2012 BHF Blenheim Palace Half Marathon
 | | Overall score | | 80% | | Would you do it again? | | Yes | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 100% | | PB potential | | 60% | | Atmosphere | | 80% | | Organisation | | 60% | | Value | | 80% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In short: Scenic, not a stroll but if you train it's doable and enjoyable In full: This was my first half marathon but I have been training at various events to get used to the race atmosphere.
Overall, the race was nicely organised, the t-shirts were good, and the course was stunning. Yes, there were some rolling hills, I wouldn't say that they were unmanageable, but they were frequent.
Plenty of water at the water stations, though it would have been nice to get a banana or something at the half way point as has been done at other races. Not a deal-breaker, come with gels if you need the boost.
I wouldn't recommend this race if you haven't been training and are doing this for a bit of fun (stick to the fun run!) OR if you haven't run in a race before, solely because the terrain, although paved, isn't flat and could come as a shock.
My only criticism is that towards the end (I think it was at mile 11, by the white tents), the finishers and guests were walking on the course, which was not only distracting and unsafe, but a little disheartening to those of us still running (this was about 2 hours in, not the very end!).
The atmosphere was great, people cheered along the course, including the marshals and locals, which compounded with the gorgeous view, made it quite enjoyable. The runners were also polite, I saw a few people slow every so often for those that were struggling to make sure that they were ok - it was a congenial group of runners generally.
I'm excited to participate again next year and hopefully beat my time! Date of review: October 8, 2012
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