If you organised events called ‘Rock n Roll Marathons’, what other UK city would you choose but Liverpool?

As much as I would have loved to have stayed the whole weekend and really soak up everything Liverpool has to offer (and it has a lot), this was always going to be a flying visit for me. Leaving Peterborough at 11am on the Saturday and returning Sunday afternoon after the race, I was a day tripper. Driving to Liverpool from Peterborough is easy enough, you can take the long and winding road but I prefer straight up the A1 and across the M62.

My accommodation was my Daughters University digs on Greenbank, just next to Penny Lane which also happened to be the about the half way point for the half marathon. Getting around Liverpool is easy enough on the buses, I bought a ticket to ride all day which was great, got my monies worth from that.

I arrived very early for the race so was able to get a look around and soak up the atmosphere. All areas were clearly signposted so no problem finding my way. Bags got a once over from a sniffer dog, but this process didn’t seem to cause any delay.

There were a number of races taking place over the weekend. A 5k event on the Saturday and the marathon, half marathon and a mile warm down on the Sunday. I was running the half Marathon which started out at 9am (an hour before the marathon).

The coarse starts in and around the city centre. It was a warm sunny day forecast, but at 9am the heat hadn’t really got going. There’s a long steady climb early on which left a few runners needing help but more through lack of training than the severity of the climb I would think. Every mile or so you would come to either a live band playing or speakers playing music which really kept the atmosphere going. The middle stretch of the race was mainly through shaded parks and avenues so keeping out of the sun wasn’t hard. The last 3 miles or so are along the bank of the Mersey. Lovely view, smooth concrete to run on but my goodness it was hot! You could cry for a shadow. The end could be seen in the far off distance and that kept me going, sneaking in just under the 2 hour mark. Nice bling and loads of goodies afterwards including a free pint and a concert if you had the time.

This is the biggest race I have run so far and I loved it. The course is good, a little quirky for a spell between miles 9 and 10 but it doesn’t ruin the run, the organisation was excellent, marshals and staff all friendly and helpful. This is a proper feel good event with an amazing atmosphere. I’ll be back next year.