Events

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

In short: Well organised race; good use of staggered start times; needs more loos.
In full: It turned out to be 1 of the hottest days for a while but i still managed a sub-44 PB.
The queue for the loos was rather tedious & i didn't experience the bag storage, but i thought the use of the staggered start was excellent.
I started in the group after the elites & so had a clear track in which to achieve my PB.
This was much better when compared to the experience at the Nike North vs. South 10k where your time depended on your starting position. The route also seemed to be much better than the Nike 10k as well.
Great support around the course, especially at the uphill finishing straight.
Date of review: February 18, 2008

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

In short: Really loved this race, it was my first and I found it really welcoming. The baggage collection was way too slow, we waited for nearly an hour to get our bag!
Date of review: September 16, 2007

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Overall score		80%
Would you do it again?		Yes
Details:
Scenery		80%
PB potential		60%
Atmosphere		100%
Organisation		60%
Value		40%
Beginner-friendliness		100%

In short: Pleasant busy fast run, much as you'd expect in London
In full: Only grip is not with the race but the baggage drop off!! Seemed and looked secure enough when dropping bag off but what didn't notice was bags weren't stored in any order!! Complete shambles!!
Date of review: August 3, 2007

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

In short: Pleasant run in a good atmosphere
In full: I really enjoyed this race. It was a sticky day and there weren't really enough water stations but that's my only gripe. I thought the staggered start was really good and meant that there wasn't too much congestion.
I didn't experience too many problems at baggage collection but could see there were big queues forming by the time I collected my bag.
A really nice flat route which on a less humid day would make for PB potential.
Date of review: July 19, 2007

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Overall score		80%
Would you do it again?		Yes
Details:
Scenery		80%
PB potential		100%
Atmosphere		80%
Organisation		40%
Value		80%
Beginner-friendliness		100%

In short: Got my newbie friend to do it and he loved it so beginner friendly it was!
In full: the atmosphere was brilliant. there were issues with toilets and a massive queue to the baggage area which proved to be 'help yourself to any bag' type of thing but then it was the first of the series so hopefully the organisers will sort it out next year.
Date of review: July 19, 2007

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Overall score		60%
Would you do it again?		No
Details:
Scenery		80%
PB potential		60%
Atmosphere		60%
Organisation		60%
Value		80%
Beginner-friendliness		80%

In short: Roses are red ( pink really ), Violets are blue, Stars do shine, and we sweat all the way through.
In full: As far as I could tell on the morning of the event things for the most part went off smoothly - particularly the staggered starts which bunched runners according to expected finish times, ensuring an orderly get away into the well-designed course. There always is a 'but', and the problem was the runner-unfriendly heat which was exacerbated by the lack of shading over the loop around the Royal Park.
Although I didn't observe at first hand the reported carnage at baggage control post-race, I was slightly horrified with the number of mobile toilets we were provided with. It was approximately the same number as at last weekend's Chiquita Bananaman Chase in Regent's Park - this despite the participation in the Capital Run being several times larger.
I only just made it out of a loo before the tannoy called out for the orange numbers - of which I was one - to line up. Relief came when I realized this wasn't the final call. One truly astounding thing while the queues were still lengthening, was the gall of a middle-aged European who pushed past a young female teenager and the queue I was in, to slip into one of the limited tardis bogs.
Naturally this stoked the outrage of the gathered competitors, especially since she didn't appear to be anything other than a tourist. Then again considering the time she spent inside on a cramped bucket seat, I can only imagine it must have been the call of number two. And I certainly wouldn't have wished for her to drop it into any of the ponds where waterfowl were congregating.
Excepting the heat the run was quite pleasant. Running, I certainly didn't feel as uncomfortable as I thought I might upon noticing the heat and learning of the two lonely water stations. Plus I rather liked the touch of the run-through shower at kilometre seven, when a few including myself lingered under the gauze and the refreshing mist.
Scenically Hyde Park is really the only big green area in central London where an event of this size can be held. In that sense it possibly might be unfair to compare it to what could be had in say Greenwich Park, but in my estimation it definitely doesn't match up well. And if Liz McColgan can do it while she's heavy, I believe Myleene should give it a go once she's finally shoved her baby out and got Graham to do the diapers.
Date of review: July 17, 2007

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

In short: fantastic day
In full: Had a great day one of the best 10k events i have done.
Date of review: July 17, 2007

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

In short: Great day, great atmosphere. Collecting baggage took an hour after I'd finished though and my bag was caked in mud (it was a dry day)
In full: Hyde park is always a nice place to run an event and this day was no different. Capital radio put on a good atmosphere that made the day thoroughly enjoyable.

Checking in bags was fine. Getting about the place was easy and places you needed to be were easy to find.

Although at around the 1 or 2km mark they bottlenecked the flow and forced many runners to slow down.

The mist shower feature at the 6km point was a nice touch. the 2 water points were well located so you could get a bottle at 3 points around the course (3, 5 and 7km)

The only let down came at the end when you are ushered toward the baggage collection points. It took 40 minutes after joining the queue, which was about 20m long when I joined it, to get to the front to see it was a free-for-all to clamber over other bags in an attempt to find your own. Waterbottles were spilt and the mud was churning up making a mess of the bags that were on the bottom. Anyone with anything breakable in their bags may have been particularly upset. After 20 more minutes of scavenging for my bag I found it caked in mud and clambered out of the tent with my legs now aching to rinse it off with a bottle of water.

Hopefully they learned their lesson from this and will improve the service next year.
Date of review: July 17, 2007

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Overall score		60%
Would you do it again?		Yes
Details:
Scenery		100%
PB potential		60%
Atmosphere		60%
Organisation		40%
Value		60%
Beginner-friendliness		60%

In short: baggage collection a disaster
Date of review: July 17, 2007

Report this rating to the moderator

Overall score		80%
Would you do it again?		Yes
Details:
Scenery		80%
PB potential		80%
Atmosphere		80%
Organisation		60%
Value		40%
Beginner-friendliness		100%

In short: nice fast course, being put in wrong starting group didnt help. spent half of race dodging other runners
Date of review: July 17, 2007

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