RW Race Report - Thames Towpath Half-Marathon

With much of England experiencing unprecedented floods as the wettest July on record came to a close, the inaugural running of the Thames Towpath Half-Marathon looked like it might also become a victim of the wet weather.

In the end the race organisers changed the start location and revised the route to ensure this point-to-point multi-terrain race could go ahead, much to the delight of the 300 runners who had signed up to make it a sell-out long before race day.

Every year the direction the race is run will alternate. This year runners were transported by bus from Windsor to Marlow for the start of the race before running ‘down tow’ back along the Thames through a selection of pretty riverside towns and villages including Marlow, Bourne End, Cookham and Maidenhead, and finally back to Windsor.

Despite the rain, the ground wasn’t too soggy, but the new route did include a few hills to add to the challenge of this multi-terrain race.

The original route along the towpath – which will be run next year – is flatter but not necessarily faster as runners will still have to cope with surface changes.

Every finisher received a small trophy, which proved a popular change from a medal, but everyone agreed that it was the organisers who really deserved high praise for ensuring this excellent addition to the racing calendar went ahead despite challenging conditions.