My Event Ratings

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

In short: Brilliant!
In full: Everyone else has already said it. From the trouble-free arrival and parking,right through the race with the excellant marshalling and drinks, to the smart hoody it was all very very good.
Date of review: March 22, 2009

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Overall score		40%
Would you do it again?		No
Details:
Scenery		60%
PB potential		80%
Atmosphere		40%
Organisation		40%
Value		60%
Beginner-friendliness		80%

In short: Race OK, but infrastructure could not cope with the numbers
In full: We got stuck in a 30 minute jam across the last two islands. So the intended arrival time of 9.30 became 10.00. To exacerbate the situation, having got to the final turn, it was coned off and along with everyone else we had to U-turn back in amongst the traffic approaching from the other direction. A marshall on the 2nd island advising turning right from there would have been appreciated. I hopped out the car and headed for changing & baggage. To get into the baggage building was via one small door with a 20-yard queue, as it served movement in both directions. Once inside you could hardly move. I didn't find changing, but found a corner of the baggage area to get changed. The baggage area seemed to be totally unguarded, and having hopped out of the car in a hurry, had to leave wallet & keys etc. in my sportsbag on the floor. When we went to leave the car park after the event, and after 20 minutes had not moved a car length,we reparked and had lunch back in the building (We thought it very good value....every cloud has a silver lining)

The race itself? That was fine and went pretty much like clockwork, with a fairly interesting course, and some encouraging marshals. And my bag was still there on my return.

Date of review: March 9, 2009

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

In short: A lot better than I had been led to beileve.
In full: Last year's reviews were a bit offputting, and I only ran this as January was the only month that I had never ran a marathon. I thought the marshalls and drinks station people were excellent, the coach ride from the finish a wonderful bonus. Who needs mile markers every mile? About every 10K was good enough. Run how you feel & listen to your body. I measured course 26.4 but GPS may not be accurate to 1%. Medal & T-shirt collection had a pleasant honest aamateur feel to it. Downside: trying to get those confounded lap-bands off. And queueing for the one loo....treating men like women - I ask you!
Date of review: January 26, 2009

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

In short: Proud for Coventry!
In full: It has all been said...A good mix of flat & hills, (my GPS showed 790 ft of climb about 90% of the notorious Hilly Half at Bourton), and good views of the city. Two small complaints....why on a wide road at the start were we squeezed through the narrow start gate,....and why is it that the results list doesn't show category, so while you are told where you came within category, you can't see how far behind the others in time. N.B. Not sure why people whinge about goody bags; a banana & biscuit helped replace a few calories, anything else I can pop along and get at Poundland or Spar.
Date of review: October 23, 2008

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

In short: Tough due to the weather, well organised & well fed!
In full: I have done this event 3 times before. Never has it been so tough.
The 48 hours or so of almost non-stop rain on the back of weeks of wet weather had turned the route into a quagmire. We waded through fields more suited to rice-growing, slithered and slipped along ankle-deep mud, traipsed through shin-deep water, then back into farmyard sludge. Some stiles & gates were completely surrounded by water. Just staying upright was a challenge.
A good spread at the end for us all.....quiche, coleslaw & various bean potato & rice salads etc, hot rice pudding & as much tea as you could drink.
There were 8 feeder stations, most providing a variety of food, date slice particularly popular.
All for £8. Good value.
Date of review: September 11, 2008

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

In short: A pleasant rural run with variety.
In full: I was on holiday, and noticed this was on,so wasn't sure what to expect. I was glad I did it, as it was a no-frills local run reasonably priced, and after finishing in football, rugby, athletic & motor-racing stadiums, I can now add speedway to the list. A nice mix of country lanes, hills & scenary... only downside was some traffic on the 2nd half.
Date of review: June 27, 2008

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

In short: Perfect scenery, organisation & weather.
In full: Very good event .... ignore comments further down suggesting 5000 feet or 1000 metres of climb, my Garmin said 2440 ft (750m) in all, 1300 ft in the 1st half. Just think ... those 10 by 10ers will have climbed 24,400 feet ..not many mountains that high! I last won a trophy 23 years ago but thanks to the generosity of the event, trophies were awarded to the 1st THREE in each age category so I finally got another..Thank you .... so proud to shake the hand of a legend like Joss Naylor.
Date of review: May 19, 2008

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

In short: Never walked after 400 yards before, but in the end I was glad I did as I was able to run all but the hills at midway and the hill at the end...
In full: Distant views in the cool spring sunshine, a lovely grind up a valley at about 14 miles with a sparkling stream below. A couple of fords or stepping stones if you preferred, and a smart long sleeved T-shirt for just turning up. Hardly a car in sight. I'd wanted to do this one for some years, it is tough and I probably left it 10 years too late, but still very much enjoyed it.
Date of review: March 17, 2008

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

In short: Fine scenery, but you don't get good views without climbing!
In full: Having heard that there was about 600 foot of climbing, I was glad most of it was out of the way by 13 iles.......WRONG!
.....about a quarter was out the way by 18 miles. Contrary to other opinions expressed, I like drinking out of cups; you can get a good gulp down.Only one minus - after just 2 weeks the medal is starting to tarnish.
Date of review: September 28, 2007

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

In short: A good scenic 10K on grass.
In full: A lovely setting, very friendly organisers, and a chance to watch another race (womens) first. The only negatives I could find were that the course underfoot was a little uneven on the grass, and a few pot-holes on the short piece of tarmac were hard to see in the low evening sun. But who am I to complain about seeing the sun at all this year?
Date of review: July 18, 2007

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