"Down Tow Up Flow" Half-Marathon

Most welcome ... haven't looked lately but if I recall correctly the new start venue is a 15-min walk from Burnham stn.

Hello all. I will be unable to do the half marathon due to an injury I've picked up. So if anyone is interested in an unaffiliated place, please do let me know. Email is best, mine is w.s.willy@gmail.com.

Thanks in advance!

Wilhelm

Just signed up two nights ago... I assume I'll get a pack or something in the post like normal.  Just in case, any clue where and at what time the coach leaves from the finish line to take us to the start?  Cheers!  (See you all there! )

OK - I probably should have read the race brief BEFORE posting the above

Indeed so ... rule number 1 is RTFM

I am a bit concerned about the weather. Here in sunny Reading the Thames is very high and close to overflowing its banks. I wonder what it's like further downstream on the Windsor-Marlow segment. Anyone?

MUDDY!!

yeah Leisa, it is very, very muddy at Marlow - just wondering whether they will actually go ahead with this race.  I've seen other races cancelled for less than this...

what do the rest of you think??

Oh dear. Does not sound promising. Better keep an eye on the email account and the Purple Patch website then.

Leisa...that has to be the best profile pic for quality Ive ever seen anyone load on here.

well done.

ps Caroline, the Marlow 5k that's run in Hurley a couple of miles out of Marlow has been postponed from this tuesday...more due to the parking to be fair...the parking is all on grass that's been waterlogged.

Parking seems to be the issue that's called a lot of races off rather than the courses themselves being problematic..

Stevie G - thanks.  Suppose it helps being a photographer. 

I dont think the race will be cancelled as most races around here that have been cancelled has been due to car parking problems as Stevie mentioned.  I ran a race yesterday around Windsor Great Park, the parking was not on the grass but the race itself was more of a cross country muddy boggy grassy hilly very wet run.  PB's were out of the question!  

With this race, the first half is on the jubilee river which is a path that is shingle so no mud but there was alot of big puddles when I was last there.  The second half will be the slippery part.  Once again, probably not great for PB's but this race is more for fun as it gets narrow and difficult to overtake people on the towpath.

There isn't much rain forecast for next week after Monday so fingers crossed.  

Thanks for that, Leisa. Top info ... and anyway, pb's are for wimps.

Hi all, I tried the second half of the course this morning, unfortunately is in poor condition, couldn't pick up pace, very muddy and slippery. Hopefully the gates will remain open for the race. As Leisa mention in these conditions forget about a PB! Finger crossed for the weather.

I'm a bit surprised that the email we got from purple patch a week ago made no mention of it now starting from Slough and not Windsor.  I know it had a link to their website for up-to-date information but even so would it have been that hard to mention it in the email?

Hi Leisa,

Just sabotaging this thread. You didn't write a review for yesterdays race...I had a great time - though found it tough.

Maidenhead to Cookham stretch isn't too bad until you get towards Cookham where the horses have churned things up.

My main fear is nettle rash! With all the rain the nettles are overgrowing - no overtaking for me!

well let's keep our fingers crossed and hope no one slips into the river...might need to run in wellies with that amount of mud around.

So it starts in Slough now? I am getting confused...and just organised my lift to Eton.

Hi Guys, just to clarify, the start is now in Slough (due to the Olympic organisers putting in an exclusion zone around Dorney, which is right on our route).  Please everyone read the Race Brief on the website - this has all the information you need.  An additional email is scheduled to go out today on where to get the bus, which wave you're in etc. 

Regarding cancelling the race - I know many events have had to be cancelled recently, but this race will go ahead unless conditions worsen this week.  It will be much muddier than usual of course, but the alternative would be to cancel, which we are detemined not to do unless absolutely necessary.  And it is a trail race after all!

Hope that helps, but feel free to email me if you need to ask any questions: info@purplepatchrunning.com

Hope you all have a good run despite the conditions !

Thanks for the clarification Claire.