Race thoughts: Absolutely loved this race! Did it in November 2022, my first race in 10 years! It was well organised and the route was glorious. The views round the Orme really take the mind away from the pain! As a bonus it was perfect racing weather for me, nice and cold...7c and sunny with a strong Northerly wind. As a bonus I took a couple of minutes off my PB from 10 years earlier finishing in 1.24.58 for 48th/1746.  

Overview of route: The route starts on the bridge by Conwy castle. It then takes you out across to Llandudno via Deganwy. This is mostly flat with a few drags and descents but nothing to really destroy the rhythm. We had a strong Northerly wind which was a bit challenging but was confidence building knowing it'd be a tail wind home when it matters most. Once over to LLandudno you circle the Great Orme in an anti-clockwise direction. It starts with a draggy climb interrupted by a short decent and flatter section before climbing up the lighthouse. This part of the climb was really tough but you know you've got a couple of km of downhill as a reward to recover. As long as you haven't gone deep into the red you should be in a good place for the push back to Conwy. For the second half of the race I was running with NWRR's Carla Green (2nd place female) which was great as the whole of Llandudno seemed to be cheering her on...I just pretended some of those cheers were for me and enjoyed our little chats on the way back. The tailwind back was glorious and I probably had a bit too much left in the tank at the finish but even so I was pleased with the massive PB.

Other notes: There were 3 water stations through the course, plenty. Annoyingly the bins for them were literally 50m after each station so you have to either stop or just take a gulp before disposing. It'd be great if the bins were a couple hundred meters further along so you can get a bit more down you. It's a big field so you always get some people flying off way to fast at the start, it makes the climb much more enjoyable if you've paced it well and pass these people!

Shoe Choice: Saucony Endorphin Speed - I absolutely love these shoes, I can literally do any run or race in them, zippy with the nylon plate to keep you ticking along and pwrrun PB midsole is amazing, feels like you're bouncing along! Not carbon but more durable and not far off (they feel faster than my Hoka Carbon X!).

Race website: https://www.runwales.com/events/conwy-half-marathon/