My Event Ratings

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

In short: A wet Wargrave for once!..
In full: Damp, but far from dreary this year, and the hills were still there to catch out the weary traveller!..

This was my first time here and found the course to be not as tough as was billed, so maybe it was all that rain that kept me cool and the cold kept me going as I managed to gain a rare PB for the distance. The undulations were certainly there, but there were a few ‘PB Boosting’ down-hill stretches which certainly did not go a miss and the friendly marshals (and soggy scouts) braved the conditions admirably; so thank you very much, Wargrave Runners, for hosting this excellent event and hope that it is bright and sunny for you next year. Me? I think that from now on I prefer the rain …

A really well organised and interesting, rural route.
Date of review: June 12, 2011

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

In short: A nice run only let down by the distance.
In full: I don't want to be too negative here, so lets get it out of the way first. It is the distance...

I love a good 10K which this was billed as and really would have been had it actually been 10K. A real shame as the route itself was an interesting meander around the grounds of the Rugby Club pitches and training area, so that said, I enjoyed myself running and looping back on myself and seeing runners coming the other way. A good bit of fun. Unfortunately there were not anywhere near the number of marshals required for this 2 lap trail run, as the course was easily shortened by people cutting corners. What is needed next year are dozens more marshals to herd the runners around them to really make this a perfect mid-week 10K. Not 9 or 8 and a bit, but 10 kilometres so we know how fast we ran the distance in please. :-)

Well done though St Michael's Hospice for a fun event and for the bananas and water at the finish.

Date of review: June 8, 2011

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

In short: A Real Occasion!..
In full: The weather was kind to the 800 or so runners on Wednesday evening, warm and sunny before the race for the warm-up and cool after the race had finished.

This is always a top, local mid-week race that cannot be missed, helping the club runner to chart their progress through the summer months, as well as a ‘give it a try’ 10k for the novice or occasional fun runner alike. The run is always well sign posted and marshalled along the route with clear kilometre markers for checking the watch to see how you are doing, before the final K which rises before the ‘200 metres to go’ sign to spur you on for that all out final sprint over the line… A firm favourite in my race diary, so bring on July!..

Date of review: June 1, 2011

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

In short: Not so many Bluebells, but the hills were there in abundance.
In full: This was billed as the Bluebell Run, but the glorious weather through April and May had seen them (the bluebells) come and go much earlier than usual, but I would say that the event did not suffer much from this and had ended up as a firm favourite for next year.

The run itself was an excellent mix of terrain and hills, with enough flats to rest the legs in-between, with the only real issues being the walkers holding up us runners and the lack of water at the finish area and of course, no sign of where the finish line was going to be!.. It just so happened that the last half a mile perhaps (no mile markers at all throughout the race so could only guess where you were) was down hill and made for an exhilarating chase to the line. Please next year, we need a sign to tell us when the finish is coming up so we can make that big, all out dash for the winning post. We all like to run as quick as we can and also we need some water right at the finish. Fix these 2 things and you have a great run on your hands, not just a beautiful run through the woods, so please take note. Also, the family loved the 5K walk and it was uplifting to sail past them and to hear the cheering to boost the ego a little. A grand day out for all.
Date of review: May 15, 2011

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

In short: Ow!.. My calves!..
In full: Lovely run through the quite lanes on a Sunday morning, with a sprinkling of hills (both up and down) thrown in. I personally found the up hills challenging but not the worse I have come acroos, but the down hills were aggresive and very long. I had to run with my breaks on (so to speak) and so ended up straining my calves, which took away any thought of a sprint finish on the last mile or so to the finish.

I have now invested in some calf supports and so will see how it goes.

Well done Marlow Striders. Well appreciated the support and water etc, but would have liked a mars bar at the end. :-)
Date of review: November 8, 2010

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

In short: Another slog through Surrey
In full: Wow! What a fantastic inaugural race by the Rotary Club. It had the feeling of a long and well established event already, due to the fact that they had done their homework to find out what runners really need both during the race and afterwards. I ran the half and was presented with water and squash along the way (just what you need to keep you going) and more of the same afterwards, with delicious cakes to nibble on and a mountain of bananas to feast on if you so desired. Along with the colourful medal and obligatory goody bag, all added up to great ‘vfm’…

The run itself was reminiscent of the ‘Surrey Slog’, whereas it was quite challenging with the slopes and difficult terrain and I love the SS, so all is good. Keep up the good work the ‘Rotary Club of Farnham and Weyside’ and I’ll definitely be back next year.
Date of review: September 20, 2010

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

In short: Never mind the parking, I needed a bus to get around!.. ;-)
In full: Pheew, that was tough for me. I was nursing a ham-string injury, but managed to pull my calf muscle with 200 metres to go. Ouch!.. Not good, but a cracking race so well done to Burnham Joggers for hosting the event. See you next year for this testing 2 lap challenge and thanks for those mini mars bars.
Date of review: August 24, 2010

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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: Oh My God!..
In full: That hurt, a lot!..

I've done this race the last few years, never carrying an injury and thought I could just wing-it, but this course is so unrelenting. A survivor's medal is more apt if you could have seen me hobbling over the finish line. All the comments by other fellow runners is true, this is a tough race. The only thing I would change would be to have a Mars Bar at the end, nothing else mattered to me after 13.1 miles of slogging. Thanks BVR for this amazing race.
Date of review: July 19, 2010

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

In short: A great Birthday Treat!..
In full: Still a DRY Yateley, but still there's always Race 3 to look forward to, but for me a PB at last and on my Birthday too. What more could you want from a race, always challenging at 9KM with the hill to contend with then it is the sprint to the line with a huge crowd to cheer you on.

This series of 3 runs is a firm favorite with runners and the local community getting involved also. Should be a Gold Rated Event, compared with other GREs in my opinion.
Date of review: July 8, 2010

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

In short: A healthy charge through the forest.
In full: I really enjoyed myself this year. Niggle-free and raring to go we all set off, then had to walk for a few seconds across the start line, then it was a bit of a battle to get through the traffic at the back. It was a very large field of runners in deed, but I was soon up with some of my fellow Sandhurst Joggers, of which there seemed to bit a great many, which was nice to see.

I found the course really challenging, with the hills and tight turns, but loved every minute of it and managed to record a great time for me, so one for the diary next year. Highly recommended.
Date of review: June 21, 2010

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