The Lifestyle Renault Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon - Page 3 - Events

Johnas

21/02/2012 at 13:18

Mr F... It's first come, first served! Collect from race HQ on the day.

DUNC1

23/02/2012 at 13:49

If you arrive at race HQ early you can collect your T-shirt BEFORE the race........well you could in previous years so don't hold me to it !!!!

Johnas

23/02/2012 at 14:04

Hey DUNC1... If you're who I think you are, great result at Isle of Oxney. That's the way to come back from injury!

DUNC1

23/02/2012 at 14:14

No injuries luckily...........just a lack of interest .

I may have got the racing bug again ? I'll find out after my next event..........

Johnas

23/02/2012 at 14:22

Assumed it must have been injury! I ahve seen you out running though when i've been training.

Hopefully you've got the bug back - TWH would appreciate those times in the KGP this year!

Mr. Fink-Nottle

24/02/2012 at 20:04

Thanks Johnas and DUNC1. I usually get there about 8.15am so shouldn't have a problem here!

Tommygun2

pirate

25/02/2012 at 19:53

Looking forward to tomorrow, the weather looks to be great

keef55

25/02/2012 at 20:08

It sure does. 6-9 degrees, sunny and wind at only 4mph - perfect!

For newbies, save something for Spring Hill at around the halfway point (the second main climb - the first one is much shorter). It is steep in the first half and a mile long with 2 false summits although it does get easier once you pass the pub about 2/3rds of the way up. When you get to the national speed limit sign you are just about at the top. The last 3-4 miles are 'rolling' (and relatively quick).

Good luck to all and have fun.

Genghis

26/02/2012 at 21:13

Wow, I enjoyed that knocked over 5 minutes off my 8 year old PB 1:30.44 there is life in the old dog yet.

Johnas

27/02/2012 at 10:49

Welld one Genghis!

Thanks to all that took part yesterday. The conditions were perfect and hopefully you all acheived your goals, whether that be a new PB, time target ready for VLM or just to get round in 1 piece! both male and female course records were smashed too.

It's a great shame some lightfingered participants managed to ruin the finish for those over 2hrs by half-inching the goody bags but if you missed out, email the harriers and we'll get something out to you.

Bill S

27/02/2012 at 11:49

An excellent race and super slick organisation -with regards to the goody bags I spoke to someone at the help desk who gave me a museli bar and some crisps with apologies so no problems there. Having seen someone in the changing rooms with six packets of said crisps on him why not dish out the goody bags with the T shirts next year to avoid people helping themselves to more than one bag?

This was the only niggle in an otherwise fantastic day - well done to the organisers and I will be back next year!

Redhead

27/02/2012 at 13:07

Hi everyone,

Had a great race yesterday and thank you to everyone who organised it. Pity about the goody bags going awol but unfortunately this does happen if people are left to collect them themselves rather than them being handed out.

I finished in 2:10 and had the most amazing welcome from a young man who made me feel really special and shook my hand when he handed me my medal. For a slower runner like me it was wonderful as I'm usually referred to as a 'fun runner' even though I train really hard. Many thanks to him - anyone know who he was? He had prosthetic limbs like Oscar Pistorius.

Edited: 27/02/2012 at 13:13

Snuffles

27/02/2012 at 18:06

The 'young man' you're referring to was Richard Whitehead

Double leg amputee world record holder for the marathon, half marathon and 200m. He's competing in the paralympics in the 200m on 1st September. Race ambassador and all round amazing guy! We'll pass on your lovely comments he'll be thrilled.

Huge apologies for the goody bag fiasco. We made 2200 bags up so there should have been enough. Email us on halfmarathon@twharriers.org.uk and we'll get something out to you. Next year they'll be under lock and key! We had a group of volunteer school children on the job so they didn't realise the naughty ways of some runners.

Glad you all enjoyed. Provisional results are now up at http://www.sportsystems.co.uk/ss/results/Tunbridge%20Wells%20Half%20Marathon/868

Photos are all up on www.sportcam.net

See you all next year

hope to...

27/02/2012 at 20:26

I thought the day was fantastic, and I was especially impressed with the marshals on the loo's! I finished in over 2 hours, and it took awhile to find a drink, but the 1.50 pacer came rushing over with some bags from somewhere. These things happen, and I think that the medal and the t-shirt were fab. Tunbridge Wells should be very proud, and it would be a shame if it receives negative feedback.

If I was to offer any advice on improvements, the obvious would be to get someone to actually hand the bags out. The second would be that the announcer at the finish had the names of the runners to hand. I was watching the tail enders come in, and it would have been fab for them to have had a name mention.

Thanks for a great day!

Redhead

28/02/2012 at 08:02

Snuffles, thanks for identifying Richard for me. I shall follow his progress in September. Please don't worry about the goody bag as Johnny J sent me off to see someone at race HQ and I got a magazine and a freusli bar thingy which went down a treat on the way home

hope to...

28/02/2012 at 08:06

Redhead, were you running for Alzheimer's?

Snuffles

28/02/2012 at 08:35

thanks hopetofinish it's nice to have constructive feedback - sometimes people can be too quick to criticise without thinking of the bigger picture and workload that goes into an event like this. We're all volunteers and it's unbelieveably hard work.. last week our course director came down with Flu, but he was still out marking the roads for the mile markers. I think sometimes people forget the 'volunteers behind the scenes' and how much stress we're under

Obviously we take all constructive criticism on board and try to make improvements.. which is why we get rated so highly. If people complain about the loos, we get more and then also put in a marshal to speed up the queue etc.. etc... etc..! but there's only so much we can do.

Anyway.. you're right.. we do need to make sure the goody bags are handed out.. they were meant to be, but on the day things got a little hectic and the school kids weren't quite able to manage it. Next year they'll be under lock and key!

at least no-one was caught weeing in anyone's garden this year!!

Thanks Redhead.. good old JJ

hope to see you all again

Redhead

28/02/2012 at 12:29

Hopetofinish, indeed I was. Did you run past me?

Snuffles, there was still some weeing in gardens - I saw 4 men emerging from the bushes in peoples gardens at various points along the route. They just didn't get caught this year.

hope to...

28/02/2012 at 15:07

Redhead - I was to the right of you at the start! I was wearing a Fetch top.

Next time I will say hi

Edited: 28/02/2012 at 15:08

Redhead

28/02/2012 at 19:57

Oh, sorry we didn't speak and I must have been very focussed as I didn't even notice a fetch top nearby! I wore my Fetch hoodie when I first got there and wandered around smiling at people but got no takers! I'll be at Paddock Wood so if you're heading there too please do come and say 'hi'