The 34th Hastings Half Marathon is almost here, probably the best half marathon in the world - so say the organisers! There's strong evidence backing that up too, with the event having been voted The Best Half Marathon in the UK by both Men's Running and Women's Running Magazines.
Known for providing an excellent warm up race for the London Marathon that takes place just a month later, it's one that not only delivers the goods in terms of a race with a challenge, but it's one where participants can soak up the sights from history along the way. Following a route that takes in the historic Old Town, the route of William the Conqueror towards Battle and the traditional fishing village of Hastings, it's an event firmly on the UK's annual running calendar. It really is a firm favourite with locals and visitors alike, and one that I, Cale Sinfield - bestof member at SocialBee - consider as having a special place in my heart.
That might explain why I've participated in the event 7 times now!
Running happened to me by accident rather than design, when a friend and I talked each other into signing up for the Hastings Half. Fast forward 7 years and I've now run it every year since - and even gone one step further by completing the full London Marathon twice and the Beachy Head marathon once.
Running has become my passion, my "go to" de-stressing activity. It's a fantastic way to not only stay fit & healthy, but meet lots of new people in the process.
Unfortunately this year my hopes of completing my 8th Hastings Half (and possibly the London Marathon too) are very much hanging in the balance as I struggle on through training, having picked up an injury. I’ve been struggling with painful calf muscles for the last 3 months now, and although ongoing treatment from a sports massage professional and regular appointments to see a podiatrist are slowly helping, my taking part certainly isn't a given at this stage.
But watch this space! This week I managed to complete a 4 mile training run so Hastings might still be on the cards!
The Hastings Half is a fantastic local event, one in which the whole community gets behind and supports. At SocialBee Social Media we've been in the thick of things in more ways than just running. We've managed the event's social media for the last 5 years, after launching their Facebook page and Twitter feed. It's proved to be a very useful tool for many, getting regular interaction from runners in the lead up to the day. They make use of instant messaging as a great way of getting answers to their questions about what can be very stressful day.
Why not head down to Hastings on the 18th March to support me (all being well!) and the almost 4,000 other runners taking part in the Hastings Half Marathon?!
