I entered the 2022 edition of the Vitality London 10k, which was my very first race in London. Here’s everything you need to know about this race and my personal experience. Hopefully this will help you decide whether you want to add the next Vitality London 10k to your race calendar!

Please note, I did this race in May 2022. Some of my comments may not apply to future editions of this race as some things might change :)

Vitality London 10k: key information

Vitality 10k is an iconic 10k race with over 15,000 runners on the streets of London, running past the most famous sights, from St Paul’s Cathedral to Big Ben.

What time does it start?

The first wave with the Elite runners starts at 10am. From then on, there’s a wave starting every 8 minutes. There was a total of 10 waves for the 2022 edition, with a special Run for Ukraine wave.

Where are the start and finish lines?

The start line starts on The Mall by St James Park and the finish line is by Buckingham Palace. The start and finish are really close to each other, with Green Park being the assembly area / event village.

How much does the entry cost?

The standard entry is £39. It includes the medal of course and a New Balance Technical Tshirt which you receive at the finish line.

Where to pick up your race number?

The race numbers are sent to your home address about a week before the start, which is really convenient.

What is the bag drop situation?

You are given a drawstring bag alonside your race number, in which you can put all your belongings. You also have a sticker with your race number to put on the bag before leaving it at the bag drop area in Green Park.

Can you get a PB at Vitality London 10k?

This is a flat course without many twists and turns. On paper, this race has great PB potential. But in reality, some narrow sections of the course can get really congested, making it hard to keep up the pace.

You can definitely try to get a PB but the earlier your wave is, the better.

You can see more details on my Strava, although the splits were absolutely not accurate as my Strava time was 40 seconds faster than my chip time. Here is the map of the course:

Vitality London 10k: my race experience

Check out the race vlog, I took my camera on the course :)

For context, I only entered the event a couple weeks before race day when I heard about the Run for Ukraine wave, with 100% of the entry fee going to the Humanitarian Fund for Ukraine. This wave was the second to last and it wasn’t a fast one, as anyone could go in this wave regardless of their estimated finish time.

The atmosphere

I felt the buzzing atmosphere as soon as I entered the wave loading area. We were all excited to be a part of this incredible event and take on the streets of London.

The support on the course was incredible, with so many spectators cheering us on all the way. Not to mention all the volunteers on the course and the live bands playing at several locations.

What I loved the most

The atmosphere and the support were one of my favourite parts. Being able to run on the streets of London with so many landmarks was incredible too.

This race happened to be on my birthday, it was my first one in London and I was running for Ukraine so it was a very special day.

Oh and despite the jam packed course and having to dodge people all the way, I managed a PB, finishing in 43:47!

The race photos are definitely worth it, you can get your race photo pack for £15. There were 16 photos of me, which was pretty good.

Any negatives?

As mentioned, the course got very congested and some sections were incredibly busy. Of course the Run for Ukraine wave being the 8th one didn’t help, as fast runners caught up the waves that had set off before us.

On some sections we had to run on the pavement and constantly go from right to left side of the street to try and pass people without running on anyone.

I’m glad I was in the Run for Ukraine wave, but I didn’t expect the course to be so frustratingly busy.

On a separate note, the slight negative (which is nobody’s fault) is that the GPS was all over the place and it was hard to keep track of your pace. Therefore if you were trying to run a specific time or achieve a PB, it would have been difficult to rely on your watch.

Finally, the course makes it tricky for friends and family supporting you to see you several times on the course. Depending on how fast you run, if they try to see you mid-course they might not walk to the finish line on time.

Overall, Vitality London 10k was an incredible experience and I would absolutely do it again in the future!

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