My Event Ratings

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

In short: Great race awful weather
In full: This was a very well organised event and traffic free. The only down side was the weather which was awful so while the route is scenic it's very hard to say how much so due to not being able to see properly for the first hour. Previous reviews said there were killer hills but actually there aren't any it's just not flat. (I have done two more hilly halfs this year so I know what hills are.) You just need to ensure you do some hill training and you will be fine.
Date of review: November 1, 2009

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Overall score		60%
Would you do it again?		No
Details:
Scenery		80%
PB potential		20%
Atmosphere		60%
Organisation		40%
Value		60%
Beginner-friendliness		60%

In short: Starts too late and too hot
In full: September for as many years as I can remember has had hot days. My first "undulating" half-marathon was also in September however the difference between that one and this one was the start time. Starting 9.30am instead of 1.10pm is the difference between feeling comfortable on a run and feeling like you are going to collapse at any moment.

In addition I have now spent all day around Windsor due to road works and congestion because of the time of day the half-marathon starts. If it started earlier I would only have to suffer congestion on the way home. I have already run two other half-marathons this year that were actually 35 miles away instead of 25, yet I actually spent less time getting to and from them as there was no other traffic on the roads.

Strangely not one person I know who has done this half marathon course has wanted to do it again, yet they are happy to repeat other "undulating" half-marathon courses - and now I know why.
Date of review: September 27, 2009

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

In full: This is a great race for beginners if the weather is not too hot like today. The gates at the beginning and the fact that the route has lots of single file paths mean that if you are look for a PB you are unlikely to get it.
Date of review: July 26, 2009

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

In short: Nice and Flat
In full: This race is nice and flat with enough variation of scenery so you don't get bored. There some nice spectators on the way and most of the competitors taking part are a friendly brunch.
Date of review: July 24, 2009

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

In short: Local race
In full: I live very locally now and it's the second time I've done the 8.2 mile race. The race is flat and fast.

The organisation is very good but it should be for the price of the race. The race price is very steep.

There are other local races which use some of the same routes that have managed to keep their costs down. If the main costs are due to the location then maybe the organisers need to move it slightly so it doesn't include the town centre.

I suspect some people also had trouble getting to the race as unfortunately when the race was organised the organisers would not have know that South West Trains would have decided to do engineering works.
Date of review: July 23, 2009

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

In short: OK I guess
In full: The scenery was pleasant enough though not outstanding at some points I felt like I was running around the residential routes I do some of my training on. The good point about that was there were a lot of spectators out considering the rain. The best thing about the race was the goody bag at the end which is a shame.

I was surprised that this is a well established race as there weren't enough toilets for the women and the 2 race starts where combined leading to bottle necks at the start and on the hills which could have been avoided. If you train to run up hills having people walk in front of you blocking your way means they start hurting. In addition there was no advertisement on the web, with the number or when you arrive at the actual site that there was a baggage store. The organisers should note that not everyone lives in the area or comes with spectators.

I would only do the race again if they separate the 10KM and half marathon starts out.
Date of review: July 23, 2009

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

In short: Hilly and hot
In full: Downside- one of the water stations ran out of water around 8 miles. So myself and 2 friends who are mid-pack runners had to run with no fluids which due to the heat and hills was horrible.

Upside-The support from the locals is a major plus of this event especially before and after the hills!
Date of review: July 17, 2005

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