When the race organisers said that the course for the Vale of York half-marathon  was flat, they weren’t joking. With just one slight incline across the entire 13.1 miles, this course is perfect for those looking to bag a PB or take on their first half-marathon.

Held yesterday for the first time, it was also perfectly timed for those running the Yorkshire Plusnet Marathon on Sunday, October 12.

The event was sold out and over 1,000 runners were expected to take part. I joined those runners along with my best friend and fitness pal Liana (follow our fitness journey on Instagram using #fabsfitness) as we headed to the start line at the Race HQ at Sherburn Aero Club.

The sun was shining and other than not enough toilets, I can’t fault the organisation of it. The two ladies working on the bag drop were very busy but as long as you’re patient that doesn’t matter.

As I am now well in to my training for the Yorkshire Marathon (last weekend I ran 20 miles!) Liana and I decided to enjoy the sunshine and run this at marathon pace, rather than race it at half-marathon pace. After the first two miles we had settled in to a comfortable pace, with our mile splits only differing by a couple of seconds either side.

So far my long runs haven’t always been at marathon pace, especially the much longer ones.  My coach told me that I need to be able to run some of my long runs comfortably at marathon pace so this was a great training run for me.

Although the route was made up of long, flat and often straight roads, it was made enjoyable by the attractive scenery. As we reached the finish line the crowds had picked up and really gave runners a boost as they crossed the finish line.

Once we had handed our timing chips in we were greeted with an energy gel, a technical t-shirt and a medal.

All in all, the route was great and both Liana and I said that it was one of the most enjoyable races we had ever run. I’ll definitely be back next year to try and secure a PB.

Liana and I celebrate with our medals after completing the first ever Vale of York half-marathon