I live in Hackney. It’s a pretty interesting place to live. Run Hackney Half Marathon has been going a few years but I’ve never been able to run it before. So when Brooks asked if I wanted to run 13.1 miles round the borough I was keen.

I jogged the 5k from my flat, down the River Lea to the start. It was like any Sunday morning but as I got to Hackney Marshes the number of runners starting to join me, walking and cycling or jogging towards the start, began to grow. The voices over the tannoy grew louder and I was excited that today’s long run was going to be a bit more fun.

We set off from the marshes over a bridge towards the centre of Hackney. I live round here but I hadn’t realised the borough was so lumpy. Nothing too big but a few gradients to keep it interesting.

The locals were out in force and in good spirits, an upside to it being the hottest day of the year. They offered high-fives, cheers and some spectacular signage.

Residents turned on their hoses for us, made makeshift drinks stations and dished out orange segments. Overground trains crossing the route overhead tooted their horns at us and church bells rang out (though it was Sunday so on reflection, that might not have been for us).

I hadn’t looked at the route map in great detail so it was a nice surprise when every now and again we’d pass somewhere I knew: the chapel where the Pig’s Ear Beer Fest is each year; a couple of pubs I knew; the vegan cafe where I eat cake after swimming and the lido that seemed a much better place to be than running today. And an even nicer surprise to pass my friend Josie and old flatmate Ros.

The atmosphere was brilliant. The crowd was like a mini London Marathon. We passed more parks than I realised we had in Hackney and at one point I thought someone had set off a confetti cannon but it was blossom from the trees.

For the past few years, the race has been blessed (or cursed) with freakishly hot weather, and the forecasts said that this year would be no different. Being a ginger person, I took extra precautions – drank a lot of water the day before, slathered myself in P20, stuck on a visor and some sunnies and, most importantly, adjusted my pace.

As we reached the Olympic Park and the last 3 miles, the most exposed part of the route, it was us against the sun and the sun was winning.

The race organisers had repeated over the tannoy before the start that today was not the day for chasing PBs and had urged everyone to slow down and enjoy the race. But not everyone had taken the advice. I ran an even pace and from mile 5 I did a lot of overtaking.

The finish line was a welcome sight. I stopped my watch at 1:49 and have rarely been as pleased to be able to stop running. I grabbed my medal and shirt, helped a guy who was struggling to walk to get to the St Johns tent and had a welcome sit down. But I also thought I’ll probably come back to this one.

I ran Run Hackney as a guest of race sponsors Brooks. If you want to run for free, the Vitality race series also offers free spots to people who volunteer at their events. Check it out.