Avebury 8 by Tim Woodman 2
 | | Overall score | | 60% | | Would you do it again? | | Maybe | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 80% | | PB potential | | 60% | | Atmosphere | | 60% | | Organisation | | 80% | | Value | | 80% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 40% |
In short: A good race in the Wiltshire countryside In full: Having been at quite a few MT events over the last few weeks (Sodbury Slog, Stickler etc) I've got used to lots of tough races, so today's was a bit of a shock. There were some nice muddy sections (fields and nasty rutted tracks) and I gather that the section at 3 miles is usually much worse than this year (described a looking like a drained canal...). However much of the running was over tarmac (or equivalent) tracks, and so this race is a bit of a hybrid. Its certainly not a Slog or Terminator with 90% off road, and I suffered a bit in my Innovate Flyrocks, and maybe next time trail shoes would be the best bet. The route is essentially flat, with a slow climb at the start to the earthworks, which then rewards the runner by giving a downhill last mile. For the rest the biggest handicap is the rough and muddy sections, other than that this is a fast race (or certainly was this year). The race was well organised and the marshals unfailingly supportive, so well do for that. The sweeper's broom was nice touch. I do have a serious gripe though. I requested a XL T-shirt, as I have a fairly big chest size 44-46 inches - I'm not a whippet but I do love my running). I overheard some of the organizers discussing the T-shirts beforehand and saying that they hadn't ordered XL as they were far too big. As I expected the L size was too small, and my 'much sought after Avebury 8 T-shirt' will have to be passed on to my wife. Please, please organizers consider that not all runners are tiny! On the whole a nice sunday morning run, but for me too much road and not enough hill to be a personal favourite. Date of review: November 16, 2009
|