My Forum

I did the 21 miles and very much enjoyed it. Thought the scenery was great, enjoyed running passed all the houseboats and interacting with walkers, cyclists etc. Got the impression it was the first race they had organised though and, inevitably, there were some issues. I hope these can be sorted out and that the event will continue in the future.

Most importantly: The website was badly designed. There were two pages of important information that I only discovered AFTER the event. This should have been more prominent and, additionally, emailed to all participants. Based on comments made above and on the day, I suspect that quite a few of us missed those pages.

If I had seen the information beforehand, I would have known:

• There weren’t any toilets at the start or along the route.
• About some of the confusing points along the way.
• Spacing of the water / check points and cut off times.
• Semington water point would be unmanned.
• We were supposed to be able to carry at least 1.5 litres of water each (most had less).
• Race director’s name and mobile number.
• First aid cover would NOT be provided, contrary to suggestion on the main page.

In my opinion, the following should have also been on the website and sent by email:

• Clearer instructions about parking in Bath (nothing nearby, I ended up over a mile away). 
• A map of the route, including our water / check points. 
• Details of permits (e.g. TRA / UK Athletics or ARC, permission from British Waterways).
• The need to carry a map of the area or a mobile phone with GPS / mapping function.
• The scale of the event (50 - 100 participants).

I also think that the results could have been provided within 24 hours.

Overall I liked it enough that I might consider it again for next year but, at the very least, the website and distribution of pre race information must be addressed.