Harewood House Half Marathon Race Report

Harewood House Half Marathon was amazing. That’s it. The race report. I genuinely could happily stop there and say no more. However, I suppose that in the interests of writing a blog post that behaves like a blog post, I could explain why.

• It’s small enough to feel like a social run
• It’s well-organised – British Heart Foundation know what they’re doing when it comes to event planning
• It’s all off road – every single glorious step of the way
• It’s multi-terrain, with grass, woodland, trails, bogs – basically everything you could want underfoot (well, everything I’d ever want anyway)
• It’s hilly – I’m not gonna lie, it’s hard work – but that makes the views spectacular
• The scenery is stunning (see photo above)
• The grounds of Harewood House are closed to the public for the race so the only people you see for the entire run are other runners and a few renegade dog walkers. There’s something very pleasing about that
• The weather was glorious (NB I can’t guarantee that for future races)

If you follow the blog, you’ll know that I have other reasons to rejoice in taking part in such a glorious event. This was my first race since Lakeland Trails Coniston Marathon in June 2015, after which I was stricken with the dread sciatica and could barely walk, let alone run. With the aid of (dangerously?!) strong painkillers, my physio said I could start training again in November. I’ve been running tentatively since then, terrified I’d make the condition worse. But – yay, yippee! – I got the all clear last week and now I can RUN. Like a runner does!

So I ran. Not fast but I ran, struggling at first but remembering around mile 5 was it was like to be a proper runner. Such a good feeling. I had to walk a few bits; those hills were taxing and my tentative training didn’t equip me for all of them but that didn’t bother me in the slightest. The chance to run 13.1 miles in such a beautiful setting put a grin on my face from ear to ear and I enjoyed every minute of it.

As previously stated, Harewood House Half Marathon is amazing. But don’t just take my word for it. Look at the smiling faces on our posse. How’s that for runners’ bliss?

(Running photo credit: fellow running blogger Stripey Anne – and she only took one shot! What a pro).