Events

Overall score		60%
Would you do it again?		Yes
Details:
Scenery		20%
PB potential		100%
Atmosphere		80%
Organisation		80%
Value		40%
Beginner-friendliness		80%

In short: Great PB potential
In full: A new PB and I'll be looking to the same again in the 2010 race. Kirkstall Rd is far from prety though.

I note a lot of comments about dodging the slower runners who are too far up the grid but it's a mass participation event, with lots of first timers, so is to be expected. There are plenty of smaller races in North and West Yorkshire, with entrants in the low hundreds that cater to more serious runners.
Date of review: July 5, 2010

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Overall score		60%
Would you do it again?		Yes
Details:
Scenery		20%
PB potential		100%
Atmosphere		60%
Organisation		60%
Value		60%
Beginner-friendliness		80%

In short: Fast flat dull but local
Date of review: December 13, 2009

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

In short: As already said, good PB potential but needs better organisation
In full: It was the first time I'd done this race and I managed to knock 3 mins off my previous 10K PB despite the wind and rain. The course is uninspiring but it is fast and flat, so if you're after a PB, this is a good race to try.

Organisation was poor, especially at the start - I went in the right place for my "expected time" and must have passed 100 runners in the first mile. With 6000 runners (a lot of whom were there for a "fun run") all wanting to start as if they were going to run under 40 mins, it was never going to work!

At least with the chip time, the 5 mins it took to get to the start line didn't matter. But if they plan to grow the race to 10000, they need to think about different coloured numbers for predicted times and make sure people start in the right place.

There weren't enough loos and getting from one area to another with all the barriers was difficult.

I'd do this again though just as a good measure of progress over a year, even though it's frightfully expensive for a 10K.
Date of review: November 26, 2009

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

In short: Pleasant race, fairly well-organised, dull route up and down same road but fairly flat!
Date of review: November 26, 2009

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

In short: My 2nd Abbey Dash, seemed more chaotic than last year!
In full: Very happy for knocking 2 minutes off my p.b. despite the wind but the increase in runners was very noticable.

I'll always do this race for p.b. reasons but found what I laughingly call the 'liars' starting near the front who are out for a Sunday waddle were worse this year and force runners to mount the pavements and have to swerve in front of each other in avoidance.

There also needs to be a designated place, or a large number of bins, where chips are deposited after the race. The scrum made finding the girl with the bucket difficult.

Lastly, and other runners have noted this, the 'runners only' section in Victoria Gardens was rigourously policed by rent-a-thugs after the race. Apparently there was a one-way system which prevented you crossing back from the Town Hall to the Art Gallery 'for the benefit of the athletes' despite only a couple crossing. When I pointed to my race number, showing that I was an 'athlete', it had zero effect and had to do a large detour and lost my wife, who was also running, for 20 minutes. Thanks!

This race has a USP, don't spoil it by trying to get too big. The organisation has suffered.
Date of review: November 26, 2009

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Overall score		60%
Would you do it again?		Yes
Details:
Scenery		20%
PB potential		100%
Atmosphere		40%
Organisation		80%
Value		40%
Beginner-friendliness		100%

In short: Same as ever really, if it wasn't fast it wouldn't be half as popular.
Date of review: November 25, 2009

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Overall score		60%
Would you do it again?		Yes
Details:
Scenery		60%
PB potential		80%
Atmosphere		20%
Organisation		40%
Value		60%
Beginner-friendliness		60%

In short: Wish people would have cheered up!
In full: I have read many reviews on here, and i agree with alot of what has been said, yep, pb potential had it not been for the BIG crowds or the incline or the pants rain and running into wind! anyway my main concern, was that this was a "fun" run for many, I am in a running club but I still like to smile and have a larf - and encourage people who may be struggling. However when I tried to do an "oggie ogggie" no one replied! hell, I have done lots of races and people were a damn site more friendlier at those!
I would say the atmos was a bit pants to say the least and I didnt like the cars coming down the other side of the road after 40 mins, hell -wait for some of the slower ones before you open the roads again - that was bad. It all seemed very disorganised. me and my boyfriend showed up about 8.20am and there were hardly any of the organisation team there! The loos hadnt even been put out.
Most of us kept warm in Macdonalds and used their loo!
Next year - yep, would do it again, but they need to sort the org out. Oh and quit with the narky marshalls acting like hitlers.
FUN run guys, FUN run!


Date of review: November 25, 2009

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

In full: Cold weather but better than the previous few days. Great course for setting a personal best with a flat course out to the Abbey with only a slight incline before the finish.
Date of review: November 25, 2009

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

In short: Nice and fast, but a bit congested
In full: A bit chaotic before the start what with portaloo queues and everything but fun and fast for my first 10k. Looking forward to doing it again next year and will position myself a little nearer the front to avoid jostling with over ambitious slower runners!
Date of review: November 24, 2009

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

In short: My favourite race!
In full: The Abbey Dash (2003) was my very first race and it is one which is very special for me. It is flat (yay!) and fast. The support on the route wasn't as good as usual, but it was a cold, windy day so not surprising really.
I didn't pb today, but most of my clubmates did which is fantastic.
One thing that did surprise me was the fact that they were still unloading some of the portaloos 45 mins before the start time! I also had difficulty finding where to deposit my chip.
Date of review: November 24, 2009

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