My Event Ratings

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

In short: Lovely morning run but nasty hill
In full: Venue was easy to find and plenty of free parking available.

Organisation seemed very good although the start was a bit weird as the runners were moved back at the last minute so not sure if this was a mistake or last minute change of route.

It was nice to run on a Saturday and the first 6 miles along canal paths was pretty flat and quick. Some of it was a little slow going at first as it was almost single file at some points but relatively small field size helped.

A nasty hill at mile 6 which I was trying to pace myself for seemed to take a few runners by suprise and I didn't have too many people overtake me after that point. The lovely woodland section afterwards was a little tricky with leaves hiding the occasional tree root but it was different to the usual road race and enjoyed the challenge.

My only concern was my garmin showed under 13 miles at the end so not sure if the issues at the start perhaps reduced the overall race length.

Medal was nice and would certainly recommend giving this a go next year.
Date of review: November 22, 2010

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

In short: Lovely run in the country
In full: Ok I'll get my excuses in straight away and say that I hadn't run for about 10 days prior due to coming down with some bug. I didn't want to cancel so decided to use it just as a training run as I have a half marathon in 3 weeks time.

I can't say too much about the pre-race organisation as I was running late and only got to the start about 60 seconds before it was due to kick off ;-)

The run itself was very pleasant though and the weather was nice and sunny. I did struggle with the hill at 4.5 miles but I think was just down to rustyness more than anything. There didn't seem to be a great deal of support on the course but as this was my first road race I don't know if this is the norm. The stewards though were all very cheerful and there were plenty of water stops.

I was a bit suprised that some runners were using earphones. One lady in front of me almost got hit by a campervan as she couldn't hear it so didn't seem like a good idea to me.

The last couple of miles was a struggle with the head wind and although I was using it as a training run I was disappointed that I couldn't be a bit more competitive when a few people overtook me.

Very impressed with the medal especially as the race was only a tenner to enter. I didn't hang around afterwards for the festivities but the bbq looked great and the ice cream van seemed very popular ;-)

All in all a great event and I'll hopefully be back next year to beat my time!
Date of review: September 13, 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		40%

In short: Lovely scenery but watch out for golf balls !
In full: Very well organised although the walk from the car park was pretty long especially having to listen to my father-in-law pointing out much nearer places to park as we walked :-)

Run itself was lovely and picturesque. It was quite difficult running past some of those pubs ;-)

I was wary at the mention of hills so started off at a reasonable pace and glad I did as it was pretty hard going by the end. The only thing that nearly spoilt it for me was almost being decapitated by a golf ball. I saw a blur bounce right in front of me but thankfully it bounced over my head missing me by a whisker. Not sure the organisers can do much about it I guess but could have been very serious.

A lot of people seemed to be struggling with the hills and the heat by the end so perhaps a few more water stops might be prudent but other than that can't fault it. Great day !
Date of review: August 23, 2010

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

In short: Must do if you like the heat
In full: Slow start due to narrow cobbled streets in the town centre but it soon speeds up.

Marshalling was very good although a few people in cars were getting a bit hot and impatient, they should have tried running in it !

Loads of water stops which must be commended and a lot of support. Course was pretty flat although when it got out into the country there were a few hills. It was nice to see a few supporters encouraging runners at the 10 mile hill.

From about mile 11 until 12ish it seems to be all gradual hill but the downhill section at the end was worth it and you seemed to get to the finish line very quickly rather than having to search for it around several twists and turns.

Nice t-shirt but would like to see race chips used in future races due to the slow start and it would have been nice to have had some food at the end even if it was only a banana. Oh and a medal would be nice as I love medals ;-)
Date of review: August 9, 2010

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

In short: Well organised
In full: This was only my 2nd half marathon although I've run 2 marathons as well previously. Parking was easy as was bag drop off and collection. The half hour warm up seemed to be well appreciated. I went off too quick and struggled at the end so my recollection of anything of the course apart from the ground beneath me is a bit hazy. It seemed pretty flat and I think on another day it definately has PB potential. Part of the race takes you round along Willen Lake which is very nice and I know the area well as my long training runs take in that area. I was a bit disappointed with the number of supporters but perhaps I have been spoilt by my other runs in Edinburgh and Orlando. Nice medal. All in all a very good only spoilt by a poor performance from me on the day !
Date of review: July 22, 2010

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