My Event Ratings

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

In short: Well organised bargain
In full: I entered the elite race as I just about qualified, and it all went very smoothly. Good signage to the car park and start, reasonable course and a bargain price. I suspect it could get a bit crowded in parts of the out-and-back section for the mass start race, particularly with the number of dog walkers and bike riders that were out there, so for that reason I was glad I had the option of the elite race. I even managed to complete it just under the elite cut-off time as well :)

All-in-all though it's exceptional value at £6 - well done Telford AC. Next time I'm in the area I'll be back.
Date of review: January 24, 2010

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

In short: Good course & good organisation
In full: Traffic congestion slowed arrival down and resulted in relatively late arrival at HQ. This combined with having to collect chips in a hall heaving with people meant that despite arriving at the car park at 8:40 it was 9:50 before I was ready to warm up, and that didn't leave much time. Mailing out the chips would have made everything so much easier I think, although with 600+ no-shows I guess it could get costly if they don't return the chips. Plus point for the men's urinals - speeds everything up so much, although if did appear a lot of men didn't spot them and queued up in the main queue anyway. An entrance on both sides would help. No complaints about the course - a good surface, not too many potholes and good marshalls made for a smooth run, a big negative split and a new sub-1:30 PB. Nice shirt - makes a change from a t-shirt you never wear, and smooth operation of the transport back to the car park made for a nice end to the day. All-in-all, given the obvious difficulties with the road works and parking I think Bedford Harriers did an excellent job, and I would certainly consider a return visit.
Date of review: December 13, 2009

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Overall score		60%
Would you do it again?		No
Details:
Scenery		60%
PB potential		80%
Atmosphere		60%
Organisation		80%
Value		60%
Beginner-friendliness		100%

In short: OK race, but nothing special
In full: First time at this race, and the organisation was as good as expected. The route was fine with very minimal inclines, but sadly the last couple of miles full into the wind put paid to any chance of a PB. On a calm day it would definitely have been on. After the race we sampling the Bupa hospitality then wandered along to the aquarium and pottered around there for some time on the assumption that by the time we came out the car parks would be reasonably clear. WRONG! They were chaos, and it took substantially longer to get out of there than it did to actually run the race. But I'm not blaming the organisers for this - they're constrained by the fact there aren't many exits and the fact that there were still roads closed. No, the chaos was caused by selfish inconsiderate drivers who rather than queuing with everybody else insisted on creating their own lines and queues and taking any shortcut they could find that might save them one car length. It completely ruins any traffic plans that the organisers may have had, and creates even more frustration for the other drivers.

Anyway, I can now say I've done the Great South Run, and next year I'll go back to the Cabbage Patch 10 which is all around a much better event.
Date of review: October 25, 2009

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Overall score		60%
Would you do it again?		No
Details:
Scenery		100%
PB potential		40%
Atmosphere		60%
Organisation		60%
Value		40%
Beginner-friendliness		60%

In short: My Last Time
In full: As someone who runs in the Great Park on a regular basis you'd think that I'd know better by now wouldn't you, but I still entered. I know to cycle to the start to avoid the annual car park and road chaos, I know there are never enough toilets, and I know the drink stations aren't regular enough because it's always a boiling hot day, and I know you get nothing at the end (got to make profits somewhere). I entered in the hope it would be a cool day, but it wasn't, and I should have stayed at home. This race could be so much better, and running it in the morning would be the best change of all, then I might think about it again, but for now that was my last time.
Date of review: September 28, 2009

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

In short: Tough-out the hill, then enjoy the course
In full: What a cracking little race this is. Yes, it has a killer 1k hill at the start, but everything else more than makes up for it - lovely quiet country course, friendly marshals & excellent organisation. Two minor improvements I would suggest would be slightly more toilets, but mostly make the signs directing runners to the race much larger & more obvious. Quite a few people commented that they'd got lost trying to find it, even driving right past the signs on the main road because they were so small and indistinct when in a car. Minor criticisms though, and they certainly didn't detract from an excellent race :)
Date of review: September 13, 2009

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

In short: Lovely location and well organised
In full: A personal nightmare as the heat took it's toll, but the race itself was well organised and in a lovely location. My only criticism would be that I thought the first drink station was undermanned and not very efficient (2nd was OK), and that the drinks at the finish was also undermanned - 1 lady attempting to pour cups one at a time because the wind was blowing the cups away if she laid them out. I think in those temperatures another drink table a few yards away for people wanting more would have been a good idea. Would love it if this was an Autumn or Spring race.
Date of review: August 24, 2009

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

In short: A good challenge
In full: Well organised as usual by Finch Coasters, this is a very straight forward race round a challenging course. It's a little different since the last time I ran it, with a lot less mud and single-track running, but the new course is better for racing and the hills remain, and that's what makes this an interesting challenge. Don't come here to run a PB, come here to test yourself on something different in a very pleasant environment.
Date of review: August 4, 2009

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

In short: Excellent organisation, nice course, a credit to Wargrave Runners
In full: A well organised event that went extremely smoothly & not a single criticism as far as I'm concerned. The course round country lanes is pretty & undulating, but none of the hills are too difficult. Just a pity it was so warm today as that made it a real tough test & some slow times. See you next year - let's hope it's a little cooler.
Date of review: June 14, 2009

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

In short: Straight forward well organised race
In full: Once again Handy Cross Runners did a great job organising this one, particularly considering how big the field is getting these days. Still a few too many slower runners near the front, but that's hardly unique to this race and the announcer did do his best to remind runners to line up in the correct place. Trouble is a lot of them had earphones in and probably couldn't hear him. Marshalling was excellent and very encouraging, and a nice medal and goodie bag at the end. All-in-all this is pretty much a model for how races should be run.
Date of review: May 10, 2009

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

In short: Superb organisation from start to finish
In full: The organisation of this race is quite simply amazing. Everything is where you want it when you want it, and all you have to think about is the running. Yes it's crowded, and if you aren't near the front it can be difficult to run your own race at times, but just go with it and enjoy the day. If you're a midfield runner and want to blast a PB then do a smaller race, but if you want an amazing running experience then this is the event to do.
Date of review: April 28, 2009

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