My Event Ratings

Overall score		80%
Would you do it again?		Yes
Details:
Scenery		60%
PB potential		80%
Atmosphere		80%
Organisation		80%
Value		100%
Beginner-friendliness		80%

In short: Hot!
In full: I hadn't done this one for 3 or 4 years. I swear it used to be flatter. That or I didn't mind the very slight inclines as I did this time round. The heat and overtraining saw off any PB this time round. It's still a fast race, though, whilst also a really good one for anyone new to racing and not too worried about their speed. Very well organised and well done on preventing those eggs from melting.
Date of review: April 29, 2011

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Overall score		80%
Would you do it again?		Yes
Details:
Scenery		80%
PB potential		40%
Atmosphere		80%
Organisation		100%
Value		80%
Beginner-friendliness		80%

In short: Would I do it again? Oh, go on, then.
In full: My first Slog and, despite the mess it's made of my kit and the fact it's going to take weeks to dry my shoes out, I will be back again. I'd been expecting the first two 'water features' (the bog and the sheep dip), but the pig trough (400 odd metres of flooded ditch with a crowd lining one side baying for us all to fall over) was an added, but exhausting bonus. Great organisation, excellent good bag and T shirt. Shame about the queue for the showers, but this was to be expected. At least they had showers, I supppose. Well done, Bitton. Now, back to trying to get the dirt out from between my toes.
Date of review: November 14, 2010

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Overall score		100%
Would you do it again?		Yes
Details:
Scenery		60%
PB potential		100%
Atmosphere		100%
Organisation		100%
Value		100%
Beginner-friendliness		80%

In short: My first marathon, but not my last
In full: A really well organised race. The marshalls in particular were absolutely great - every single one of them was encouraging despite having stood around in the cold for the first hour or so of the race. I really didn't mind the industrial estate. In fact, it was good to be able to spread out across the road without having to contend with any traffic and the Milton water station crew were some of the noisiest support on the day. There was, in fact, a good variety of road, country lanes, housing estate, town centre and then the grandstand finish on the track. Brilliant stuff! And then, on top of that, a goody bag that one or two big city races could learn a thing or two from. (Bristol half organisers, take note!) The best Mars bar I've ever eaten.
Date of review: October 18, 2010

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Overall score		80%
Would you do it again?		Yes
Details:
Scenery		80%
PB potential		40%
Atmosphere		80%
Organisation		80%
Value		80%
Beginner-friendliness		60%

In short: Up and down and then up and down again
In full: Good, low-key multi-terrain 10k with a good balance between road and trail (climb and descent through the woods were particularly enjoyable). Nice levels of support along the way from marshalls and small groups of spectators alike. And more or less ideal weather too.
Date of review: October 3, 2010

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Overall score		80%
Would you do it again?		Yes
Details:
Scenery		60%
PB potential		100%
Atmosphere		80%
Organisation		100%
Value		40%
Beginner-friendliness		100%

In short: Huge improvement on my last experience in 2006.
In full: Negatives first. This is quite a pricey race and I was disappointed with the cheaper cotton t-shirt/momento which has replaced the breathable shirt you could actually use for training which you used to get at Bristol. I'd have pocketed more bottles of Locozade if I'd realised.
But the organisation was a huge improvement on my last experience of Bristol. No power walkers pushing in front of runners or linking arms (at least not in front of the pen I was in) so the staggered wave start seems to have worked. This meant the pace was brisk from the start (although some runners who set off later in the first wave complained that there was more congestion further back). The course is not exactly flat, but there are only 2 or 3 minor inclines and there is definite PB potential. (Well, I got one at least.) I still prefer quieter, small-scale club-run events, but as big city events go this was pretty good. And no queuing for the urinals even with only 15 mins to go to the start.
Date of review: September 5, 2010

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Overall score		80%
Would you do it again?		Yes
Details:
Scenery		80%
PB potential		80%
Atmosphere		60%
Organisation		80%
Value		100%
Beginner-friendliness		80%

In short: Slightly undulating but potentially fast 10k
In full: The undulating first half may be enough to put you off a PB, but there are no real hills as such and the inclines are all fairly gentle (certainly no more than 50m at any one point). The second half is flat and very fast. The start was a bit of a scramble given the numbers, but things settled down after 250m. Good support along the way, nicely organised and I needed a towel so good momento too. (No room to house any more T-shirts.)
Date of review: August 30, 2010

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Overall score		80%
Would you do it again?		Yes
Details:
Scenery		100%
PB potential		20%
Atmosphere		80%
Organisation		80%
Value		60%
Beginner-friendliness		60%

In short: Sun, sand and more sun
In full: Thoroughly enjoyed this despite the heat. The organisers did a a great job, laying on extra drink stations . These were also well stocked with jelly babies to the extent that I think this may be the first half-marathon where I've actually gained weight. Fantastic scenery, but also a really varied run - part coastal path, part woodland and even some beach. Great support from the public, too. The cream tea at the end seemed a bit odd when the temperature was pushing 25 degrees. Ice cream next year or, better still, charge a couple of quid more, ditch the medal and chuck in a decent T-shirt. Otherwise a really good race.
Date of review: June 27, 2010

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Overall score		80%
Would you do it again?		Yes
Details:
Scenery		100%
PB potential		40%
Atmosphere		80%
Organisation		100%
Value		80%
Beginner-friendliness		80%

In short: Up and down, up and down
In full: First time I'd done this. Some joker told me that it was flat. Coming from Gloucestershire, I should have put two and two together and realised that nothing is flat in the Forest. And then done more hill training. That said, I really enjoyed it. Excellent organisation given there were so many runners converging on such a tiny field in the middle of nowhere. Fabulous weather and great support at various points along the course - better than you get in most road races through town centres. I'll be back (once I've put a few more hills in).
Date of review: March 29, 2010

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Overall score		100%
Would you do it again?		Yes
Details:
Scenery		100%
PB potential		80%
Atmosphere		80%
Organisation		100%
Value		80%
Beginner-friendliness		80%

In short: (Not quite so) Tough Ten
In full: Brilliant organisation despite the building works on the Prom and the pier. Shame it wasn't the full ten this year, but couldn't be helped. The run around Marine Lake at the end with the sun reflecting off the water was great. It looked more like the Med than the Bristol Channel. Probably wouldn't have been so fabulous with the usual on-shore breeze or in the rain, but this was pretty much perfect.
Date of review: March 2, 2010

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Overall score		100%
Would you do it again?		Yes
Details:
Scenery		100%
PB potential		20%
Atmosphere		80%
Organisation		80%
Value		60%
Beginner-friendliness		40%

In short: A mud bath and a half
In full: Probably the most fun I've had in mud since I was 8, only this time my mum didn't send me to bed early and stop me from watching Star Trek. This was really hard work, particularly over the last two miles. It's one of those races that just keeps throwing new challenges at you. Once you;ve negociated the puddles and the muddy fields there's a climb. The trail is so muddy by then that I practically skied down again before hitting the ice cold stream at the end. My only gripe: after all this a race memento would have been nice, but I suppose I will always have the mud engrained in my shoes to remind me. (It took two showers to get it off the rest of me.)
Date of review: January 28, 2010

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