My Event Ratings

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

In short: Still the best race in the calendar, bar none
In full: Another triumph for Stockport Harriers. The fun and surreal humour do not detract from the fact that the organisation is taken very seriously indeed.

The names on the bibs was a great idea (I was very nearly last and to have people cheer me on by name as I came back into the park was brilliant.)

The marshals are superb and plentiful.

How Tony Audenshaw keeps up a brilliant commentary for 3+ hours I have no idea. I think I am a tiny bit in love with him.

I don't know where Stockport Harriers go from here, because short of hiring Johnny Depp to rub me down afterwards, I'm not sure how this race can be improved.

Date of review: December 10, 2012

Report this rating to the moderator

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

In short: Another brilliant Stockport 10
In full: It really is one of the best races in the calendar, probably THE best for value and, er, originality. It's not the easiest course, and the weather was ATROCIOUS, but the marshals really do deserve all the plaudits they get. They must have been frozen by the time I reached them but they were all still smiling and cheering. Fantastic t-shirt, hats off to Tony Audenshaw (BRILLIANT), so much fun you can almost forget the hills. And the rain. Almost.

Well done again, Stockport AC
Date of review: December 12, 2011

Report this rating to the moderator

Overall score		60%
Would you do it again?		Yes
Details:
Scenery		100%
PB potential		60%
Atmosphere		60%
Organisation		80%
Value		80%
Beginner-friendliness		20%

In short: Lovely course, great marshals
In full: Pros:- Lovely route down the Taff trail, scenery made the race for me. Friendly and encouraging marshals, very good organisation, especially pre-race info. Race Director announcing finishers at the end was great. Terrific t-shirt, much better than a tatty medal.

Cons:- Very, very lonely at the back - which I guess you'd expect at a small, tough race. Couple of marshalling blips. Running out of gels is hard to forgive if there are 250+ pre-race entries and less than 300 finishers. Publishing the first 200 finishers a number of hours before "the rest of us" underlined the feeling that the slower people were a bit less important. Which I guess we are, but there's no need to rub it in! :)

Sorry to gripe - on the whole it was well worth doing, and I'm probably just whining because every atom of my body hurts...
Date of review: March 21, 2011

Report this rating to the moderator

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

In short: Well organised, lovely location, touch expensive
In full: My first time at Llanelli. Slightly biased as I totally pulverised my PB so bound to be well-inclined to this race!

Plenty of loos and car parking, decent facilities for spectators. Pretty enough scenery - got very lucky with the weather, on a windy day I'll bet it's a different story.

Nice atmosphere amongst runners, what little crowd support there was were friendly enough. Marshalling on the whole competent if not exactly cheerleading, water stations and turn points very efficiently marshalled - I think to describe the marshalling as "totally inept" as a previous reviewer has is very unfair, although there were a couple of problems at mile 8/12 ish.

Memento nice enough and reflective of the entry fee but I'd have preferred a medal and something to eat tbh!

But the cons are mostly matters of personal preference - a good race.
Date of review: March 6, 2011

Report this rating to the moderator

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

In short: Terrible race
In full: An absolute masterclass in how not to do things. I will never complain about minor organisational shortcomings again, after this dog's breakfast.

Route nothing like as advertised, and certainly not traffic free. Two quid to park, and it wasn't a cheap race to start with. No mile markers, no safety signs, no changing area, no baggage store, no refreshments, no gun, no start or finish line (you think I'm making this up, right?). Tatty medal with no date, place or distance on it.

Fair play to the marshals for doing their best in difficult circumstances - exploited as much as the runners, I suspect.

Just read the reviews of the Half-mara which all say the same thing. Short of getting hit by a car, I can't see how I could have had a worse time.

Runners beware events organised by Ultramarathon.

Date of review: January 3, 2011

Report this rating to the moderator

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

In short: I heart the Stockport 10
In full: My second time at Stockport (and this year travelling from Cardiff!) - lovely atmosphere and banter for us Lady Vets bringing up the rear. Not the easiest course but not a killer either.

As others have said, technical tee is worth entry fee alone and LOVE the design this year - brilliant and really different.

Oh and still BEST. MARSHALS. EVER.
Date of review: December 13, 2010

Report this rating to the moderator

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

In short: Friendly, flat, scenic course
In full: My first time at this race. Pluses:- Impressed with organisation, very scenic course and some pockets of good crowd support. Friendly field. T-shirt and medal nice. Minuses:- a "goody" bag with no goodies? Especially as no catering to speak of at the finish. Also £21 for a race then another £1 to leave your bag felt like scalping.

But those are minor quibbles on what was otherwise a cracking morning out for me.
Date of review: September 12, 2010

Report this rating to the moderator

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

In short: Good race, well-oragnised.
In full: The usual well-organised race from Bolton Harriers. Great marshalls and nice track finish.
Date of review: April 25, 2010

Report this rating to the moderator

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

In short: My first 10 miler - and what a way to start
In full: As someone who does NO hill training, this was the hardest race I have ever run, but the organisation was absolutely faultless at every stage. Support for backmarkers like me from marshals just great (you'd be surprised how disheartening it can be when every marshal you reach is looking at their watch clearly wanting to go home and wondering how many more of us slow b*ggers there can be). Not at Stockport, when every last one clapped and shouted encouragement. This race deserves its reputation for that alone - even got encouraged on by the Race Director himself as I was last off the track at the start! Also thanks to the marshal at the water station for his firm words with an inconsiderate driver who drove in a way to deliberately startle and upset me. Scenery a bit average apart from the middle section. Legendary goody bag, fantastic t-shirt. More power to your elbow, a great race, well done Stockport Harriers.
Date of review: December 14, 2009

Report this rating to the moderator

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

In short: Lovely day out
In full: I did the 10k. Lovely scenic course, and a race for a great cause. Very good organisation (though could have done with a couple more car park stewards) and pro touches like bag store and chip timing. There are some challenging hills. Great atmosphere amongst us back markers, very friendly. Nice "village fete" feel post race with food stalls, market place and family stuff. Would definitely do it again.
Date of review: May 12, 2009

Report this rating to the moderator