This is the second time I've participated in this event although the course had been changed from 2016 to finish outside Millennium Point rather than on Broad Street. The advantage of this is that it cuts out the steep hills of Edgbaston and so results in a potentially faster course. That said, there are some gentle up hill sections around 9km. 

The event is a major event and is billed as one of the UK's biggest 10k road races. This year was no exception and there seemed to be more participants than in the past. As it's a major race, event organisation is very good and local support is excellent all along the route. The support of the local community really helps. 

Safety and Marshall supervision is good too, with first aid stations along the route and many marshalls. 

The finishers pack is good, with a medal and t-shirt along with water, drink and chocolate bar (Cadbury's of course). 

I can't say that the course is unique or naturally beautiful because it passes through some of the more industrial areas of Birmingham city centre, although running round Edgbaston stadium is unique as is the new section in Cofton Park. 

There are a couple of areas where I felt the event could be improved. 

1. Event registration asks for estimated finish time but this isn't used to assign runners to a wave. Instead you choose the music decade you want to hear at the start (00s, 90s, 80s, 70s etc - unless you're in the club runners or elite waves). As the number of participants has increased, this means that average or faster paced runners may get stuck behind slower paced runners (or walkers) starting in earlier waves. In some cases we found it difficult to pass people walking at around the 2k mark. Ideally, your wave should be aligned to your finish time, particularly in larger events like this  

2. Water stations - there is one at 5k, which is fine for the distance, but the water wasn't ready to be handed out and we had to wait while it was unpacked. Not a massive gripe, but could have been better organised. 

3. On one stretch around 8k, we passed a disused car park on bare land. Dust from the car park was blowing across the street and into our eyes, which made it difficult to see. (Admittedly the weather was a bit windy.) Again, not a massive area of complaint but not helpful for participants either. 

Overall, a better route than last year but some small improvements would make for an even better event.