This was not what I was planning to post today, but after feeling ever so inspired after yesterday’s Richmond 10K race, I thought it would be a shame not to blog about it!

The reason behind specifying that this is NOT a race review/recap, and apologies for being blunt, is because approximately 86% of the race reviews I have read (in a blogging context) have been rather…dull. Of course, this is not always the case – I have read some highly informative and engaging race reviews!

However, the majority of the race reviews I have come across have been along the lines of “I woke up at 5:32am. I was very tired. I ate a small bowl of porridge with peanut butter and pumpkin seeds. I set off at 6:18am. It took me 37 minutes to get the start line. Conditions were wet” etc etc. I may be exaggerating slightly (NEVER), but my point is, I don’t think a minute-by-minute account of the race will be of interest to anyone other than myself, therefore I wanted to list 3 things I loved about this race instead:

1. It cost £14. It’s no secret that race prices are increasing (fairly dramatically in my opinion) – for example the London Winter Run costs £40, which in my opinion is absurd for a 10K. Granted, the Ranelagh Harriers’ Richmond 10K is small, local, and very low key and therefore is incomparable to a race like the London Winter Run. Nonetheless, I stand by my point – charging £40 for a race is off-putting and raises questions around elitism – therefore to pay £14 was a breath of fresh air!
2. There were no morons. That is all.
3. This is the most important point for me; this race really highlighted how incredibly supportive the running community can be. I cannot emphasise enough how important it is to surround yourself with people who share the same goals as you (apologies for the cliché but it’s true!) And of course a massive maaaaaassive MASSIVE thank you to my fellow club mate Toby for pacing me to my 10K PB!

This was a short but sweet post, purely to emphasise the positive impact of running or racing with friends/likeminded others. Not all races are like this, and of course not all races go to plan – but this one was pretty special!

Is there a particular race that stands out to you, and if so, why is this? Also, am I being a massive scrooge when it comes to race prices?!