Race Date: Sunday 29th September 2024
Race Report by Alice Taylor-Bennett

Ealing Half Marathon is a closed road race through the ‘Queen of the Suburbs’ with guaranteed jelly baby handouts and a great atmosphere the entire way round.

Sunday 29th September marked my 5th time taking part in this race and it was my first trip back to London after relocating to Sheffield this summer.  In the frenzy of unpacking and starting a new job I had failed to notice that my race pack hadn’t arrived – presumably posted in the 2 day hiatus between me leaving and the mail redirection kicking in.  Thankfully the race village was in full swing on Saturday with for the children’s Ealing Mini-Mile so after an unplanned sprint to get to the registration tent before it closed I was greeted by some very friendly volunteers who gave me a replacement race number/chip.

Race day weather was perfect: dry, cool conditions and barely any wind.  The start line is between Walpole Park and Lammas Park and the run heads through central Ealing before heading towards Pitshanger, West Ealing and Hanwell.  The first time I ran this route in 2019 I was surprised by the number of ‘hills’ (although not real hills if you’re from Sheffield) and was much more prepared for them this time round!

As always there was a fantastic atmosphere for the entire 13.1 miles with lots of support and live music. The course has 3 official water stations (4, 6, 9 miles), passes through several local parks and the loops around the race village for the last 500m so you can eye up the food offerings before you cross the finish line.

Post-race refuelling involved a tour of the local pubs – many of which will pour a free pint for anybody with a medal.  All in all a great day and a highly recommended race.

The race was won by John Fielding of Ealing Southall and Middlesex AC in 1:07:54. The first female finisher was Hattie Freeman of Clapham Chasers in  1:15:27.

Striders Results: