Result;sub 2 hour – just!

Undiscovered country. Stayed at (Rob’s) fellow runner’s mum’s house in the area. I tell you this as Rob would say make sure you know where and how you are sleeping, as he ended up on the sofa, which wasn’t ideal for him as he was too tall for the sofa. I got a nice comfy bed though. Cheers Rob.
Kick off at 9 o’clock, not the usual 10. Bit confusing as the clocks went forward the night before. If you’re expecting support, remind them, as Rob’s friend forgot and left the house late to meet us at the finish. Doh!vvCity Centre Parking is available, charges apply. We parked on a multi storey near the start and that cost £10.50 when we left. Be prepared.
6,000+ runners is no doubt hard to manage, but there were far too many toilets for the last minute demands for those with the nervous belly (me!).
The course. Well, here’s the elevation profile:

It’s uphill just after the start, with a notable incline at about ½ a mile in, bit of a grind, quickly rewarded with some undulating downhill roads down to Sefton Park, which is massive! You start the ‘park segment’ at about 3 ½ mile round the outside of the park then enter and don’t exit until about 8 ½ when you drop down onto the promenade for 4 long miles along the riverside.
This was by far the most boring bit of the race, no turns, no hills etc. The only challenge is the changes in ground from varying qualities of tarmac to cobbles, but there are some good views and strong architecture.
Drinks were available at good intervals throughout by the way.
The finish was well organised, with drinks (water and Lucozade) available and size “channels” for t-shirt distribution which I thought was a good idea. The goody bag had all the general stuff, and you got a nice medal and technical t-shirt too.
All in all, it was an enjoyable event. Would I do it again? Well, given that the week before was Stafford Half Marathon, which I didn’t do because of this, and this clashed directly with Newcastle 10K, and the boring 4 miles at the end, probably not. Would I recommend it to others? Yes.
I could mention the weather, which was horrendous, rain and wind throughout, but seemed to switch off as soon I crossed the finish line!