My Event Ratings

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

In short: very poor marshalling and control by race director
In full: i arrived early and walked the 5k course start to finish. all sign posted and clear apart from one junction where the sign was missing and i had to get my map out. mental note to self - this could cause probelms later - hope marshalls are at this point.
good friendly staff at start to collect chip and numbers. nice pubs in the start area for toilets and warm place to change
a bit concerned when i saw bag drop off area was a tent manned by one person for almost 1000 runners !
run started in choas - the "pen" was non existant, the signs to indicate where runners should start based on exepected finish time were left on the floor. PA system not working so people at back had no idea what race director said about different finsih line for 5 and 10 k racers. ( see later!)
First few hundred meters of run - up flight of steps, across a dual carriageway with awful marshalling directing runners over central reservation/kerbs. several runners stumbling/ having to stop .
first 1km marker was at 1.2 km.
then as i got to point where sign was missing earlier, the marshalls were directiing people straight on rather than turn right on the mapped course. (ahh - knew this would happen i thought.)
Back into city centre at 5k point ( actually 4.2 on my gps) and chaos as people doing 5km had missed their finish line because of the PA problems at the start.
second lap thinking " course problem will be sorted by now" - No, still missed out the extra bit.
over the finish line - 9.1 k distance. loads of very excited runners thinking they had smashed their PBs.
me ? gutted - round trip of 90 miles to do this one. i found race director and gave him my medal back - what is the point of a medal for a 10k race if it wasnt !
and to add insult to injury - web site updated the same day saying what a great race it had been ! and the timings are now live on the site still showiing it was a 10 k race.
last point - went to collect bag from drop off area - now totally unmanned - wlaked into tent picked up my bag and left - could have taken 5 or 6 if i had been that way inclined.
OK - rant over - but as you can see i was appaled at organisation of this "big city" race.
really disapointed as has great potential for a PB.
how do i get a refund
Date of review: December 3, 2012

Report this rating to the moderator