Events

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

In short: After 20 years of running this was the race I got my best time yet
In full: 2012 was the third time I ran this race. 2011 was the full and 2010 the half. Given it is a city race is has a lot of great parks and countryside to look at after the first few miles. I thought the organisers did a great job. there are pockets of crowds to cheer you on. But it is very flat most of the way around apart from the last 3/4 of a mile which is uphill. Leicester is not London, but it's a really great marathon. Speaking to people at the end several had achieved a PB and almost all said they'd be back again in 2013. Worth serious consideration if you are running an autumn marathon.
Date of review: May 25, 2013

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Overall score		40%
Would you do it again?		No
Details:
Scenery		60%
PB potential		60%
Atmosphere		40%
Organisation		40%
Value		60%
Beginner-friendliness		40%

In short: Average
In full: Leicester is my birth town (long since a Londoner) and having done London a few times, and numerous half marathons, decided to give this one a go (half due to training timetable issues).

Course okay. Well, a little dull I suspect but for me it was a trip down memory lane so quite interesting. Marshals good and friendly, and nothing on the organisational side to pick too much fault with – apart from the finishers' tent thing which was dreadful. You have all of Victoria Park, why funnel people through claustrophobic hell?

My one big negative. Why oh why ban MP3s? There is absolutely NO EVIDENCE at all that they in any way endanger safety and most of us train with them. Most events allow them and they would surely be universally banned if they were a liability. I can only assume this is a personal choice of the race director. I will not be back next year because of this. For an event trying to maximise entires for charity this is a shame (and by the way, the online entry form doesn't mention this, it's only the post entry stuff that makes you aware of this; bad planning or do they realise it will put you off and therefore try to take your money before they tell you?)
Date of review: November 3, 2012

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

In short: Well organised & marshalled - fantastic event with distances for all abilities
In full: I really enjoyed this race through town, park & country - starting & finishing in Victoria Park. The organisation was excellent and it was very well signed & marshalled, not too crowded so ideal for a good time. Good support especially at start & finish & through town - very vocal & encouraging. Tough uphill finish along New Walk but otherwise flat so opportunity of a PB, I would highly recommend this event.
Date of review: October 22, 2012

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

In short: Nice race, poor organisation
In full: A decent 'local' race with some reasonable scenery on fairly flat roads. There were some negative points. Sort these out and this could become more attractive to more runners.

The administation of the race was very poor, and the web site content was out of date and lead to confusion. The timing clock went off at least 90s aheasd of the gun. The 14.5 mile marker was placed before the 14mile marker. Lots of little things like this detract from a great day. The marshall were great, although one or two did not clearly mark the direction. This is a problem in small races where the field is strung out.

A good race that could be a great race.
Date of review: October 21, 2012

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

In short: Well marshalled marathon
In full: Thoroughly enjoyed. Got a pb (knocked 47 mins off my 2011 London marathon time-altho I had had a mare there! hence why I opted for a quieter one this time!)Extremely well marshalled. Much prefer to get bottle of water rather than cups-I got more down my front than in my mouth. Fair amount of support en route. Lots of differing scenery-loved Watermead, not sure about bemused shoppers. More slight undulations than I'd bargained for...and altho I'd walked up New Walk (final slightly uphill finishing mile) the day before and decided it was nothing to be worried about....it is tiring at end of 26 miles! Stayed whole weekend-people of Leicester were friendly. Stayed at Holiday Inn: clean, cheap & pool! If I attempt any further marathons...I'd def do this one again.
Date of review: October 18, 2012

