Sunday saw the inaugural Nike+ Human Race event, which pitted runners competing in 25 cities against each other over 10k with the winner determined by average finisher time.

Nike’s decision to host the London event at Wembley gave it an iconic backdrop and the decision to set runners off in the evening was smart as we were blissfully unaware of the concrete jungle (and muggers!?) surrounding the running course. As energy levels dipped, runners were picked up by high energy music blaring out along the 10k route.

But I have some gripes - Wembley mugging drivers for £15 for car parking was as unimpressive as it was unsurprising. Stewards, although in abundance, were largely clueless. And it pissed down – although I think I can forgive Nike that one.

The pre-run concert inside Wembley Stadium, as you would expect, was spectacular and 20,000 warming up together was a sight to behold. But while some got into the spirit of things many just wanted to get on with the run.

Londoners have got used to picking up medals in recent weeks, but this time we had to settle for a respectable 5^th, with an average time of 57 minutes 44 seconds.

I’m calling for a stewards’ enquiry. Taipei won the event with an average time of just over 46 minutes – which put them around 8 minutes faster on average than the nearest rival. Conditions and difficulty of route will of course make a difference… But 8 minutes!? Give me a break. Apparently, there are now ‘some questions around their course marking’… and I hope they are disqualified.

Nike is commercially a very savvy business and rather than send out its race packs – which included race chip, compulsory running t-shirt – participants had to visit its London NikeTown megastore. From looking around at my fellow competitors many took the opportunity to invest in a sparkling new pair of new shoes, shorts etc...

And Nike should be credited with making running fashionable and this was no place for funny fancy-dress costumes – I think I saw a guy in a rhino suit being bundled into the back of a van.

The event itself was an excellent first attempt but will need tweaking for 2009. Music and running is an excellent mix – but whether runners want to listen to a concert for an hour and a half before setting off on a 10k run is something that will need to be given due consideration before next year’s race.