Gemma Wells did the AW 20 and sent in this report 

​AW20 31st Match 2019
Adur and Worthing 20 mile run was hosted by Sussex Trail Events and it was a new road race for 2019. It is an out and back run and starts at Shoreham Beach Green,it does a loop around Shoreham Beach before heading along the seafront through Lancing and Worthing to Ferring. The 10 mile turnaround point is just beyond Sea Lane, Ferring and then you head back again toShoreham Beach. The wind was against us heading back along the seafront to Shoreham which was hard work! It is a flat course and ideally timed so it can be used as a last long run before Brighton or London marathons which was why I decided to do it and there were lots of others taking part who were also using it as part of their marathon preparation. There were 4 well stocked aid stations which provided an array of yummy snacks. We were made aware in advance but you needed to take your own cup or bottle for water as these were not provided in an effort to reduce plastic waste. Approximately 150 runners took part so it did feel like I was running on my own for a lot of the time but overall it was a good experience, well organised and definitely helped me to get my 20 mile run in!


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Race report from Carla Tullett who race with Jackie Bone

​Sunday's Mel's Miler 10k was an enjoyable run, Jackie's 2nd time and my 3rd time at the event. We started and finished the race at Christ Hospital, and ran out of the grounds, heading towards Southwater Park. With a couple of roads to cross we were in the park and starting to make our way back. This was a fairly flat race with a few undulating areas around the park. The course was well marshalled and organised. A nice medal with an orange ribbon, the best colour for us Oranges, a few jelly babies and the race was completed for 

Race report from Rebecca Kipping  who did the race with Samantha Morfee

​The Hampton Court half marathon is exactly as it sounds, starts and finishes at Hampton Court Palce itself and is held in mid March which is a nice time of year especially for those running April marathons.
I give the run 6/10.
We got up there nice and early, and, following the very thorough race instructions sent out in the race pack and via email we parked at the train station.  Parking only cost £2.50 which was a bargain!
The race village opened at 7.30 and was very good with food, sports merchandise, registration, bag drop, lots of toilets and complimentary massages. All in the shadow of the palace itself.
The race started in waves, which were well organised and all set off on time, no mean feat for about 3000 runners!
So far so good! The first 3 miles were along the Thames, which was a lovely place to run.
Then we went across a bridge to the other side of the river and it was here that things went wrong.
The next 5 miles were on the road. Not a problem, however I was expecting closed roads but I was wrong! 5 miles on narrow pavements with hundreds of others runners is not fun.
To make matters worse we obviously had to cross lots of roads, and here it really got messy. I was middle of the pack and by the time I reached some crossing points the cars were really backed up and the marshals were quite ineffective. At one roundabout there were probably 50+ cars in a queue. Drivers were understandably angry about having to wait for thousands of runners and soon horns were blaring making for a less than fun atmosphere.
At 8 miles we returned back to the river, then turned off to run the last 2 miles in the Palace grounds. Luckily it was dry as this could have been very muddy and slippery.
The reception at the finish line was great, with a big crowd cheering us on.
The medal was worth the journey and you got a t-shirt too, though it was quite cheap material, as well as some nice snack freebies and a half price voucher for a visit to the Palace.
Despite the positives, its a running event and for me its all about the run, not the facilities or the freebies, or even thr medal. For an event that cost about £40 I would not do it again. Worthing and Brighton are both about the same price yet are closed road making for a much more enjoyable race.