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

In short: Nice. Could be better, but nice.
In full: I'd done the half here a few years ago and went for the full this year as a last minute decision, entered with less than 2 weeks to go, which cost more, but fair enough and the price was still okay.
I'd agree with what people say generally about the start, smooth enough and running comfortably very quickly after the gun. Boring scenery for the first couple of miles and the downhill then the flyover, along with the first mile marker being way out, mess with pacing, but the rest of the markers were spot on.
Busy for the first six miles, but room enough, then it gets a bit quiet. Route through the countryside was beautiful with sporadic crowds giving plenty of support. Water, gels, Hi5 plentiful and helpers and marshalls were great. (What happens if a train goes past at a crossing I was lucky enough not to discover). I found the route twisty in places, especially once back on the half course and it feels all uphill at the end (I hate that underpass). Shoppers in general seemed bemused by the runners coming through, but some of the other runners were installed with a beer outside cafes and were great!
Yes, there were some problems with e-mails and the website could be better, the route could be less twisty and be all downhill, but I think the organisers have done really well with what they've got and should be congratulated for a really nice race. Thanks again to the marshalls and helpers.
Only one real complaint - I finished in top third of marathon runners and already they had only medium sized T-shirts left. A shame not to be able to wear it :-(.

Date of review: October 17, 2012

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

In short: Home Marathon so ill try not to be biased but VERY good all round.
In full: Having done a couple of GNRs and the London Marathon I wanted to experience a smaller local event with a small field so that it was more a race than a "fun-run" like the above races tend to be now-a-days.

This was my first time at Leicester, I turned up a bit late but managed to see Claire Lomas (the London Marathon Bionic Woman) up close and certainly got a sense of atmosphere on Viccy Park which was more than I was expecting.

The course was mainly flat, the odd short hill and a flyover within the first couple of miles and out into the country side. The half splits away from the full at about 6 miles and turns back into the city and the field thins out massively so you are on your own. There are a couple of short hills, nothing major, and level crossings however I wasn't held up at any of these - I imagine that some unlucky people would have been though. One dodgy part was running down an alleyway between some houses.

POSITIVES
Well organised on the day and everything you needed at the finish and nothing you didn't. Water, banana, t-shirt (nice design) and medal. Free massages were also on offer and the que was fairly short too.

Marshals were absolutely fantastic, as we're the cadets at the water stations who were very encouraging and also informative.

Local support, whilst thin on the ground, was excellent by the people who where there, especially in the cafes and pubs. This isn't the GNR or London so I wonder why people expect huge crowds. I had more support here than I did in the Great Manchester Run that's for sure.

Fast course, whilst its not busy you can push on for speed, especially between miles 6-19. I was not in the best shape going into this race and expected to struggle, which I did but still managed to knock 13mins off my PB.

NEGATIVES
Website is rubbish, doesn't have much info and looks amateur.

Disqualification for wearing headphones - come on, stupid rule. Thousands of runners train in traffic with headphones without the benefit of marshals controlling traffic so I think we should be able to cope in a controlled race situation.

Lack of publicity pre-race. This is a huge opportunity for Leicester to show itself off and this event could be a LOT bigger if they just but a bit of effort into publicising it a bit more. That way you wouldn't get a load of confused shoppers wondering what the hell is going on!

Silver medals for half/bronze for full? Hmmm, not sure about that, either have a neutral colour scheme or Gold for full and silver for half.

All in all a very good race, enjoyed it and it exceeded expectations, I'd give it a strong 8/10 and will be back next year.
Date of review: October 16, 2012

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

In short: A fantastic 'local' Marathon
In full: My first time at the Leicester Marathon and I'll be back again.
It got quite lonely out in the countryside at times but as soon as we headed back to the city things livened up. The marshals were fantastic and the last 2 miles though the shopping area's were fantastic. That hill at he end was murder though! It wasn't even that big!!!!
I can't wait for next year.

Date of review: October 15, 2012

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

In short: Well Organised, Marshalls and Support was great
In full: Cold start, however soon warmed up when the mist cleared and the sun broke through. Very good running out of town towards the Leicestershire countryside through Watermead park which was beautiful, heading back into town through the town centre. The Marshalls were great as were the Army Cadets at the water stations who did a grand job. There was a good mix of both newbies like myself and experienced runners, and everyone was made to feel welcome.
Date of review: October 15, 2012

Report this rating to the moderator

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

In short: Well organised and fantastic marshalls
In full: The event organisation was great including lots of free parking which was great. Even though support was thin on the ground for most of the route the marshalls more than made up for this with their enthusiasm.
Date of review: October 15, 2012

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