Old Deer Park Richmond 10KHere's how RW members rated this race in the past (131 votes). 2009 race reviewed by: Map Girl
 | | Overall score | | 20% | | Would you do it again? | | No | | | | Details: |
In short: dismal organisation
In full: I opted to do this race instead of the the Leatherhead Firestation 10k and it was a big bag of sh*te, I should have gone to Leatherhead! So, if 1000 people entered that's £14,000 pounds to Energized Sports to organise. Just what did they spend the money on?
Date of review: November 10, 2009
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2009 race reviewed by: Bjorn Simpole 2
| | Overall score | | 20% | | Would you do it again? | | No | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 60% | | PB potential | | 60% | | Atmosphere | | 40% | | Organisation | | 20% | | Value | | 20% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 20% |
In short: Energised sports - avoid
In full: My email to these clowns
First of all I have no problem at all with the chip timing not working. This is something beyond your control and unfortunate.
However everything else was in your control. I believe you should be offering to refund at least 50% of the entry fee to all runners as a gesture of goodwill - not only for the chip timing but the generally woeful organisation. I'd like to make the following points: -
1. First of all the organisation and course itself was totally unsuitable for 1500 runners. The infrastructure in place was that I would suggest suitable for 800 runners. Maybe this is where the suggestions of 'profiterring' come from.
2. Placing a water station at 3K and not 5K as advised is stupid and potentially dangerous on a warmer day
3. 10 toilets. Are you having a laugh? Do the maths
4. Whilst the royal mail strike was beyond your control - having enough people to process 1500 runners collecting numbers and/or chips was. Did you not react to this acordingly and draft more people in
5. No information provided at start about delay. I was fortunate in that I managed to deposit my bag before the 9.15am due start. But was left shivvering in cold with no idea when it would start. Why was there no proper PA system. If you wish to be taken seriously this is a basic requirement
6. No signage on Kew Road to advise of a race taking place. Caution runners signs are manadtory. I don;t expect road closures but I expect precautions
7. Provide at least 50m funnel beyond the finish line to collect chips and provide water/bags etc. This is basic stuff for anyone who has been anywhere near a race before!
All in all it seemed to be a race organised with no focus on the basics. I have never seen such chaos before. I will stick with races organised by running clubs in the future as they are what they should be. Not for profit venutures run by runners for runners.
By the way it insults eveyones intelligence to suggest that you could have accomodated more runners by accepting entries on the day!! You couldn't provide for the needs of the people who paid in advance. Also £14 is not a cheap entry fee. I would call this about average!!
Date of review: November 10, 2009
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2009 race reviewed by: Hazel swinton
| | Overall score | | 40% | | Would you do it again? | | No | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 60% | | PB potential | | 80% | | Atmosphere | | 60% | | Organisation | | 20% | | Value | | 20% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 80% |
In full: After running races myself i booked this race for my partner it was his first 10k, he did a brillant time! He dissapointly cannot see his ranking! I was also asked to man the bridge as they did not have enough marshall, which i did but runners kept running into each other, i felt the need to stay there as i was scared for the runners and all i wanted to watch my partners success. The apoligy is a bad mistake, it has just managed to annoy people even further. It was the worst organised race i have ever seen!
Date of review: November 10, 2009
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2009 race reviewed by: Hayley Rand
| | Overall score | | 20% | | Would you do it again? | | No | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 80% | | PB potential | | 80% | | Atmosphere | | 60% | | Organisation | | 20% | | Value | | 20% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In short: What a joke - huge queues, delayed start, mass disorganisation and timing chips failed so no official times.
In full: This race had great potential. Lovely route alongside the Thames and completely flat which provided a good opportunity for a personal best. However, no one will ever find out if they achieved a PB or not, as the timing chips all failed and the race organisers failed to take the times down manually or by video technology. This topped off what was the most disorganised run imaginable. There was no excuse for the long queues - they knew how many people would be turning up to collect their timing chips before the start as race numbers had already been sent out by post and entries were not accepted on the day. And who thought that 10 portaloos for 1500 people was enough?! The huge queues resulted in a delayed start and runners getting freezing cold. The experience after the finish line was just as bad. A huge mass of runners not knowing where they were supposed to go or where to hand back timing chips. The handing out of water, energy drinks, fruit and cereal bars was haphazard. The race organisers made a big deal of the tshirts but these were rubbish - plain white with an 'energised sports' logo and no reference to the 10K. Do not give them free advertising - burn your tshirts!!
