.
Once I had put my stuff in the bag drop I felt much more relaxed so set off to find the start line.
Why I love running
I must admit, it was a bit of a trek to the start. On the way to it there were people diving in bushes for a last minute wee, with many people making little attempt to hide it, myself included!
After warming up I got myself in position in my starting pen. It wasn’t long until we were away. I realised then that it was going to be the type of race where you’re never alone.
In a lot of races, the field can get quite drawn out leaving you with some lonely stages of the race. This was the opposite of that, you were always in a crowd of runners.
From the first mile onwards the support was immense. This is what I love about running. Most of us will never experience true sporting success or be famous to the point where strangers are cheering you on. But that is exactly what happens during races like this.
Having that constant support throughout the race, literally every road had spectators, made the miles fly by. Due to having your name on your race bib lots of people would be cheering you on by name.
I really cant explain how much it helps and how good it feels. I’ve not experienced anything else like it in life and it’s why I love to run races like this. Life is about experiences and these are the ones that stay with you.
Cruising at goal marathon pace
Scattered throughout the course were bands offering different types of music. My personal favourites were a brass band playing the Rocky theme and a steel band who were in a dual carriageway underpass. The acoustics it created gave me goosebumps.
The water stations had pouches instead of bottles or plastic cups. There were several residents who had set up their own drinks stations and one pub had a different take on it altogether. They opted for a drink station that provided small glasses of beer which was a nice touch!
As I said, the miles were flying by. I was cruising around 7.15min miles, sometimes a little quicker but rarely much slower.
With the finish approaching I upped the pace a little but still kept it sensible. I had plenty left in the tank so pushed on a bit more in the last mile.
The stadium was soon in sight and it was a very cool experience running in to it with hundreds of people in the stands. It really is a unique experience and I made the most of it with a strong sprint finish.
What’s next
I came in just after the 1hr35 pacer who’d I’d kept in my sights the whole way round. My pace was exactly where I wanted it to be and I felt pretty comfortable there. It was only 6 months or so ago that I had to give everything to get a similar time.
So that’s it, if you’re looking for a half marathon for next spring, I can’t recommend Reading highly enough. It really is a great race and if, like me, you love a medal, you wont be disappointed.
Reading half marathon and its countless supporters out on the course, I thank you.
So now its back to working hard towards the marathon with a couple of 20 milers coming up in the next month. I also have one more race before the big day.
On April 7th I’ll be running Taunton half marathon in what will likely be a PB attempt. I have run it twice before but both were a long time ago. It’s one I’m looking forward to though and as its local I may even have my little support crew there to cheer me on.
