2012 race reviewed by: SilkTork
 | | Overall score | | 60% | | Would you do it again? | | Yes | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 60% | | PB potential | | 60% | | Atmosphere | | 60% | | Organisation | | 60% | | Value | | 60% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 40% |
In short: Pleasant enough but less than ordinary
In full: I enjoyed the run. The weather was good, and the course went through countryside - not spectacular countryside, but decent countryside nevertheless. I enjoyed the course. Indeed, I would recommend it. That is not to say that the race was anything special, but it was pleasant, and provided you don't have much in the way of expectations, then it does the job nicely. An early morning run in January, through decent countryside over a challenging but not aggressive course, with plenty of friendly marshals. And, as it's held in St Albans, there's the opportunity for a decent pub crawl afterwards.
I didn't use the suggested car park. I parked in a sidestreet near the start/finish point. As I wanted the loo before the start, I did go to the race HQ, and noted that there were plenty of parking spaces available. There was no loo paper, but this is not uncommon, and experienced runners should bring their own.
The start was a little messy. People seemed unsure where they needed to be, but - again - having been to a number of such low key club runs, one learns to expect this. I didn't notice any signs pointing to the start, but I had read the fairly decent instructions beforehand, and there were enough runners heading in the right direction to guide the way.
There were at least two water stops (the same one actually), which consisted of water cups, and I did notice some jelly babies, but too late to grab any!
At the loop end the organisers had the returning runners crossing over in front of the outgoing runners, which seemed clumsy. Why not have the outgoing loop turn left, so there is no crossover? Also, the marshals, while pleasant, could be a little more alert in giving directions. They are sometimes poorly placed, and more than once I had to ask which direction. Indeed, at the loop crossover, one marshal was blocking the way I had to go, and only moved aside when I was asking which was the way I had to go. It helps if marshals point the way as soon as they see a runner coming.
No goodies, water or bananas at the end. Often goodies are donated by sponsors - it's just a question of the club being proactive. The medal was decent quality, but not individual. If you're an experienced runner you'll already have it, with some other race name scratched on the back. For ordinary club runs like this, I'm not fussed about medals anyway. I'd rather have some sports drink and nibbles. Or a hat or a t-shirt, or a sweat band. Something a little different, perhaps.
All in all, pleasant enough, but rather less than ordinary. I'd do it again, but it's not a favourite race.
Date of review: January 29, 2012
|
denotes Subscriber-only content | 
