Events

Overall score		80%
Would you do it again?		Yes
Details:
Scenery		60%
PB potential		80%
Atmosphere		80%
Organisation		60%
Value		100%
Beginner-friendliness		80%

In short: I thought it was a very welcoming event and great atmosphere around. I also agree that the 2km marker was a bit off but didn't really matter. Also there was 1 or 2 stewards who lacked the enthusiasm of others but overall very good!
Date of review: May 7, 2011

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Overall score		60%
Would you do it again?		Maybe
Details:
Scenery		60%
PB potential		60%
Atmosphere		60%
Organisation		40%
Value		80%
Beginner-friendliness		60%

In full: I would echo the comments made here already. Definitely some issue with the placing of the 2km marker as it also took me 15 minutes to get there, but I managed to hit 5km by 25 minutes...and I definitely didn't do 3km in 10 minutes or speed up that quickly!

Similarly, I agree that the interest of the stewards appeared mixed. Some were very encouraging and smiley (particularly the guy at the 8km marker!), but others appeared to have their headphones/phones plugged in. And also there was some definite confusion at the start as to what direction we were supposed to be running.

Also, much as I loved my t-shirt at the end, I would've rather had some water! There was no water available which, in today's humid conditions, was rather unfortunate! Someone told me that the water had actually run out - given that some people still had a lap to do when I finished, the fact they had to run the last bit without water isn't ideal.

Overall, good race in terms of atmosphere and spirits however - and welcoming to new people. Everyone seemed happy and keen to put in a good race. What was also good was that it wasn't over-crowded - so after the usual rush of the first few kms, most people had a decent bit of running space and we weren't falling over each other. Just needs some tweaking on the logistics. Definitely worth it for the low entry fee though.

Date of review: May 7, 2011

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Overall score		60%
Would you do it again?		Maybe
Details:
Scenery		80%
PB potential		80%
Atmosphere		60%
Organisation		60%
Value		80%
Beginner-friendliness		80%

In short: Can't really go wrong for £10
Date of review: May 7, 2011

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Overall score		60%
Would you do it again?		Maybe
Details:
Scenery		80%
PB potential		80%
Atmosphere		60%
Organisation		20%
Value		80%
Beginner-friendliness		60%

In short: Friendly but chaotic
In full: This was a good spirited event but had a fair few downsides.

The lack of any mile markers until 2k was dispiriting, and the fact that it took 15 minutes to reach the 2k mark, but only a further 17 to reach the 5k suggests they weren't placed too accurately.

The marshals were an odd mix - some were enthusiastic and smiley, making eye contact and giving encouragement (many thanks to those!) whereas others were staring at mobile phones, gazing into the middle distance whilst giving little indication of the route, or, in one case, smoking upwind of the runners. Given that there were no signposts (including to the registration desk - hidden at the back of the carpark), that the route involved "following the man on the yellow bike" and that the starting horn, which came with no preamble, caught pretty much the whole group (who were trying to work out if anyone knew which direction we were meant to set off in) by surprise, more high profile marshalling might have helped.

Nevertheless, this race had a friendly atmosphere and, despite being small, didn't feel scary for a relative novice. If the entry fee had been more I would have felt ripped off, but you can't complain too much for £10 (inclding a t shirt!)
Date of review: May 7, 2011

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