Time to fly. That’s the phrase I kept seeing and hearing everywhere at the HOKA Hackney Half Marathon. It was written on posters, shouted down my ear canal by DJs, MCs and various other hyper-uppers, and I’m pretty sure it was printed on the tongue of my shoe. But while I stood on the start line with thousands of other people raring to go, the last thing I wanted to do was fly. I wanted to get back into bed.
But an hour and 40-ish minutes later, I’d managed to run the full 21km – and while I certainly didn’t fly, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. Much more than I ever thought I would.
Everything from gun to tape (that’s what runners say, isn’t it?) was super high-energy – something I generally respond badly to – but I embraced the high-octane nature of the HOKA Hackney Half in its entirety. And loved every moment. The kids throwing sweets, the people dressed as pandas, the unoriginal signs saying ‘The Devil Wears Strava’, and the constant, never-ending cheering all made for a pretty unforgettable experience.
For the gear nerds: on foot, I was wearing the HOKA Skyward X2 – a super-cushioned, plush trainer with a carbon plate that was entirely responsible for getting me across the finish line in one piece and, importantly, without my legs feeling like they’d been reversed over by a Land Rover. I don’t know all that much about running trainers, but the Skyward X2 was exceptionally comfortable, I felt pretty fast in them, and the colourway was nice, which is really all you can ask for, isn’t it?
As for the route, it was a sort of winding, zigzagging loop around Hackney. No long straights, not too many hills, and as someone who doesn’t spend much time in the Big Smoke, it was genuinely a great way to take in one of London’s most vibrant boroughs. The start was in Hackney Marshes, and the finish was there too. The only difference being that by the end of the race, it was populated by smiling zombies – me included.
And the results? Originally, I’d intended to be right at the very top of them, but after chatting to Andrew (Proper’s in-house running enthusiast), who predicted the winner would run something like a 66-minute half, my ambitions were promptly quelled.
As it turns out, Andrew’s guess was pretty much bang on. The winner managed all 13 miles in just 66:34 – which is absolutely mental. The culprit was a man called Sam Tyas, whom I’d envisaged as some kind of Olympic god, but after checking out his Instagram, he’s just a normal bloke. The post before his collab with HOKA, he’s posing with a can of Stella Artois. Truly inspirational stuff.
And shortly after I finished the race, I was posing with cans of lager too – soaking up all the atmosphere, free beer, and pizza Hackney Wick had to offer. Eventually, I dragged myself to London Euston for the train back to Manchester, but I can guarantee the party went on late into the night. People calling in sick the next day because they couldn’t walk, or couldn’t walk without throwing up, in equal measure, no doubt.
All in all, as you’ve probably gathered, I had a pretty fantastic time at the Hackney Half. HOKA – and everyone else involved in putting it together – really did a magnificent job. I’ve only ever run one other half-marathon (it was in Liverpool, and it pissed it down the whole time), but I’d say the Hackney Half is about as good as running 21.1km can get. And in between all the smiling, cheering and clapping, I overheard plenty of others saying the same thing too.
Find out more about the HOKA Hackney Half here
