I loved this event. My second ever race in training for the London marathon. I was slightly shocked my the hills

A lovely mixture of road and trail. You will need trail hybrids though!

Whilst I have put it was quite tough I did manage a second fastest HM in only my 7th race.Thought there could have been more water stops had the weather been hotter there may have been problems with the course as tough as that.And the measurement seemed to be a bit off the guy I was running with commented it was lucky we didn't sprint from the 13th mile on our watches ..as we ran 13.7 miles nice event best wishes for the future

The good:
- I had a great time overall at the Andover Half! It was my first and the scenery really was beautiful.
- Registering on arrival was smooth and so was the bag drop.
- The communication about any route changes were swift.
- Aid stations were well stocked with water, even for the back of the pack and snacks left over too.
- The orgainser clearly cared and put a lot of effort into promoting but I think important logistical elements weren't taken into account.
- The medal was also lovely.

Mixed:
- Depending on if you want or need this, apart from the start/finish line there is very little crowd support. Personally I loved having a peaceful route and the marshalls were lovely - thank you for volunteering your time to make this happen!
- There also wasn't loads of signage, but if you just kept going and went with the crowd the marshalls were there to guide you. It's a simple route so unless you couldn't see anyone infront of you there is little chance of getting lost.

To be improved:
- It should be stated on sign-up that this is an open road event. If you are not comfortable road running with little pedestrian pathways available to you, please do not choose this half marathon. This cannot be helped but it should be communicated better.
- There are zero toilets apart from in the town centre. Not great if you are on your period, or just generally might need the toilet when running long distances unless you're alright releiving yourself in the great British countryside. The event cut off is 3 and a half hours so I think its 1. reasonable to need the loo within that timeframe and 2. for the cost of portaloos I don't really see why this couldn't have been mitigated at least at the half way mark (could have used St Mary's Church path onto the trail or one of the copious amount of pub carparks around the area).

The pre race and on the day organisation was good.
It would be useful to advise where or what distance the aid stations are so you can pre plan nutrition regime.
Mile markers would be good especially for those who don’t know the area like me.
The overall distance I measured was 13.49miles. I spoke to two others who said the distance was long. This was disappointing as I was flagging at the end as I put in a final push with what I thought was 2 miles to go and ended up nearly another 1/2 mile to go.
There needs to be better signage or marshals positioned as you come into town. As you are focussed on pushing for the finish you don’t necessarily remember the course. A chap in front of me ended up in the car park and not turning left along the river footpath just before the high street. Frustrating for him but I nearly followed him. A member of the public confirmed the route.
On the way out the bike barriers as you turn towards the park was covered by runners ahead and I ran into it. There were marshals there but I didn’t hear any warning. This could have been dangerous or prematurely finished my race. This either needs to be taken out of the route or managed better.
I loved the run but as an experienced runner and marshal I hope my feedback helps improve the race further.

Well done and all the best for future races

Well organised and a great vibe at the finish line

The organisation was fantastic and the volunteers were all so friendly and encouraging, made the run almost effortless. Thank you all.

It my was first ever Half Marathon race and I really enjoyed it. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. The registration was very simple and the staff were lovely. All of the volunteers and marshals throughout the course we encouraging and helpful so you could follow the course easily.
I will be definitely recommending anyone who want to run to join and I will be looking forward to doing another one!
Couldn’t have asked for a better day!

Medal for 2025 says marathon and 10k, be better if these were different

Currently in the recovery phase of a lower limb injury this event fully catered for me. Well organised and supported, great route selection and the Marshalls were FANTASTIC! Thank you to all in the team for pulling this together.

Amazing day as my first time half marathon, tons of support and love. Great organisation and well run. The race briefing could have been a bit louder for the people at the back though and maybe one more aid station if possible in future events. But amazing support thank you for the well organised day.

My sister and I ran the Andover Half Marathon today and absolutely loved it! The scenery was beautiful - tough hills but so worth it - and the organisation was superb. Really enjoyed the atmosphere too, with lots of support and cheering along the route. Thank you :)

Enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. Course is tough but, it’s a test Valley, so scenery was fantastic. Would never expect a flat route. Crowds at the finish were a nice surprise and supporters found it easy to follow the race at different parts

Easy to follow route, only 1 sign missing right at end which caused confusion.
Would have been nice to have option to order teeshirts.

I had the most amazing morning, so well thought out and so many friendly faces! 100/10

Could do with some more arrow signs around the beginning/end near the canal and ‘runners’ sign to warn pedestrians on narrow paths