Overall score		40%
Would you do it again?		No
Details:
Scenery		60%
PB potential		80%
Atmosphere		40%
Organisation		20%
Value		20%
Beginner-friendliness		60%

In short: Cost £15, no water station, hardly an marshals, no goody bag just a medal, finally there were no distance markers in fact it was longer than 10K, what an error!! no way was it worth paying £15.
Date of review: October 27, 2007

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Overall score		20%
Would you do it again?		No
Details:
Scenery		60%
PB potential		80%
Atmosphere		40%
Organisation		20%
Value		20%

In short: Shambolic Organisation
In full: Put simply - this was the worst organised 10k race I've ever been to - local village running clubs organise much better events for half the price.

The registration was poor - (which genius thought of listing the runners by number rather than alphabetical order?) No km markers, no marshalls, no water station, few directional markers, an inaccurately measured course - (it was 10.4km) and a start that can only be described as a joke.

What would the organisers have done if someone had injured themselves at the far end of the lake?

This event would have been laughable if I hadn't spent September training (and running much better organised races) in order to achieve a PB at Dorney. To be told afterwards that the race had been inaccurately measured and was in fact 10.4km says it all about the organisation.

Two positives were the weather and the location which were both great.

The organiser describes itself as "Multisport & Event Management Specialists. Our focus is on creating, managing and running sporting events" - frightening !!

Maybe their focus should be on refunding our money for this event? - it was a shambles.
Date of review: October 5, 2007

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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: Great location - organisation was a bit of a shambles though
Date of review: October 4, 2007

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Overall score		40%
Would you do it again?		No
Details:
Scenery		80%
PB potential		100%
Atmosphere		60%
Organisation		20%
Value		40%
Beginner-friendliness		60%

In short: Organisation - As good as a chocolate teapot!
In full: I've run at Dorney before and was keen to get a PB this time. I trained hard and was gutted to find the course was not measured and a PB time couldn't be confirmed. I think I smashed my PB but don't know exactly by how much! Would be nice for the organisers to issue an apology and work out what our times would have been if the distance was right. I hope the feedback from everyone has been passed on. I agree with everyone esle with regards to comments on no water stations, no km markers, no martials, no goody bags, registration was a shambles etc etc. Such a shame as the venue and the weather were excellent. I hope they are not allowed to organise another event again, or if they do, perhaps free entry to all those who entered and got ripped off this year!
Date of review: October 2, 2007

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

In short: Not for beginners
In full: This was my first race ever. I was nervous and didn't know what to expect. I found the queue long and did not know how to put the chip on. There was no water and I thought this was normal. I was overtaken by 90% of people in the first 30 secs. Would have liked a marker to know when to sprint at the end. Disappointed to learn from this website that I ran more than 10K. Now I have to do another race to know my time....
Date of review: October 1, 2007

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Overall score		20%
Would you do it again?		No
Details:
Scenery		80%
PB potential		100%
Atmosphere		20%
Organisation		20%
Value		20%
Beginner-friendliness		20%

In short: I wish it had been cancelled
In full: There were too few running to create an atmosphere. Most hoped for a PB but there were no kilometre markings to assist and apparently not a 10K anyway!! Starting between the 2 bins was hilarious and as for being given lengthy directions at the start of the race well just comical!!
Date of review: October 1, 2007

Report this rating to the moderator

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

In short: Good race location wasted by incompetent organisation
In full: What a shame, what a wasted opportunity. Dorney Lake is an excellent location - flat, trafiic free and an Olympic venue - real personal best potential. If you are going to organise a 10k race (even your first) make sure your course is actually 10k !!And do some research into what is required when organsing a race and not just focus on getting as many sponsors and money-making links on your website. 'Fix UK/HCG' seemed more concerned with taking your (more expensive that average) £15 entry fee and their 'wonderful' chip-timing to think about the basics. The runners world pre-race description, with details presumably provided by HCG, said 'water? - frequent', 'distance-markers? - sporadic,' 'goody bag' for all competitors, 'distance - 10k'. They failed on all counts. The complete lack of marshalls en route was also a concern - what if someone had twisted an ankle etc? The registration process was long-winded - why not in alphabetical order?, the start was 'over by the green bins' and the 'wonderful' chip-timing questionable as there was no start mat to cross. This would all be forgiveable as first time glitches if they had bothered to measure the course !! Most runners do not expect to win the races they enter. They guage their progress by racing against their best time. The actual distance run is also important. A lot if people would have chosen this course because of its definite personal best potential. Perhaps their wonderful chip-timing system could work out an scaled down time for the first 10k covered. The Dorney Dashers organised an excellent 10k in the summer (the Dorney Dash) at the same venue. Why didnt someone from HCG contact them or attend to get some ideas. I received an email from the organisers today with a link to the results - no mention of any glitches, hic-ups, no apologies for the wrong distance. I hope Fix UK/HCG take into account the comments of what is already 20 out of 115 entrants. This venue is excellent. Improve next year or leave it to someone who cares and knows what they are doing
Date of review: October 1, 2007

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

In short: Had the potentual to be a good race.......But it wasn't
In full: Shambolic !!

The worst organised race i had been to. Dead slow collection of race numbers(alphabetical order and more than one person could have made this process faster).
"If you would like to come over to these 2 rubish bins for the start" is a joke. Why pay an increased price for 'Chip Timing' if you dont start by running over a chip timing mat.
No drinks station's is frankly out of order (should have been one at least at half way.
No km markers made the run more difficult as you had no idea of your progress.
All in all this smacked of a last minute token effort(if any effort was put in at all).
To finish off, i also did the 10k in the afternoon......which was a last minute event(due to Windsor half being cancelled). Chalk and Cheese spring to mind. Maybe the HCG people should go and have a word with F3 and find out how to organise an event.
Date of review: October 1, 2007

Report this rating to the moderator

Overall score		20%
Would you do it again?		No
Details:
Scenery		100%
PB potential		100%
Atmosphere		40%
Organisation		20%
Value		20%
Beginner-friendliness		60%

In short: Everything about it was badly organised, from getting the distance so wrong to not having distance markers. Given the course itself, two laps dead flat it would not be difficult to organise it very well, which makes it all the more disgusting.
Date of review: October 1, 2007

Report this rating to the moderator

Overall score		20%
Would you do it again?		No
Details:
Scenery		60%
PB potential		80%
Atmosphere		40%
Organisation		20%
Value		20%
Beginner-friendliness		40%

In short: very very very disappointing
In full: Areas for improvement. Have a proper start line, not told its between 2 rubbish bins with no chip timing mat. Have marshalls rather than have to listen to a 2minute talk on the route (quickly forgotten, thank god i wasn't at the front). Have k markers - this helps runners in acheiving good times. Have water on route, aids dehydration. Have clear finish line, was on my way back round the boathouse when my sister shouted 'over here'. Have someone giving out medals - rather than have to get it out box yourself and the advertised goody bags should have been available. As for the distance.....i can't find the words. A very costly event run by people who weren't runners and hadn't appeared to find out what is required. Was the event just a commercial venture?. The Dorney Dash in June could have taught alot. I got my pb there and was training for 3 months to achieve new one - as i have said before very very disappointing and i woudl be interested to hear feedback from the organisers themselves as to all of our comments???
Date of review: October 1, 2007

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