Date of review: November 10, 2009
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2009 race reviewed by: Gemma Paterson
| | Overall score | | 20% | | Would you do it again? | | No | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 80% | | PB potential | | 60% | | Atmosphere | | 20% | | Organisation | | 20% | | Value | | 20% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In short: Absolutely terrible
In full: Queued in the freezing cold for 45mins to collect chips (that didn’t even work)
no time to warm up
pathetic amount of toilets
all of about 4 unfriendly and rude staff
pathetic amount of bag storage
no announcements for race start
missed the start
about 2 marshals around the entire course
1 pathetic water stop at 3ks!
awful finish
again massive queues
pathetic medal and t-shirt – probably a good job as I don’t really want to remember this race.
all in all - just terrible. will never join an energised sports race again.
And please don’t try to justify all the things that went wrong in an email after. it just made my impressions even worse!
Date of review: November 10, 2009
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2009 race reviewed by: Robi Harper
| | Overall score | | 40% | | Would you do it again? | | No | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 80% | | PB potential | | 60% | | Atmosphere | | 40% | | Organisation | | 20% | | Value | | 20% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In short: Shambles!
In full: To reflect the sentiments of other participants, this was a poorly organised event in every way. Having queued for 30minutes in the cold to collect a chip for a late starting race & running quite a dangerous route, I will not even know the time of my very first 10k due to Energized Sports sheer incompetence!
Date of review: November 10, 2009
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2009 race reviewed by: Rachel Hind 4
| | Overall score | | 20% | | Would you do it again? | | No | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 60% | | PB potential | | 60% | | Atmosphere | | 20% | | Organisation | | 20% | | Value | | 20% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In short: Rubbish, I'll never do this one again!
In full: This was my first non-charity race and I was very disappointed - it was terrible. Very badly organised and quite dangerous I thought. There was no route cordoned off so people actually ended up running on the A316, in traffic on Rememberance Sunday morning. There were too many runners to the running through a built up area and popular walking route without some proper organisation and I think that a lot of locals were p*ssed off because they couldn't pull into the rugby grounds, get out of driveways etc. I am sure some people were still queuing for chips etc when the race started, the whole thing was bizarre and the daft email from the organisers was annoying. If they thought they had spent too much time getting refreshments right no wonder the race was a shambles - what cereal bar / energy drink?
Date of review: November 10, 2009
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2009 race reviewed by: Nikitas Bompolias
| | Overall score | | 20% | | Would you do it again? | | No | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 80% | | PB potential | | 80% | | Atmosphere | | 40% | | Organisation | | 20% | | Value | | 60% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 80% |
In short: Worse Organisation ever
In full: This is one of the worst organised events I've ever participated in. There were massive queues to leave stuff and to get a chip to measure time. Because time was running low, the race began while people like me and my mates we were still queuing!!! When we crossed the start line 11 minutes had already passed! Water was given to the runners on the 2nd kilometre which I believe was way too early! At the finish line there were people trying to get your chip back right after the finish line, making people queue before finishing as well!! The last drop to all this was the fact that the chip system DID NOT work! Also, the attempt of the organisers to make things better with sending us a ridiculous mail with excuses did not make it better!
I will NEVER participate in the same organiser’s event ever…
Date of review: November 10, 2009
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2009 race reviewed by: Oliver Walton
| | Overall score | | 20% | | Would you do it again? | | No | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 80% | | PB potential | | 80% | | Atmosphere | | 40% | | Organisation | | 20% | | Value | | 20% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In full: After the start was delayed for 15 minutes, the race just started with absolutely no warning. Lack of staff, runners trapped in the funnel at the finish - utter chaos. And to top it off, the chip timing system didn't work. A complete rip-off. AVOID THIS COMPANY!!!!!!
Date of review: November 10, 2009
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2009 race reviewed by: Stephen Hitchcock
| | Overall score | | 20% | | Would you do it again? | | No | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 80% | | PB potential | | 80% | | Atmosphere | | 40% | | Organisation | | 20% | | Value | | 20% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In short: Shambles!
In full: It has all been said... got an email this morning to say that the chip timing had failed as well to cap it all off and now my seasons best is unofficial...gutted and angry!
Date of review: November 10, 2009
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