An amazing event. The musicians and crowds cheering gave it a London marathon vibe (obviously ok a small scale lol)- credit to the drummer on the roundabout, he must have been at it for 3+ hours! There was a good buzz around the event, staff were helpful, portaloos were relatively clean (would be nice if people would not leave there rubbish in them, there are bins around! A couple of tightish lanes for which I’m glad there were no runners otherwise could have got a lot tighter. Aside from 2 cyclists who were forcing there way through the runners on a closed course (not ATW’s fault) and causing chaos was a fantastic event and got my 2nd fastest half marathon!

My first time running the St Albans Half Marathon and, overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it and would happily do it again. The route was definitely the highlight for me. It's a challenging course with plenty of hills and, combined with the warm conditions, it made for the toughest half marathon I've completed so far. Despite that, I really enjoyed the course. The elevation kept things interesting and made crossing the finish line even more rewarding. The atmosphere around the course was fantastic and the support from spectators and marshals was superb. Everyone involved helped create a brilliant race-day experience. There were a few areas that could be improved. The start area felt very congested and it seemed that many runners ended up in the wrong waves. I followed my pacemaker to the start from the stage, but once packed in, it became impossible to stay with them as they then moved forward through the crowd. In the end, it probably worked in my favour as it stopped me from going off too quickly, although it did mean a lot of overtaking in the early miles. A more structured starting funnel would help, bibs with starting times in future? Approaching the finish, there were a few spectators crossing the course, which made it difficult to maintain momentum. There were also a couple of mountain bikers using the closed roads during one of the uphill sections, which was frustrating. On a positive note, the ice lolly at the finish was a welcome treat and much appreciated after a tough run in the heat. Pros: Excellent atmosphere and support Friendly and encouraging marshals A challenging but very enjoyable route Hills that made the race feel rewarding and memorable Overall, the St Albans Half Marathon is a tough but highly enjoyable race with a great atmosphere. If you like a course with some challenging hills and plenty of support, I'd definitely recommend it and look forward to returning.

I believe the start is the one area that needs big improvement. Need to split the 10k and the half marathon to massively ease congestion pre start line. I was disappointed along with many others to be separated by a marshal from the 1:45 pacer who went forward and many of us were held back to wait until wave in front went off past start line This was a real frustration. The rest of the day was fantastic !! Great organisation, marshalling and support fantastic, great route and particularly the finish through the park. Fantastic medal and nicely priced event t-shirt (brilliant design - really love the vertical finisher design and the colours on the top). Really fun event and great events village - great atmosphere :-). Great to have so many runs / walks on to encourage all levels. Well done to you all !!

It took ages to get across the start line. Could have been improved by starting the half marathon and 10k at different times. Pacers all started at the front regardless of the time they were running - maybe waves would be better. Lots of single use plastic at water station and catering.

Great event and well organised. Trying to stuck with a pacer at the beginning was near one impossible though. When the 2 hour pacers were called we headed to the start line but very quickly lost them and ended up with the 2.30 pacers! My race was also hindered in first 4 miles with bottle neck of slower runners across the width of the path and walkers. A lot of water stations on route but volunteer execution of giving out the bottles was very slow and poor on every time I got to one.

Fantastic event, wonderful staff, volunteers & general all around incredible atmosphere. I felt so encouraged & loved by all the ushers & all those who stood & cheered on the road. It really lifted my spirits & show how brilliant humanity is. I’m so thankful to have had the opportunity to run it again. It was a huge milestone for me & i’m so grateful to the lovely team who also let me ‘re finish’ crossing the race line haha for the video shot my family missed. You guys were so supportive & I appreciate how much you kindly went out of your way to make sure this happened for me. The only thing i would say is that I really missed the water station at Batchwood - i feel like there needs to be one at 3k on the half marathon (every 3k infact) as it was slightly hotter than anticipated. I’m guessing there’s a practical reason why it was after 5k the first water station appeared - but i was desperate & it effected my energy & concentration a little trying to desperately get to the first one. But otherwise all the water stations were fully stocked & the volunteers were so incredibly kind & working so hard to make sure we stayed hydrated. Thank you SO much to everyone for an amazing event.