Sussex Beacon Half MarathonHere's how RW members rated this race in the past (483 votes). 2010 race reviewed by: LinChung
 | | Overall score | | 40% | | Would you do it again? | | Maybe | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 60% | | Atmosphere | | 60% | | Organisation | | 40% | | Value | | 40% |
In short: depressing. narrow streets, bollards, congestion, hardly any mile markers, pass the finish three times beforer you get there.
Date of review: February 22, 2010
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2010 race reviewed by: Keatesy
| | Overall score | | 20% | | Would you do it again? | | No | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 40% | | PB potential | | 60% | | Atmosphere | | 40% | | Organisation | | 40% | | Value | | 20% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In short: Too many problems to name... Not a great advert for road running in Brighton!
In full: Due to poor weather and last minute course changes there may well be a many unseen reasons why this race was so bad, but I’ve run about a dozen different half marathons and this is the worst to date. Where do I start; poor signage; minimal toilet facilities; course dangerously narrow and twisting for so may competitors (Between the 4 of us who took part we saw 6 people fall) not enough people on the drinks stations; not enough marshals; and finally I have woken up to a black eye as the helpers at the end thought it would be a good idea to throw stuff in to the finishers crowd at the end… thanks for that!
God help people who are running the Marathon in Brighton if this is anything to go by.
Date of review: February 22, 2010
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2010 race reviewed by: Tracy Morgan 2
| | Overall score | | 40% | | Would you do it again? | | No | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 60% | | PB potential | | 60% | | Atmosphere | | 20% | | Organisation | | 40% | | Value | | 60% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In short: No race etiquette
In full: I stood at the 2 hour line before the race started, but obviously people don't take notice of this. The roads through the towns are so narrow that their is bottle necking going on and you have to walk because you just come to a stand still, people are elbowing you in the ribs, at water station people are throwing bottles and cups without looking to see if anyone will be hit by them, then to top it all you have to que to step over the blue chip mat to get your final time recorded, you then go to bet your bag which you have carefully checked in at the beginning and their's no volunteers their watching them and just people stepping all over the bags, and I know someone that had their's pinched. I'll never do this one again, ever!
Date of review: February 22, 2010
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2010 race reviewed by: Kim Ruckwied
| | Overall score | | 40% | | Would you do it again? | | Maybe | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 100% | | PB potential | | 80% | | Atmosphere | | 40% | | Organisation | | 40% | | Value | | 40% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In short: Nothing you can do about the weather, lots you can do to make it a better race for runners.
In full: Alot has all ready been said. I missed the crush at the end, thankfully, but the crush through the Lanes at the start was extremely frustrating. If you are going to send a race through narrow streets I suggest it happen towards the end once everyone has spread out. I was quite concerned about getting knocked over. I might have missed it but I didn't even get a drink at the end of the race.
Date of review: February 22, 2010
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2010 race reviewed by: Beverly Reece
| | Overall score | | 20% | | Would you do it again? | | No | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 40% | | PB potential | | 40% | | Atmosphere | | 40% | | Organisation | | 20% | | Value | | 20% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 40% |
In short: Disappointing to say the least!
In full: First time I had entered this race and was really looking forward to it, the finish was diabolical, I have never seen such chaos! Badly organised, and not enough marshalls but well done to the marshalls that were there it can't have been easy for them either
Date of review: February 22, 2010
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2010 race reviewed by: Andrew Field 3
| | Overall score | | 20% | | Would you do it again? | | No | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 60% | | PB potential | | 80% | | Atmosphere | | 60% | | Organisation | | 20% | | Value | | 40% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In short: Terrible Organisation
In full: I am not having a moan here due to the weather yesterday as that never never bothered me and I did my personal best out of 15 halfies I have completed so far but the organisation was the worst I have ever experienced:
1. Just water is not sufficent for races, there also needs to be juice at each station which is not the case.
2. They make the start so wide, and for the first 20 mins pf the race they keep pusing you down bottle necks that are 5m wide which results in queues at numours places. Hardly ideal for a race.
3. The finish was a nightmare, there is no way spectator should be allowed down to the finish area there is just not enough space.
4. At the bag drop off you leavbe your bag there, with wallets, cameras and phones in there and at the end it is a free for all with everyone trying to find their bags. Any bag could be stolen, and to top it all off there is a sign there saying they are not responsible for any loss of bags. my bag would have been just as safe had I left it on the side of the road.
5. No mile markers.
6. Standard inadequate number of toilets.
Really have to lift their game for next year, I could definitely do a better job than that.
Organsation gets a 2 out of 10.
Date of review: February 22, 2010
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2010 race reviewed by: Matt Gardner 3
| | Overall score | | 20% | | Would you do it again? | | Maybe | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 60% | | PB potential | | 60% | | Atmosphere | | 40% | | Organisation | | 20% | | Value | | 20% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In short: Badly organised
In full: Most people have already covered the "issues" with the race. For me the biggest was how dangerous it was to be running along footpaths covered in street furniture, very few of which were clearly marked. This was highlighted when a girl behind me ran straight into a bench, went flying and smashed her face on the pavement. I continued to try and get some help, as others were attending to her, but there were no marshals for hundreds of yards and the first ones I did find were more worried about sheltering out of the rain than providing any assistance. I hope she wasn't too badly injured. Summed up the race for me, won't be back.
Date of review: February 22, 2010
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2010 race reviewed by: Harris
| | Overall score | | 40% | | Would you do it again? | | No | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 60% | | PB potential | | 60% | | Atmosphere | | 60% | | Organisation | | 20% | | Value | | 20% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 40% |
In short: Shambolic - Made pretty much every mistake that could be made
In full: It has all been said before, but it is all correct and adds up to a very disappointing race.
I suspect the tight turns and overcrowding on the course can be put down to an extent by the last minute change of course, but that doesn't explain the total lack of any organisation whatsoever at the finish line, leaving people shivering in narrow pens for 20 minutes. And my main gripe has to be the baggage - totally unacceptable to leave people to pick through bags unsupervised after a race of this nature. Needed people to look after these and only hand them out to people with the right race number - surely that's where some of the £25 entry fee should go? I can't see what else it was spent on!
It's quite easy for me to pop down to do this one from London, but doubt I'll bother again.
Date of review: February 22, 2010
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2010 race reviewed by: brad tannahill
| | Overall score | | 40% | | Would you do it again? | | No | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 80% | | PB potential | | 60% | | Atmosphere | | 40% | | Organisation | | 40% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In short: To many people in the lanes, need to close all roads
In full: Not enough mile markers, roads were not all closed. No goodie bag either like prior years. Finish was really bad as most people in the 2hr mark couldn't cross the line. To many people on narrow streets so no PB potential. Weather didn't help.
Date of review: February 22, 2010
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2010 race reviewed by: lizziew
| | Overall score | | 40% | | Would you do it again? | | No | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 60% | | PB potential | | 60% | | Atmosphere | | 40% | | Organisation | | 40% | | Value | | 20% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In short: organisers have a lot to learn.....
In full: Unfortunately let down back lack of volunteers at the baggage claim and finish line. Frst couple of miles through the lanes very very narrow and dangerous with rather a lot of street furniture / early morning shoppers trying to cross! Crush at finish line inexcusable. There are better, cheaper races than this. Hopefully Brighton marathon will be better organised...
Date of review: February 22, 2010
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