East London’s very own festival of running is nearly upon us and excitement is mounting among Victoria park’s running community.

I took part last year and I’d have to say that I enjoyed a lot, despite terrible pacing and my various misgivings about the ethics of the hackney half.

The cynic in me dislikes the fact that it’s sponsored by a budget airline (or any airline for that matter) and also that the race isn’t officially validated, so the time wouldn't count for something like a good for age entry for the London Marathon.

The argument against that is that it’s not supposed to be ‘elitist’ or a runner’s race. I agree that it’s a good thing to get more people running and some traditional races can seem a bit daunting HOWEVER I do think it contributes to people underestimating the half marathon. 13 miles isn’t nothing and I do think the nature of the hackney half encourages a lot of people to turn up with minimal training. It’s usually a baking hot day and the thrill of the crowd spurs a lot of people to run faster than they probably should (me included).

Every year I see dozens of people passed out on the road and I know it’s put a lot of people off running. Having a running festival in Hackney is certainly a great thing but on balance I think a Hackney 10k might be a better way of getting people into running, doesn’t have the same ring to it tho does it.