British 10K London Run

Aaah, I can see where you're coming from Louise, I guess I was one of the fortunate ones. I had to wait 20 mins to get to the start line so I was fairly near to the front. But I guess I did see the water running out as I was going around, I just thought they'd get some more drinks in for the stations...the fact that they didn't does indeed show bad organisation.

I'm all for running in cooler weather now as well, it was a scorcher of a day!

I didn't run this year, but I was supporting. At one of the water stations near the end, there was plenty of water, but spectators were having to hand out the bottles or runners were grabbing their own as there were not enough 'official' people to deal with all the runners.

Where is my medal!! On the www.thebritish10klondon.co.uk web site on the tuesday after the race they put a message up saying if you didn't get a 10k medal email them your race details and they would post you one. Well I haven't got one yet and no answer, plus they removed the message a fews days later. The email address was 10kmedal@lethalmedia.com.

Thank you Hardeep and Bob for you encouraging words. As you have worked out I am pretty new to running and did the 10k to raise funds for the museum that I work in, to be honest this was reasonably difficult to do when many of the other people were running for worthier causes!

It seems that every run I do is in the middle of a heat wave - did Southampton's race for life in 30 degree heat at the weekend.

I have decided that I will probably do the 10k they do in Moors Valley Country Park in December, it should be a little bit cooler then!

No problem Louise, hopefully you'll find the cooler weather and more organised events spur you onwards.

This was my and my husbands first 10K run so like some of the other members we have nothing to compare this event to either. However, I was suprised to find that there wasn't a designated 'warm up area' where perhaps there could have been someone talking you through a warm up routine and stretches.
I would also agree with other members that the entry fee is abit steep and it was disappointing at the end to get back to the baggage area and find that they had run out of drinks, especially as it was a very hot day, but on the whole we enjoyed the experience and will most likely do it again next year - hopefully alittle wiser and faster.

I've been reading the posts with interest, This is a purely personal view based on races I have ran in both small and large over the past few years.

I ran in a small race 2 weeks ago. It was the 7.2 miles road race at the 120th Much Wenlock Olympiad Games. These Games have a history going back to the 1850s. Just 65 competitors took part in the race, staged on a picturesque and hilly road course. The event is very welcoming to beginners and experienced runners alike. The marshals and organisers were friendly. The event was very well organised - better than some of these big events. There was a water station, and at the finish you got a medal and a bottle of water. There were also cheap snacks/lunches at the event to buy.

This is typical of small events. Contrary to popular belief they are NOT solely the domain of elite club runners. Most events attract a wide cross section of abilities and are very welcoming. This event cost just £2 to enter. I did it in 2004 and I will definitely do it next year as well.

For your information, the most I have ever paid to enter a 10K is £7.

OK, some events I guess you've just got to do at least once (e.g. Flora London Marathon; BUPA Great North Run) but taking the GNR as an example, why should I be stuck in an overcrowded race where I have no chance of running to my ability, and pay through the nose for the privilege. I have never done the British 10K, but I get the impression it is a similar story.

Whilst I would do Flora London Marathon again (the organisation is very good and I was able to run to my pace because of the seeded starting pens) as for any of the other big "charidee" events, I say forget them and support smaller events which in my honest opinion are far more welcoming and friendly. A lot of these events also have a charity angle to them anyway - for example, I ran a half-marathon in February (£13 entry fee), but a portion of that went to some local hospital.