My Event Ratings

Overall score		100%
Would you do it again?		Yes
Details:
Scenery		100%
PB potential		20%
Atmosphere		80%
Organisation		80%
Value		100%
Beginner-friendliness		40%

In short: Race like they do it in Siberia through the heart of Epping Forest
In full: Really enjoyed this but oh my it was tough. Muddy, cold, hilly and covered in snow, a pretty damn gruelling race.
However, also very beautiful in places, especially some forest sections where the snow hung on the trees like a real winter wonderland. If anyone has seen the episode of Band of Brothers where they are stuck in the forest during the Battle of the Bulge, well it was a bit like that!
Organised by good guys with nice fellow competitors, will look to do this race again next year.
Date of review: March 24, 2013

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

In short: Regular Xmas run that has become an annual tradition
In full: I love this race, its fantastic to blow the cobwebs away on Boxing Day and is in a great location with a fantastic atmosphere. The organisation is always pretty good especially considering the date.
The race can be run pretty quick but there is a good mix of club runners and fun runners with a nice smattering of fancy dress runners as well. The only downside is the ongoing issue of the course route as the weather invariably affects it one way or the other but the organisers usually deal with this so at least there is a run come what may. And its also pretty cheap, under a tenner.
All in all a really fun race for Christmas and I love running it every year.
Date of review: December 27, 2012

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Overall score		80%
Would you do it again?		Yes
Details:
Scenery		100%
PB potential		40%
Atmosphere		80%
Organisation		60%
Value		60%
Beginner-friendliness		60%

In short: Amazing race with a bloody great hill in the middle
Date of review: October 14, 2012

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Overall score		60%
Would you do it again?		Yes
Details:
Scenery		60%
PB potential		60%
Atmosphere		100%
Organisation		40%
Value		40%
Beginner-friendliness		100%

In short: In danger of getting too big for its boots
In full: I ran this for the first time this year. I really enjoyed it but the lack of organisation at the start was bad and as a race there's just too many people on sometimes narrow stretches of road to make this a proper race. Enjoyed the experience but I think 10000 fewer people would make this really great.
Date of review: September 21, 2012

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

In short: Great day but so bloody hot!
In full: First things first - I smashed my PB by 20 minutes so that was brilliant. Secondly, the support from Macmillan was amazing, from round the course and in the recovery tent in the end, and the support from people around the course was special too. Finally, it was gorgeous scenery and a great excuse to visit a beautiful city.

Now the negatives... no clocks anywhere on the course was strange for a race that markets itself on it being the UKs fastest marathon. The organisation at the beginning was a bit light, there weren't a lot of stewards about telling people where to go. There wasn't anyone giving out sun cream on the route either, which would have been good given the sun.

Which leads me onto the heat, bloody hell it made it tough! Still, it was great to get round and the feeling at the end was fantastic.
Date of review: May 28, 2012

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

In short: Tough all terrain half marathon, really friendly and nice atmosphere
In full: I really enjoyed this, it was a challenging course with lots of long gradual (and not so gradual) hills but a great atmosphere and lots of support from fellow runners. This is another example of why smaller events are usually so much more rewarding than bigger, more polished races.

That said, I do have a couple of complaints. First is that although we were warned that the course wasn't fully marshalled there were some points of the course where the lack of both marshalls and signs made progress pretty dodgy - I started trotting off in completely the wrong the direction at one point and was saved by a fellow runner calling me back. The second is that it would have been useful if the marshals, although very positive and friendly, also had an idea of where they were on the race course. There were no mile markers so a bit guidance from the marshals would have been a help. Unfortunately they eiether offered no assistance or inaccurate info. It was a bit annoying, considering it was such a tough challenge.
Date of review: May 6, 2012

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

In short: Race with real charm but for £25 would have expected seeing some more frequent mile markers
In full: I enjoyed this race, and it is a charity event so I know its got great intentions, but the lack of mile markers was a bit of a pain in the arse. Also, the stewards while enthusiastic and positive and friendly were a little bit useless.
On the positive side it was a race with real charm and I really got the sense that the organisers were doing it with really good intentions, and thats why I prefer these lower key events to big corporate events like Run to the Beat *shudder*.
Date of review: April 1, 2012

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

In short: A shambles from beginning to end
In full: A lot of runners will see an event like Run to the Beat as their first time once a year big race, but with organisation and travel chaos like I've just experienced they are unlikely to want to make the race experience a repeat one. Tube closures wrought havoc (the start was delayed)while runners were not helped by piss poor stewarding and an amateur approach to event coordination.
The event was dealt a bad hand with the Jubilee Line being down, but that shouldn't let the organisers off the hook for an event that was absolutely shoddy. It took 35 minutes to get past the start line, 30 minutes to pick up my bag, there was no goody bag and the music was shite.

The cost of the ticket was criminal, and for the money spent by 17,000 runners surely a contingency should have been in place for the tube being down - it does happen sometimes in London you know.
WILL NEVER DO THIS RACE EVER AGAIN!!!
Date of review: September 26, 2010

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

In short: You often hear things described as 'once in a lifetime'... in the case of this race, believe the hype.
In full: What an incredible day! This was my first marathon and I'd never even been down to support previously, so I had no preparation for the emotional sledgehammer I experienced running this race. The first half was a breeze, the second a nightmare (OK, I started too quickly) but when I finished I experienced a state that I've never felt before and don't think I ever will again - pain, pride, exhaustion, euphoria, and the rest.

Truly amazing.
Date of review: April 14, 2008

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

In short: Lovely little race with plenty to enjoy
In full: Yes, there were a couple of quibbles - the first water station wasn't till mile 5 and was a bit disorganised, the bag storage system was a little amateur, and there was a bit of a 'Dads Army' feel to it overall - but overall this was a smashing race. Other racers were friendly, the course was challenging and gorgeous, and the support was excellent. I'd definitely recommend it to a friend.
Date of review: March 2, 2008

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