Salisbury Half Marathon 2011

Yeh it did!

I think what they did was set the markers out on the basis that the loop at the end was to be completed at the beginning (this is how the course was shown on the website) - therefore mile markers came too early. Then when you thought you were nearly done, you get sent round another half mile! Maybe this was a late change by the organisers?

 Anyway, really nice route i thought. No medal though!

That would make sense, would explain my really quick first mile even though I was taking it slow. It would also explain why the first water station seemed really early.

 I can only assume that as there a fewer number of enteries they planned on starting with loop but had a large number of on the day entries and decided to do it at the end as parts of that loop where quite thin.

 Best part of the finnishers bag was the Mars bar, would have been nice to get something with sailsbury half written on it. Especially the fact it was my first half marathon and would have been nice to have something to remember it by.

I ran it last year as my first half marathon (when it was still organised by the Firefighters charity).  The route this year and last year was identical.

Last year, they mailed out the numbers, but you collected the chips on the day.  I seem to remember that you could look up entrants on the website so you could see who else had entered.  There was no goody bag, but there was a good medal and water plus mars bars on a table at the end - much more sensible.

This year, with Total Buzz events/Fullonsports orgainising it, they did not mail out anything (cost cutting, but I have no problem with it), and there was very little information on their website.  Now the event is over, I can't even find out how to access the pre-race information with the course details. 

And the event listing on Runners World said there would be finishers medals plus spot prizes.  On the day there were no medals, and I can't find out any details of what prizes were awarded or who won them.

Last year there were over 400 runners on the day, this year there were just over 230 runners.

It's a nice course, but next year I will be doing the more challenging Basingstoke Half Marathon instead (which is run the weekend before Salisbury). 

I did both!!

Basingstoke was far too hot - but that's not their fault and for a first time race it was done well and on closed roads better goody bag and loads of support on the route and over 1000 runners despite the heat. Salisbury was very low key and very low in numbers. Parking is great at Salisbury but quite a distance in Basingstoke.Not sure if I'll do either next year - may try the New Forest which is the week before B'stoke.