My Event Ratings

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: High class
In full: Pretty flat with mild undulations. Organisation was spot on, with friendly marshals and staggeringly effective traffic control despite the race crossing over several major junctions. Race HQ well run too. Scenery nowhere near as grim as I'd been fearing either...

As noted elsewhere, the towel was a novel touch. Will defeinitely be back again next year.
Date of review: February 4, 2007

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

In short: Excellent
In full: Struggling to fault this race really - as someone has already mentioned, the 6th and 7th miles seemed a bit out of sync, but aside from that the organisation of this race was flawless. Pancake flat with good marshalling and a nice t shirt. Fantastic value as well for an 8 mile race. Big thanks to all the organisers and I will be back next year!
Date of review: January 28, 2007

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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		80%

In short: Fast, enjoyable,
In full: A thoroughly enjoyable race. Ran a pb so obviously good for speed, but the scenery and general atmosphere was also excellent. Parking a bit tight and finish like an ice rink, but this can't be blamed on the organisers, who pulled something special out of the hat in allowing this to run so smoothly. Special thanks to John Cummins for his help at the start. Will be back next year!

One sour note was related to the behaviour of one of the runners. I was running a couple of hundred yards ahead of my fiancee at the water station, when an obnoxious old bloke in a Royal Navy AC vest had a real go at her for cutting him up while getting water, then spending the next few minutes trying to get runners round about to back him up (none did needless to say). She insists she did not d anything wrong (and we're both very conscious of running considerately), but in any case it's sad to see the supportive and generous behaviour of the vast majority ruined by the odd idiot. Thankfully I wasn't within earshot, so wasn't forced to send him on a detour via one of the ditches....
Date of review: January 1, 2007

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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		80%

In short: Top notch race
In full: A really well organised and enjoyable event in a great setting. Varied course makes a change for 10k runners used to long, flat stretches of tarmac. Despite its hilly profile, a pb is a possibility here, as the (frankly evil) hill encountered on both laps is more than compensated for by the glorious downhill charge which follows it. One slight gripe would be the km markers, which were nowhere near accurate resulting in some very 'interesting' splits, but that didn't detract from the event. Great atmosphere and a worthy cause, will definitely be back next year.
Date of review: December 10, 2006

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

In short: Utter organisational shambles
In full: Absolute and total farce that has left me spitting mad. After the organisers initially posted my partner's race pack to the wrong address, we were reassured that the number and chip could be collected on the day at the enquiries desk. Of course, finding it was akin to looking for the Holy Grail. The whole stadium was staffed by people who I swear had never been in the place before - every question I or another runner had was met with blank stares and an apologetic "don't know". I don't expect an encyclopedic knowledge of the layout, but things like toilets should be easy enough to locate! After spending 50 minutes pushing from one end of the stadium to the other following the "directions" of the staff, I just made it to the start in time, my partner was unable to run. Needless to say, a refund has been demanded, but I'm not hopeful.
As noted by other people, this has the potential to be a top event - the course is good, crowds are great and the finish brilliant. Once again though, basic organisational flaws mean it's no more than average.
Date of review: October 16, 2006

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

In short: Lived up to its reputation
In full: Expected a lot from this one having read reviews from previous years, and have to say it didn't disappoint. Lovely scenery and a flat course which helped me to a pb, but the high point was the organisation, which ran so smoothly. Nice medal and tshirt too. Only slight gripe was that I didn't have a timing chip (perhaps unwisely didn't open the plastic envelope until race day, to find a velcro strap with no chip), but since I had a watch this pales into insignificance.
Well done Swansea - a truly cracking race and I'll definitely be back!
Date of review: September 26, 2006

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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: Enjoyable
In full: Excellently organised and a good, scenic course. Weather made the undulations more challenging than I'd have liked..one gripe would be the directions from the east, which led to an unplanned tour of Llanelli.
Date of review: June 26, 2006

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

In short: Great first time race
In full: As mentioned ad infinitum already, organisational problems at finish especially (lack of any sort of security for bags was a real concern, and why couldn't they allow spectators into the lower level of the Stadium like last year?), but generally a fantastic run for a first timer.
My girlfriend and I finished our first half marathon in 1:52:24 and thought the marshalling and support around the course to be excellent.
Incidentally, you CAN access full race results on the website, they've been there since yesterday afternoon.
Date of review: October 11, 2005

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