Old Deer Park Richmond 10KHere's how RW members rated this race in the past (131 votes). 2009 race reviewed by: Emma Sheldrick
 | | Overall score | | 40% | | Would you do it again? | | Maybe | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 80% | | PB potential | | 60% | | Atmosphere | | 60% | | Organisation | | 20% | | Value | | 40% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In short: Great attempt but terrible organisation!
In full: This was terrible organisation! First of all numebrs were sent in the post but chips were not. So when we arrived an hour prior to the race there were 2 queues, one for numbers for people who'd registered late and then one for chips. Except those who got their numbers then filtered into the chip queue so it took far too long to get those. Then the toilet queue was mammoth (8 portaloos) and then a separate queue for the luggage tent! 9.15am start was doomed and a rumour spread that it was delayed to 9.45am as by 9.30 there were still several hundred people queueing for chips/toilets/luggage. Then at 9.35 the race started anyway with people STILL queueing! We eventually managed to get going some 4 minutes after the official start.
Then the course - over the first couple of kms we had to contend with traffic lights, cars, pedestrians, children, dogs, you name it. The course was not cordoned off so we were literally running with everyone else who happened to be in Richmond that morning. Then due to the shambles at the start I spent the first 5km precariously trying to overtake the slower people who were all running 3/4 abreast along the Thames Path.
Once you finished and managed to get over the finish line you were stuck in a cattle pen to have the chip removed whilst runners behind careered into you in order to get their foot over the line! The people there were very apologetic but I've never seen disorganisation like it!
Date of review: November 9, 2009
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2009 race reviewed by: danny willingham 2
| | Overall score | | 20% | | Would you do it again? | | No | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 40% | | PB potential | | 60% | | Atmosphere | | 20% | | Organisation | | 20% | | Value | | 20% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 40% |
Date of review: November 9, 2009
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2009 race reviewed by: Krister Bone
| | Overall score | | 40% | | Would you do it again? | | No | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 60% | | PB potential | | 60% | | Atmosphere | | 40% | | Organisation | | 20% | | Value | | 20% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 100% |
In short: 1st prize for queuing
Date of review: November 9, 2009
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2009 race reviewed by: Joyciejogger
| | Overall score | | 20% | | Would you do it again? | | No | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 60% | | PB potential | | 60% | | Atmosphere | | 40% | | Organisation | | 20% | | Value | | 20% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In short: Should have just gone for a solo run round Richmond Park!
In full: So I turned up, albeit slightly later than planned as I got slightly lost on my bike, to a mass of queues... I could not believe the amount of people queuing for chips/bags/toilets... my first thought is why on earth didn't they send the chips out with the race numbers? Would have saved everyone standing around getting stiff as a board from the cold... then 7 toilets for that many runners was a joke.. finally the race just started while I was waiting for the toilets without any notice or gun.. I still had to drop my bag so ended up just starting pretty much on my own.. THEN had to dodge traffic and pedestrians.. felt like a strange training run but wearing a number. On the plus side running along the river was very nice but thats all I can really say! Shame as it has the potential to be a good one!
Date of review: November 9, 2009
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2009 race reviewed by: James Beat 3
| | 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: Utter, total shambles
In full: I had high hopes of turning up to this race and perhaps hitting a PB. Instead I turned up (in good time), queued for 45 mins for a chip (bizarrely not delivered with my number), queued for 30 mins to drop my bag (although I did have a good view of the race starting as the tiny bag drop area was ingeniously located right next to the start line, creating more confusion); didn't have to queue long for toilet as by the time i'd dropped my bag almost everone else had left. By this time I was freezing from standing around for so long, and having had no time to warm up.
Race - busy roads and lack of marshalls do not mix. I had to laugh when I ran past the rugby ground just as a group young lads were unloading their rugby gear and one unwittingly (i think) blocked me with one of those big training pads rugby players charge into.
Spent the rest of the race trying to weave around slower runners/pot holes/slippery cobbles etc etc.
Finish - had a good sprint down to the line with another chap... only it wasn't to the line as the line was about 15 m in from the end of another queue - this time apparently for a banana and a plain white t shirt.
All in all I don't have very high hopes of having got a PB. That is if the organisers even manage to post the results - I wouldn't be surprised if they simply forgot to turn the timing machine on.
