This year was the third running of the Winter Run 10k and my first time taking part. As I stood at the start I chatted to those around me and it seemed many had come back year after year to run it again.

For me it was just a 20 min tube ride to get to the start, but reading the club t-shirts runners were wearing, others had travelled a lot further to get here. It’s a big event on closed roads through central London and that had appealed to runners, despite it being February.

The race had £45 entry fee, with a proportion of that going to Cancer Research UK. I was given a media place for free so I made a donation to CRUK. I wrote the name of my friend’s father on my bib and lined up with the other runners, reading the words on their backs about who they were running for.

I was in the first wave starting at 9:30. We lined up in Trafalgar Square, a pretty special place for a race start. The first 800m were the usual scrum as runners jostled for position. I was nearly tripped by a woman in headphones cutting in front of me who then immediately did the same to a woman ahead of me.

I understand that some people are after a PB and want a quick start, but weaving through the crowd and potentially ruining someone’s day isn’t worth it. By the time we reached the first km marker there was plenty of room to overtake without doubling the distance you were running or tripping other runners. It’s also February and you’ve been stood around for a while in the cold, don’t worry about the first few minutes.

I’d been told about the polar bear hugs at the finish but the marshalls dressed as huskies dancing to ‘Who Let The Dogs Out?’ and the penguins giving out high-5s throughout the course were a nice surprise.

As we weaved round the city I could see runners ahead and behind me. Many runners had come to run in groups and were enjoying the atmosphere. A couple I passed were running dressed as penguins. I told them I liked their outfits and they said “We’re trying to find the river.”

As we came into the last couple of kilometres, I was a little sad that it was finishing. I wanted the closed roads to continue and let us run around London car-free forever. Well, maybe not forever but how about every Sunday for starters?

But the last stretch is slightly downhill and so the finish came quickly (here’s where you make up for that first few hundred meters of jostling), and with it came my polar bear hug and medal. I finished in 51 minutes having run my furthest distance on road in quite a while and so far my leg seems ok with that.

I’d definitely recommend the Winter Run as something to look forward to in February. I imagine it made a good number of runners stick to their January plans to get out running more. I’ll be back next year, but next time I’ll bring a few friends along too.

If you’re looking to train towards a 10K this year, check out my 10K training guide.