Maidenhead Half Marathon race report

The inaugural Maidenhead Half Marathon saw more than 1,600 runners tolerate an unexpected torrential summer downpour on a flat and fast course.

As the crowds amassed in the town centre it was clear that the majority of runners belonged to clubs or at least took their running seriously.

However, there was the odd person in fancy dress.

The first man to cross the finish line was Charles Coleman from Windsor, Slough, Eton & Hounslow Athletics Club. He posted a time of 1:12.02.

The first woman was Samantha Amend (who finished in 16th overall) from Belgrave Harriers, in a time of 1:19.39.

The last finisher crossed the line in 3:17.27.

Full results can be viewed here

I recorded a time of 1:40.36 - a new PB by 7 mins and an encouraging time ahead of the New York Marathon.

So what was the race like? Let's start with the positives.

Access to the race was easy with ample parking and the train station only a 2 minute walk away.

The start area was clearly sign posted and the race village had food and drink and just about enough portable toilets.

The race started right in the town centre with hundreds of people lining the street.

The race was very well marshalled with volunteers making sure there was no way you could take a wrong turn.

Equally, the support on the streets, especially in the difficult middle miles, was simply fantastic.

There seemed to be a great deal of pride in the locals as they clapped the runners past their houses in the first event of its kind in the locality.

The race was largely on A and B roads with a little bit of running through parks and the odd track.

I particularly enjoyed running along the Thames at about 9 miles.

Something that will continue to make the race popular is the fact that it is so flat. The only notable hill came as we crossed the motorway - and that was more of a slope up to a bridge. Any respectable runner would not class it as a hill.

The water stations were frequent and well organised and the mile markers were generally easy to spot. Obstacles were mostly easy to see thanks to red and white tape around them.

The last mile saw an increase in crowds as the town centre loomed large. One final half mile lap of the town centre and it was over.

The finish line was fluid with plenty of volunteers to remove time chips and to hand out water and bananas.

But now for a few negatives. I hate this part but if events want to be popular they need to improve and compete with the other races in the packed calendar. I hope this is fair.

The first mile of the race included a lap of the town centre that meant runners had to cross the start line for a second time.

Although this was a nice idea the laps weren't quite long enough and the faster runners caught the slower runners causing a bit of a bottleneck.

It also caused a bit of confusion as there did not seem to be any mention of this format in the pre-race brief.

As I've already said the race was well marshalled. However, taking runners down steps and through underpasses is a risky strategy.

For the first runners it means a real adjustment in pace and stride - and fear of injury.

For the slower runners it is asking for a bottleneck.

Also, where there were steps there were not enough signs warning of them (well, I didn't see any anyway).

The finish line was largely well organised. However, this is where I have my main gripe.

The entry fee was more than £20 - but there was no goody bag at the end (unless I just missed it). All runners got was a cup of water, a banana and a medal.

Big races like these need to justify the entrance fee - especially when times are tough.

A bottle of sports drink, a chocolate bar, some sweets and a few freebies are the least we expect. A souvenir T-shirt is always nice too.

The last criticism, which is only a small one, is that there was a large queue to collect bags at the end. This can be solved quite easily though and most people were patient - despite the rain.

When I left I heard people wondering if the race will be held again next year. I hope so because it has the hallmarks of becoming very popular. I certainly felt welcome the whole time I was there.

Road Runner Rating: Three stars

Would I run it again? Certainly

PB potential: Very high