AVOID ENERGIZED SPORTS EVENTS! There is another one next weekend around Wimbledon Common - very similar course to the regular Audi 10k in March/Oct. If you want to see a well organised race, go to one of those and don't waste your money on these jokers
Date of review: November 9, 2009
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2009 race reviewed by: Benn
| | Overall score | | 60% | | Would you do it again? | | Yes | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 40% | | PB potential | | 80% | | Atmosphere | | 60% | | Organisation | | 40% | | Value | | 80% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In full: I turned up at 8:20 and had plenty of time to queue, collect my number and drop off my bag. Delays were caused by people turning up 30-15 minutes before the start. The details explicitly stated to arrive early and the disorganisation was caused by these latecomers. The tube closure did cause a few problems for me but nothing that a quick re-plan on the TFL website couldn't solve, but going anywhere at the weekend in London usually means navigating a half-working underground system.
If the person below arrived at 7:48am and still didn't have time to collect their number and check their bag when I managed to have a 30 minute warm up and stand in the exact same queues ready for a 9:15am start that never happened even though I arrived 30 minutes later then I'm a little befuddled.
That aside the course was pretty poor. Running along pavements in and around pedestrians, squeezing past walkers on the bridge and running headlong into runners coming the other way as the course doubled back on itself were particularly annoying and shambolic. Splitting the path into two halves would have made it so much easier instead of trying to chase someone down whilst weaving through a sea of oncoming people.
The turnout was pretty good and the course was very flat. I'd certainly do it again, but I'd pretty much run any course that was within travelling distance.
Date of review: November 9, 2009
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2009 race reviewed by: jellysticks
| | Overall score | | 60% | | Would you do it again? | | Maybe | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 60% | | PB potential | | 80% | | Atmosphere | | 40% | | Organisation | | 20% | | Value | | 60% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In short: Awful organisational cock-ups of basic stuff
In full: Flat course, which means if it's all organised properly you could get a very quick time. However the shambles (echoed by many on here for good reason) at the start rather overshadowed the event. I was still queuing for baggage drop when the race just started with no announcement, so only crossed the start line at 5 minutes (how bloody long does it take to tag bags anyway?!) No problem, I thought, that's what chip times are for; that will give me my true position as well. Apparently not - the chip system went down. Perhaps that specifically is not the fault of the organisers but overall, it was a pretty sad state of affairs. Waiting to see if times go up on the web.
Also, the route included dodging a moving Parks maintenance van on the route about 50m after the start - I mean seriously had no-one liaised with the authorities about this event? Also very few marshals and lots of pavement/road. Not one of the better races I've ever done.
Date of review: November 9, 2009
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2009 race reviewed by: Ed Hall 4
| | Overall score | | 40% | | Would you do it again? | | Maybe | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 80% | | PB potential | | 80% | | Atmosphere | | 40% | | Organisation | | 20% | | Value | | 40% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In short: Hugely disorganised
In full: Having made an effort to turn up on-time, I didn't have too many problems queuing up for number/chip/toilet and was ready for the scheduled start time. Yes the race was understaffed, but a ridiculous number of people had clearly not given themselves enough time to register etc and there were still plenty of people turning up at 9.15. People are blaming tubes/trains but does it take that much trouble to check TFL? Water stop was a joke and not enough space at the finish were big problems. The course was not adequately marshalled in any way and running on the road and between cars was potentially dangerous. Blaming the organisers for the tricky underfoot conditions is ridiculous - this is a race run in England in November. What the hell do people expect??
Date of review: November 9, 2009
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2009 race reviewed by: thespare
| | Overall score | | 60% | | Would you do it again? | | Maybe | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 80% | | PB potential | | 60% | | Atmosphere | | 40% | | Organisation | | 20% | | Value | | 60% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In short: A bit of a shambles, too few loos, registration did NOT stop at the specified time so start was late. Course was nice but half of it was run up a busy road which included traffic turning across the route and dodging roadworks.
In full: There was no PA, so if you weren't in the right place you didn't know the race had started because there was no starting gun/horn either. There were too few loos, not enough staff for registration so it took ages, twice as many people seemed to have entered as were specified. The first part of the course was up a busy road, as detailed above. The end was a joke - you could not get off the Finish mat because everyone who'd finsihed ahead of you was penned into the run-off area, God knows why! Apparently to receive T-shirts and medals. Competitors who'd finshed earlier had to hand out drinks and bananas while the (very few) marshals struggled to deal with medals, t-shirts and bag return.
Date of review: November 9, 2009
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2009 race reviewed by: Gita Shivarattan 2
| | Would you do it again? | | No | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 60% | | PB potential | | 60% | | Atmosphere | | 20% | | Organisation | | 20% | | Value | | 20% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In short: This run was the worst organised run I have done in a long time. I started at 7:48 because of the two long lines I had to join for my chip and to check my bag. At the end of the run there was such congestion at the finish line that I was unable to ct
Date of review: November 9, 2009
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